Run-D.M.C. was a hip hop group founded by the late Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell that included Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. The group had an enormous impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980s and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. The three members of Run-D.M.C. ...show more

Run-D.M.C. was a hip hop group founded by the late Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell that included Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. The group had an enormous impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980s and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. The three members of Run-D.M.C.

grew up in Hollis, Queens, New York, USA. The band signed a record deal with Profile Records in 1983, and Run's older brother, Russell "Rush" Simmons, signed Run-D.M.C. to his newly formed management company Rush Productions that same year. On their first major United States tour, the group set new fads by performing dressed in baggy black clothing, Adidas Sneakers (always with shoelaces removed), and Fedora hats.

Their mainstream success continued as the group performed at the famous Live Aid concert in 1985, and their 1986 album ''Raising Hell'' became the highest-selling rap album in history (this record was later broken as rap gained more popularity with artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem), reaching number 3 on the ''Billboard magazine'' album charts and selling over 3 million copies. The album featured the famous cover version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way", a rap-rock collaboration performed with Aerosmith members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. The song was the first hip-hop track to make the Top 10 on Billboard's singles charts. ...show less