Run-DMC

Why they matter

Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell all grew up in Hollis, and they met the way a lot of rap groups did: in a park. Two-Fifths Park, where Jay was the DJ people came to see. Run had already been working stages as a DJ for Kurtis Blow, who was managed by Run’s older brother Russell Simmons. In 1983 the three cut “It’s Like That” b/w “Sucker MCs” for Profile Records, and the old school started to sound old.

The 1984 debut, produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith, was built on an Oberheim DMX drum machine with Jay’s scratches over it. No disco band, no glitter costumes. They dressed like the corner, too: Kangols, leather jackets, unlaced Adidas, a look the group took largely from Jay’s own style. Run-D.M.C. became the first rap album to go gold, King of Rock the first to go platinum, and Raising Hell in 1986 the first to go multi-platinum.

That third record, made with Rick Rubin, is where they crossed over for good. “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith was originally going to be a rap over a sample; Rubin and Jay pushed for a full cover, and it reached the top five of the Hot 100. “My Adidas” turned into an endorsement deal with the sneaker company itself. Along the way they were the first rap act on MTV and they played Live Aid. The group disbanded after Jay’s death in 2002.

What a working rapper can take from it

Empty space is an arrangement choice. The early records are a drum machine, a DJ and two voices, and they hit harder than plenty of fuller productions from the same years. Before you stack another pad on a beat, mute something and see if the record gets louder. Most of the time it does.

Your DJ is a member, not a playback device. Jay’s scratches were part of the song, and he shaped most of the sound under Run and DMC. If you perform with a DJ, write moments for them into the set. If you don’t have one, the no-DJ live guide covers how to cover that gap without the stage going flat.

Image works when it’s true. The Run-DMC look wasn’t invented by a stylist; it came from the way their own neighborhood dressed, and that’s why it lasted. Build your presentation out of what you actually wear and where you’re actually from, then carry it into the room. The show guide is the place to start on that.