Search - Run Dmc :: Raising Hell

One of the first hiphop classics......

The Specialist | Parts Unknown | 09/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"1986 - Raising Hell. What! Too many joints to name. The whole thing is part of this hiphop thing blueprint. Run, D, and Jay were superstars and the undisputed Kings of Rap. Walk this way was they entry to mainstream, but in the hood we were blasting My Adidas, It's Tricky, Hit it Run and You be Illin. Classic Groundbreaking Material. Nuff Said!"

Run DMC's Finest Hour....(get this as your first Run DMC Alb

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 01/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arguably one of the most important Rap acts to ever grace a Mic, Run DMC where largely credited with taking rap music, which at that point, was largely considered the domain of the streets and small clubs, and managing to cross over to the mainstream. This, their third (and unarguably most important) album, was the moment when the trio, found themselves at the forefront of the MTV generation. And although 2002's "Greatest Hits" album cherry picks the biggest moments in their career (i.e. The most popular Singles) this album is probably a better overview of the immortal Run Dmc's output. If any of their albums could be stood up as their greatest achievement with the late `Jam Master Jay', and Cement, Run Dmc's Place, in rap history as Hip-Hop's ambassadors....then this is it!! With the tongue twisting raps of "Peter Pier", with it's energetic bravado and uncompromising swagger, this was a exactly the sort of track that endeared them to both underground rap fans, and the chart buying public. As the first track on this album beautifully leading straight into the superlative "It's Tricky", with it's stuttering bass/beats and playful rhymes, not to mention a superbly playful video to accompany the single release. Run Dmc began the gradual crossover appeal of Hip-Hop. But to purely mention just Run Dmc in this review would be unfair, not to mention a unsung pivotal figure in their success....the production genius of "Rick Rubin" that toughened their sound, and give the rudimentary production of their first two albums, a more polished and accessible edge. And nowhere is this better exemplified then, when the phenomenal Aerosmith/Run Dmc pairing "Walk This Way" rolls into view, it skilfully mixed rock dynamics, with the cool loops and beats of Hip-Hop, and although it's now been played to the point of over-familiarity, there can be no arguments as to how influential it was, in taking Hip-Hop/Rap from the underground and to a much wider audience. As a group, Run Dmc where always smart then the average rap act, firstly by affiliating themselves with the `Adidas' shoe company (Hence the "My Adidas" track). Their sound has always been one of Confident street smart and the Brash ("Dumb Girl"), and more importantly by being louder and more invigorating then their rivals, but in such a way as to not scare of potential new listeners. Compared to the sort of lyrical delivery of more contemporary acts (Nas, Jay-Z, Gza), or the leap and strides made in Production (Madlib, Kayne West, Dj Premier), this album can sound a little dated on occasion. but this album was (and still is) Run Dmc's Crowning Glory and Paved the way, for future acts, and it's importance in Hip-Hop simply cannot be underestimated."

Way ahead of their time!

Ryan B. | Jonesboro, GA | 12/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everyone knows that this is a classic! What amazes me is that this album is two years before Public Enemy's It Takes A Nations Of Millions To Hold Us Back and BDP's By All Means Necessary. It almost seems like their first two albums were just practice. This album changed everything. Everyone loves Walk This Way but I prefer Is It Live?"