ARTIST

Straight up...Run-DMC broke hip-hop music, paving the way for everyone else. No hip-hop act gained a mass audience or received major radio or video play until Run-DMC busted out of Hollis, Queens and broke through the New York club scene with "It's Like That" and "Sucker M.C.'s." Riding the first wave of rap to its crest, Run (Joseph Simmons), DMC (Darryl McDaniels) and DJ Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) traded off witty rhymes full of bragging and battling that now seem tame by today's standards, but today's rappers owe a lot to the trio.

What really set Run-DMC apart was "Rock Box," which laid a blistering guitar riff over a bass groove, thus adding a human quality to hip-hop that people quickly ate up. This track helped set-up...
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