| The Essential Run-D.M.C. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–2001 | |||
| Genre | Rap | |||
| Length | 1:53:00 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Run-DMC chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| PopMatters |   [2] |
The Essential Run-D.M.C is a two-disc compilation album by American hip hop group Run-DMC, released on October 30, 2012. [3] It is a part of Sony BMG's Essential series of compilation albums and includes selections from Run-DMC's back catalog from 1983 through 2001.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Nathaniel S. Hardy Jr., Terrance Balfour, Larry Smith | Run-D.M.C. (1984) | 3:10 |
| 2. | "They Call Us Run-D.M.C." | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jason Mizell | Tougher Than Leather (1988) | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Peter Piper" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons | Raising Hell (1986) | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Rock Box (7" Version)" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Larry Smith | Run-DMC (1984) | 4:08 |
| 5. | "Beats to the Rhyme" | Dwayne Simon | Tougher Than Leather (1988) | 2:40 |
| 6. | "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons | Down With the King (1993) | 3:06 |
| 7. | "Dumb Girl" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Russell Simmons | Raising Hell (1986) | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Mary, Mary" | Michael Nesmith | Tougher Than Leather (1988) | 3:15 |
| 9. | "The School of Old" (featuring Kid Rock) | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Russell Simmons, Larry Smith, Brian Potter, Carlos Santana, Chris Davies, David Margen, Dennis Lambert, Greg Walker, Robert James Ritchie | Crown Royal (2001) | 3:19 |
| 10. | "King of Rock (7" Version)" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Russell Simmons, Larry Smith, Jason Mizell | King of Rock (1985) | 4:39 |
| 11. | "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)" (Live at Hollis Park 1984) | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons | Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991 (1991) | 3:34 |
| 12. | "My Adidas" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons | Raising Hell (1986) | 2:47 |
| 13. | "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Russell Simmons, Larry Smith, Jason Mizell | Run-D.M.C. (1984) | 3:12 |
| 14. | "Back from Hell (Remix)" | Stanley Brown | Back from Hell (1991) | 4:59 |
| 15. | "Pause (12" Version)" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jason Mizell | Back from Hell (1991) | 6:06 |
| Total length: | 54:53 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Down with the King" (featuring Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth) | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Corey Penn, Peter Phillips, James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Galt MacDermot | Down with the King (1993) | 5:02 |
| 2. | "Walk This Way" (featuring Aerosmith) | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry | Raising Hell (1986) | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Christmas in Hollis" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jason Mizell | Tougher Than Leather (1988) | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Hard Times" | Jimmy Bralower, J.B. Moore, Russell Simmons, Larry Smith, William Waring | Run-D.M.C. (1984) | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Here We Go" (Live at the Funhouse) | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons | Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991 (1991) | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Come On Everybody" (featuring Q-Tip) | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jonathan Davis | Down with the King (1993) | 4:30 |
| 7. | "The Ave" | Frank Inglese | Back from Hell (1990) | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Run's House" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, David Reeves | Tougher Than Leather (1988) | 3:46 |
| 9. | "It's Tricky" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Doug Fieger, Berton Averre | Raising Hell (1986) | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Tougher Than Leather" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jason Mizell | Tougher Than Leather (1988) | 4:23 |
| 11. | "You Talk Too Much" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jason Mizell | King of Rock (1985) | 3:58 |
| 12. | "You Be Illin'" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Jason Mizell, Raymond White | Raising Hell (1986) | 3:26 |
| 13. | "It's Like That" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Larry Smith | Run-D.M.C. (1984) | 4:50 |
| 14. | "Jam-Master Jammin' (Remix, Long Version)" | Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons, Larry Smith, Jeffrey Fludd | King of Rock (1985) | 6:44 |
| Total length: | 58:22 | |||
| Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|
| October 30, 2012 [1] | Sony Music, Legacy Records | CD, digital download |
Raising Hell is the third studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on May 15, 1986, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Raising Hell became the first Platinum and multi-Platinum hip hop record. The album was first certified as Platinum on July 15, 1986, before it was certified as 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 24, 1987.
"Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit singles for the band in the 1970s. In addition to being one of the songs that helped break Aerosmith into the mainstream in the 1970s, it also helped revitalize their career in the 1980s when it was covered by hip hop group Run-D.M.C. on their 1986 album Raising Hell. This cover was a touchstone for the new musical subgenre of rap rock, or the melding of rock and hip hop. It became an international hit and won both groups a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Single in 1987 Soul Train Music Awards. Both versions are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Darryl Matthews McDaniels, better known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture.
Tougher Than Leather is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on May 17, 1988, by Profile Records. The album was produced by the group members themselves, Davy D. and Rick Rubin.
Crown Royal is the seventh and final studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was released on April 3, 2001, by Arista Records.
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. The album was produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith. It was considered groundbreaking for its time, presenting a tougher, more hardcore form of hip-hop. The album's sparse beats and aggressive rhymes were in sharp contrast with the light sound that was popular in hip hop at the time.
Greatest Hits is the second compilation album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was released on September 10, 2002 by Arista Records. While it was argued that hits such as "The Ave.", "Pause" and "Ooh, What'cha Gonna Do?" should have found a place in this release, Run speculated during a Marie Claire interview in 2003 that the album was simply showcasing the group's better known earlier work:
"I want kids to pick up this album and go '..So that's what hip hop sounded like in 1984, cool'. It's not because I dislike any of those [later] records."
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 released on CD. 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.
Ultimate Run–D.M.C. is a 2003 compilation album by Run–D.M.C. It contains 18 tracks as well as a bonus DVD with 14 music videos.
Down with the King is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on May 4, 1993, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Pete Rock, Q-Tip, EPMD, DJ Kay Gee of Naughty by Nature, Jam Master Jay, The Bomb Squad, Daniel Shulman, Run-D.M.C., Chyskills, Jermaine Dupri and Clifton "Specialist" Dillon.
Back from Hell is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on October 16, 1990 by Profile Records. The album was produced by the group members themselves.
The Best of Run-DMC is a 2003 compilation album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C.
"It's Like That" is the debut single of American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released in 1983 by Profile Records. The song was remixed by house DJ Jason Nevins in 1997. His version was originally released in 1997 on 10-inch vinyl in the United States and became a sleeper hit in 1998. It sold around five million copies worldwide, placing it amongst the biggest selling singles of all time. In 2008, it was ranked number 40 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs".
"It's Tricky" is the fourth single released from Run-DMC's third album, Raising Hell. It was released early in 1987 through Profile Records and was co-produced by Rick Rubin and the group themselves. The song peaked at No. 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In the UK, the song reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Two decades after the song's release, the Knack sued Run-DMC on the grounds that "It's Tricky" sampled their song "My Sharona" without permission.
"Rock Box" is a song by the American hip hop group Run-DMC. The song was produced by Larry Smith and Russell Simmons and released by Profile Records in March 1984. Following the popularity of their previous two singles "Hard Times" (1983) and "It's Like That" (1983), Profile Records head suggested to the producers and group that they should attempt to record an album as they already had four songs ready, and releasing a few more would not hurt them. Despite speculating low sales from the label and the group not feeling that hip hop was a genre appropriate for a full-length album, they were given an advance to start recording. This led to Run-DMC members Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels going through their rhyme book to develop new songs, one of which would become "Rock Box".
Fun DMC is the sixth album by People Under the Stairs. The album was a concept album and, at the time of its release, the most widely reviewed and lauded of the group's catalog. In support of the album, PUTS released two singles, as well as the group's first music video for "The Wiz". For the release of the album, the group again chose an independent label, Gold Dust Media.
"Christmas in Hollis" is a single by Run-DMC that was included on two 1987 Christmas compilation albums featuring various artists: A Very Special Christmas and Christmas Rap. When Bill Adler first asked Run-DMC to contribute to A Very Special Christmas—the first in a series of various artists compilation albums produced to benefit the Special Olympics—they refused. After Bill—who was then the director of publicity for Rush Productions, which managed Run-DMC—gave the band the idea for "Christmas in Hollis," they changed their minds and agreed to be on the album. The track was produced by the group along with Rick Rubin and was originally released as a single in 1987 by A&M. In 2000, thirteen years after it was first released, it reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Lawrence Smith was a pioneering American musician and hip hop record producer. He is best known for his co-productions of Run-DMC's Run-D.M.C. (1984) and King of Rock (1985) and his solo production of Whodini's Escape (1984) and Back in Black (1986).
"Sucker M.C.'s" is a song by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was first released in 1983 as B-side to "It's Like That". The two-sided release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career as their first single, and it is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an abrasive, minimalist sound that marked them out from their predecessors. Both tracks were collected on the trio's self-titled debut album in 1984. WBAU was the first station to play the two songs.
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new school hip hop music. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
