King of Rock

This article is about the album by Run-D.M.C. For the title track on the album, see King of Rock (song). For the "King of Rock and Roll", see Honorific nicknames in popular music.

King of Rock
Studio album by
Run-D.M.C.
ReleasedJanuary 21, 1985[1][2]
Recorded1984
StudioGreene Street Recording, New York City, New York
GenreRap rock
Length43:46
Label
Producer
Run-D.M.C. chronology
Run-D.M.C.
(1984) 		King of Rock
(1985) 		Raising Hell
(1986)
Singles from King of Rock
  1. "King of Rock"
    Released: January 15, 1985
  2. "You Talk Too Much"
    Released: 1985
  3. "Jam-Master Jammin' (Remix)"
    Released: 1985
  4. "Can You Rock It Like This"
    Released: November 6, 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Pitchfork5.7/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[9]
The Village VoiceB+[10]

King of Rock is the second studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on January 21, 1985, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith. King of Rock became the first rap album to be released on CD, and was the third rap album to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[11] The album saw the group adopting a more rock-influenced sound, with several tracks prominently featuring heavy guitar riffs. The song "Roots, Rap, Reggae" features Yellowman, and was one of the first hybrids of rap and dancehall.

King of Rock peaked at number 52 on the Billboard 200, and number 12 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album was given a Gold certification on June 3, 1985, before being certified Platinum by the RIAA on February 18, 1987.[12] The album features four singles, all of which appeared on the Billboard Hot 100: "King of Rock", "You Talk Too Much", "Jam-Master Jammin'" and "Can You Rock It Like This". "King of Rock" peaked at number 80 on the UK Singles Chart on March 16, 1985.[13]

King of Rock was ranked at number 44 on NME's list of the "50 Albums Released In 1985 That Still Sound Great Today".[14] "King of Rock" featured a popular music video, which became a fan favorite on MTV. It featured Calvert DeForest, also known as Larry "Bud" Melman of NBC's Late Night with David Letterman fame.[15] King of Rock was reissued by Arista Records in 1999 and 2003. An expanded and remastered edition was released in 2005 which contained 4 previously unreleased songs.[16]

  1. ^ Slavicek, Louise Chipley (2009). Run-DMC. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9781438103501. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  2. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1985). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 29, 2019. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "King of Rock – Run-D.M.C." AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  4. ^ Kot, Greg (December 2, 1990). "A Rundown On The Recording History Of Run-d.m.c." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2584. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ Breihan, Tom (September 22, 2005). "Run-D.M.C.: Run-DMC / King of Rock / Raising Hell / Tougher Than Leather". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  7. ^ Considine, J. D. (March 28, 1985). "Run-D.M.C.: King Of Rock". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  8. ^ Tate, Greg (2004). "Run-D.M.C.". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 708–09. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Run-D.M.C.". Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 2, 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  11. ^ "SPIN Magazine (December, 1999): The Ego Has Landed – page 152". books.google.com. December 1999. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "American certifications – Run-D.M.C. – King of Rock". Recording Industry Association of America.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 75 (16 March 1985)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Run-D.M.C. – King Of Rock (2005 expanded deluxe edition)". discogs.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.