RUN DMC

It was a big day for the LAUNCH staff when Run DMC appeared in our studios. After all, who doesn’t recall the impact of Raising Hell, the trio’s groundbreaking 1986 album that forever changed the course of hip-hop? Hard to believe that 14 years have passed since Run DMC’s hybrid hit of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” crossed the fringe genre known as rap into a huge money-making industry. Looking no worse for the wear, these incredibly talented performers were humble and sweet, talkative, and introspective during a long interview with LAUNCH rap/R&B editor Billy Johnson Jr. Over the years, the trio has seen an entire industry of “rock rap” grow from the seeds planted by their incredible crossover hit, and though the group claims it was just doing what felt natural at the time, the appeal of their rock rap hybrid paved the way for such new talents as Limp Bizkit and KORN. One look at the live performance we captured at L.A.’s Roxy and you must agree that today’s “young upstarts” have nothing on these granddaddies of rap. And their talents extend beyond the world of music: both Run and DMC have written books; Jam Master Jay is producing a film, and DMC is developing an animated series. So stay tuned!

Run DMC: “King Of Rock” written by L. Smith, J. W. Simmons, D. M. McDaniels, courtesy of Arista Records and Protoons, Inc. (ASCAP).