Run-D.M.C. (album)

Run-D.M.C.
Studio album by
Run-D.M.C.
ReleasedMarch 27, 1984
Recorded1983
StudioGreene Street Recording (New York City)
Genre
Length39:27
Label
Producer
Run-D.M.C. chronology
Run-D.M.C.
(1984) 		King of Rock
(1985)
Singles from Run-D.M.C.
  1. "It's Like That"
    Released: August 10, 1983
  2. "Hard Times"
    Released: December 11, 1983
  3. "Rock Box"
    Released: April 16, 1984
  4. "30 Days"
    Released: 1984
  5. "Hollis Crew (Krush Groove 2)"
    Released: 1984

Run-D.M.C. is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on March 27, 1984, by Profile Records, and re-issued by Arista Records. The album was primarily produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith.

The album was considered groundbreaking for its time, presenting a tougher, more hardcore form of rap. The album's sparse beats and aggressive rhymes were in sharp contrast with the light, party-oriented sound that was popular in contemporary hip hop. With the album, Run-D.M.C. came to be regarded by music critics as pioneering the movement of new-school hip hop of the mid-1980s.[1] Five singles were released in support of it: "It's Like That", "Hard Times", "Rock Box", "30 Days" and "Hollis Crew". The first single from the album, "It's Like That", released on August 10, 1983, expanded lyrical boundaries in rap with its tone of social protest (unemployment, inflation). "It's Like That" is considered by many to be the first hardcore rap song,[2][3] and the first new-school hip hop recording.[4] "Sucker M.C.'s" is one of the first diss tracks,[5] and "Rock Box" is the first song in the rap rock genre.[3]

Run-D.M.C. peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 14 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album became the first rap album to achieve a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) (December 17, 1984).[6][7][8] It was released to critical acclaim, and continues to be highly regarded as a seminal hip hop album. In 1989, it was ranked number 51 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s".[9] In 2003, the album was ranked number 240 on the same magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", with the ranking changing to numbers 242 and 378 in the 2012 and 2020 updates of the list, respectively.[10] The album was reissued by Arista Records in 1999 and 2003. An expanded and remastered edition was released in 2005 and contained 4 previously unreleased songs.[11]

  1. ^ Toop, p. xi
  2. ^ Sickels, Robert C. (August 8, 2013). 100 Entertainers Who Changed America: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries (by Robert C. Sickels) (2013) - page 462. ISBN 9781598848311. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Run-DMC - Running Down a Dream (by Joshua Ostroff) Published Sep 01, 2005". exclaim.ca. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  4. ^ Shekell, Dustin; Chuck, D. (2009). LL Cool J (by Dustin Shekell, Chuck D) (2009) - page 44. ISBN 9781438103471. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  5. ^ Chuck, D. (October 10, 2017). Chuck D - This Day In Rap and Hip-Hop History (by Chuck D) (October 10, 2017) - page 37. ISBN 9780316430982. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "American certifications – Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C." Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. ^ "SPIN Magazine (May, 1985): Rap 'N' Roll by Edward Rasen - page 27". books.google.com. May 1985. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Sacha; Wilson, Elliott; Mao, Jeff; Alvarez, Gabe; Rollins, Brent (March 25, 2014). First 10 Gold Rap Albums - Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists (2014) - page 280. ISBN 9781466866973. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (2005 expanded deluxe edition)". discogs.com. Retrieved May 4, 2019.