Run-D.M.C.

Run DMC I love the cold, minimalist beats and synth stabs on this. Obviously it’s heralded as the start of a harder form of rap, and, as often happens with bands who are first to strike new ground they are also the first to sound old fashioned, and there is no doubt that both the mix of rap and rock and the more confrontational lyrics were taken on and made more sophisticated by groups that followed. However that shouldn't detract from the quality of this, even if it does sound slightly quaint nowadays in places nowadays, and you have to appreciate how influential it was/is. Hard Times, Rock Box, Sucker MCs, It’s Like That are still all fantastic, and although Jam Master Jay, Hollis Crew and Wake Up aren’t as strong 30 Days is excellent, with great synth, reminiscent of Afrika Bambataa, and Jay’s Game is a great percussive cut up of It’s Like That. I’ll tip to 4, it is of its time, but it's still very listenable, I love the sound of the beats and it is hugely influential. 👟👟👟👟 Playlist submission: It’s Like That

So quaint now but at the time it was certainly something groundbreaking

Honestly not that bad. I like it more than most of the late 80s/early 90s rap on this list.

It’s alright

First rap album I ever bought. Coming from a 80's hair metal background this was easy to transition to get into and enjoy. "Hard Times" was the introductory tune I first heard at a kids party at the bridge in high school or maybe in the football locker room. Then "Rock Box" hit and it was undeniable blend for the suburban white kids. Add in fan favorites and hits like "Sucker MC's" (hard to believe that was a hit) & "It's Like That" and you have a solid record. Hits/Radio, check. You can understand the words, the message is clear, no N words or foul language were needed, the beats were important and the hooks were deniable. This is pretty much where it started, this album is groundbreaking and got to an entirely new audience so the message & rap sound could spread to new ears. Legacy/Importance, check. I still hear a few of these on the radio (Rock Box, Hard Times, It's Like That) today so longevity is there. This was the base for the 80's mainstream hip hop albums that followed (like the Beastie Boys incredible "License To Ill"). 3.5 for content but mostly for importance. It's still enjoyable, but maybe only if you grew up on it and are familiar with it. Their first 3 albums were all solid.

This Old-School Hip-Hop album feels like being stuck in a room with two people who are extremely enthusiastic about rap, taking turns demonstrating the same technique to me over and over while I keep waiting for something different to happen. The drum-machine beats are sparse and repetitive, the scratching stays relatively simple, and Run and D.M.C. trade bars in a forceful tag-team flow, often completing each other's lines. I can hear the energy and confidence in their deliveries, but because the beats, cadences and vocal patterns change so little, I quickly lose interest. For me, the minimalism doesn't make the music hit harder; it makes the repetition impossible to ignore. By the end, I feel less like I've listened to a collection of songs and more like I've watched the same rap demonstration several times in a row.

Best old school rap artists

An absolutely wild album from start to finish. I knew that Run DMC was going to be somewhere between a casual listen and something that demands your ears, but it did balance it weirdly. Anyway, decent little album. 3.5/5⭐️ 305/1089

its okay

I get the impact that this album must have when it came out. It does feel a little dated to me. While enjoyable for a little bit, it's not something I'm going to keep coming back to.

not for me said with love

7/10

Lät som samma låt varje gång

Run-DMC are Hall of Famers for sure, but this album REALLY sounds like the era. Pretty funny that their brags are about having good credit and the like. They aren't wrong, but it's wild to hear it on an album.

The music and lyrics are a shaky two stars, but I gotta give it the third for historical significance. I do love these fellas, even if this is kind of laughable at times. Fave tracks: - Rock Box - Jam-Master Jay - 30 Days

I get why this is on this list. It is ground breaking hip hop, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. It sounds dated, but that's not the album's fault.

Classic, worth owning

How I like hip hop if I have to listen to hip hop. However an album is long time listening to just beats and rap and minimal variation.

The Good: Yes... The Bad: No... The Ugly: Confusion all around... Fuck me, I remember when "walk this way" dropped and Run DMC became a global name, while at the same time resuscitating Aerosmith's career... Also, me in 1984, trying to be a b-boy myself... because that's what we all did back then... The only track that I kind of liked is "it's like that"... So, 2*, because "that's the way it is"...

2.5 I like them in the right mood. I think their musicality ranks higher than my rating, but just not my favorite. Def good beat, good hooks. And not my jam.

As rap goes, I can accept this

A little before my time so while I know they were revolutionary and their beats were later sampled by so many others, I just don't have the enjoyment listening to this album that some do. The music and the rapping is pleasant but so slow and simple. 3 stars

Hip Hop, 68 eme album =>1/5

Why is Krush Groove 2 before Krush Groove 1? That just seems like bad planning. You can hear the building blocks that show the juggernaut RUN DMC became. This has a few good tracks, but some of the songs feel too long, and the beats are too sparse.

Classic.

A complete bore

Run-D.M.C. deliver beat poetry over jagged synth-pop on their debut. As a piece of hip hop its absolutely prehistoric, but enjoyed in its own right as something completely apart from hip hop I love how bright, bold, amped up and angular they are. My only critique would be that I think this would be a more successful half hour release. I love the hits but there's a couple of songs which are low on melody, where their rap flow becomes a bit wearing.

I don't really like Run DMC, but I can appreciate that they were gamechangers, for that i'll give them a high 2

Crazy similar to DK rap. Interesting but wouldn't call it good.

40 years later this is kind of boring. I shouldn't have listened to this after lunch

This is hilariously repetitive. The beat stays so similar throughout the album that it almost feels like one long track. Good ol' drum machine. The songs aren't bad though.

I’ve never listened to an entire album of Run-DMC and I don’t think I will again. I enjoy their music but it’s better as a single track imo. Callie got pretty hyped when It’s Like That played so that was cute. Cool to learn that this album is considered the first of hardcore rap.

This album was pretty funny. The repetitive drums the classic call and response rap. It's funny to listen to a full album. It was pretty boring. But you can hear a lot of influence into modern rap. The way the accent beats and words within their rhythms but still stay within a very simple rhyme pattern. 5.5/10

God damn the hi hats are annoying... the drums honestly ruin any chance of this being listenable. Yeah yeah they're figuring it out, paving the way, but I cant even focus on what they're saying because the drums are so in your face. Even with the technology at the time Im sure they could have toned down some of the drum hits that span the entirety of the album... had to skip songs by the end due to the wall of yelling and 80s drum machine.

“If you’re looking for a pet, I’ll buy a kangaroo.”

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

não pirei

Listened to Culture Club right before this. When this hit, I was relieved. 4 Boolean: True

Ei oo näiden paras

Relentless and well-written. A little too repetitive for me 3.6

A seminal album in hip hop, that sounds its age but is allowed to due its giant step forward for the time. The roots if so much that is good in rap, with amazing sounds and samples. Sure the beats are pretty slow and sparse but that has been improved upon as time went on.

TL:DR: Still sounds fresh and vital after 42(!) years, even if the culture has moved on both lyrically and musically. BEFORE: I like a bit of old school hip hop but that mid-80s stuff can start to grate after too long so let's see how we go. AFTER: The rapping is more basic and repetitive when compared to modern hip hop, but this was laying the foundations for so much incredible music. The instrumentals are still fantastic, the beats crisp and the vocals are heaps of fun. Proof that basslines only need one note to work. HIGHLIGHTS: Hard Times is a banger straight out of the gates with a minimal but captivating beat. Rock Box keeps up the energy and features some great guitar. Hollis Crew has a fury that was uncommon in that era - you can start to see the genesis of gangster rap. Sucker MCs has an iconic beat that has been heavily sampled. I know It's Like That from the iconic Jason Nevins remix. The original might not be quite as electric but the beat and social conscience still hits hard. Wake Up has a sinister, almost psychedelic vibe with the downtuned vocals and weird sound effects. Jay's Game is a fun DJ-driven track t to close things out - RIP. LOWLIGHTS: It can get a little samey over the full run time but it's not that long. 30 Days lost my attention at times. VERDICT: 5 stars. Given it's importance to the music that came after, it remains a deserved classic.

Kinda defined rap of the early 80s. To be able to point to one spot where an entire music genre REALLY found it's sound is pretty amazing. And that's what we have here. Oh sure. It's so very dated. In a genre that demands freshness, there is barely anything staler. But none of what's out there today would have arrived without this.

- Refreshingly straightforward in a lot of ways. Good beats. Good rhymes. Very direct. - "Rock Box" is almost sickeningly perfect. It is such a strong track that the rest of the songs suffer a bit in comparison, especially since it is the second one on the album. - Telling a girl you will get her a kangaroo is clutch.

I respect Run-D.M.C. more than I like to listen to them. Good stuff, but dated.

A fun forty minutes of rippity-rap.

The real blueprint

It is one of those albums I understand why they are on the list based on their influence on the genre. It is fun, the beats are quite simple yet fun, the rhymes and how they compete the phrases are too. My rating is based on personal enjoyment. The album as a whole feels dated and gets kinda... repetitive at some point. I'd listen to some songs sporadically, just not the full album again

Early hip-hop kinda fun but gets a bit boring quickly. Best Tracks: Eh they're all fine Rating: 5/10

This is one of the most boring hip-hop albums I have ever heard! The bars are so cheesy and basic that it's painful! I understand this was groundbreaking at the time but that doesn't make it good. All it really does is make me appreciate how much better hip-hop eventually got. There's only one song I liked so this is still getting a 2, but it is probably the lowest 2 I've given so far.

Although it is definitely a trail blazer of its era it doesn't hold up to modern sounds

Im kinda in the same place i always amazed with run dmc. They are pioneers. They are giants of their time. Keywords of their time. Its just so simple. The beats especially are just a drum kit sometimes. Its so bare bones. The rapping itself is also just old-school but its engaging all the same. The puff puff pass style they do is fun and keeps them both at the forefront the whole time. Its cool. I just cant get over how little there is on the beat front. Making it acapella might not change much. Its nothing. Kills me. But I still think there is some merit here. They broke the rap rock barrier with Aerosmith. Walk this way is iconic. But they have a rock track here too with rock box. And its damn good. Best song here for sure. Not much more than that for me here but its still ok. They are still legends and will always be but maybe not their first record so much.

A landmark in hip-hop, absolutely essential for the genre, although not perfect.

too long

Definitely old rap. Not bad.

This is a classic album that I think a lot of younger listeners might not be able to give the appreciation it deserves, because this is one of those albums that really needs to be judged within its historical context. In the late 70s and early 80s, hip hop still carried a lot of disco, funk, and live band influences, whereas Run-D.M.C. centered the sound around drum machines, turntable techniques, sparse sampling, and heavy beats. The vocal approach changed things too. Run and D.M.C. trade lines and finish each other’s phrases, creating a much harder and more confrontational delivery than the smoother party MC style associated with earlier rap. Jam Master Jay completes the sound through the turntables and beats, giving the music a much more stripped down and harder edge compared with a lot of earlier hip hop. And that’s really what makes this album so important. In only about a two year period, you can hear how dramatically hip op had changed, and Run-D.M.C. helped steer the sound toward where it would go from there. After Run-D.M.C. helped pave that road and establish a new identity for hip-hop, within another few years artists like Rakim, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, and others would push rhyme construction, sampling, production, and lyrical technique considerably further.

There are two characteristics that apply to this album: those guys love a conversational way of making music, as well as they love reverb. Like, a lot of reverb. It almost feels like being inside of a cave. And, sure, this album is from the 80's, I should have expected that. But, oh, this is reverb. That being said, the album is nice, even enjoyable at first. But it becomes pretty bland and plain as the songs go by. It is somehow joyful, and I love some aspects of this early hip-hop, but it is also a very forgettable record. And one in which it feels like there is a lack of layers. Some songs are very stripped, as if they were just having a conversation with the drums and some spontaneous synths. It does not feel much interesting, nor an album that really sticks, or that is enjoyable. And, yes, I said it was enjoyable at first. But the thing is that, as the songs go by, it becomes very repetitive and insipid. And its initial charm starts to decay. A good things is that it is short, which is a virtue that helps it not become very monotonous, but, still, there are a lot of things to polish in this record, as well as compiling a better bunch of songs. The first two songs seem to carry the weight of this whole record.

Good hip hop, but the beats are very basic and each song is about a minute too long. Time is probably doing this one no favors either - the drive that would come in later years isn’t there. Raising Hell is a LOT better than this one.

This was a fun listen. Old rap doesn't age that well as it seems to be more corny as time goes on, but it was still fun to listen to.

There’s only so harsh I can be towards an album of such positivity and import. This is one of THE early rap albums. This started the whole thing. And the word “gangsta”, as in “gangsta rap”, had not yet become the prevailing paradigm of the form. There’s no N words. The subject matters range from socially conscious, positive affirmation, and of course the ubiquitous rap staple of “I’m better at this than you”. Absent are the violence, misogyny, and homophobia that would become hallmarks of most rap to come. All that being said…it’s pretty fucking corny. Some of it, like Rock Box, feels like it’s specifically pandering to a non-urban (read “white” audience) which doesn’t do it any favors. But the beats are rudimentary at best, and the style of the delivery is of such a simple and predictable measure and rhyme scheme that it’s somewhat laughable. They sound like reasonably earnest slam poets doing an overwrought version of a nursery rhyme. I’m glad it exists but it isn’t for me.

I gave it a shot. I’m not a rap aficionado but I have a feeling that this album did not age well.

I know this has been hugely influential on the hip hop scene and music overall but still can’t get passed it sounding like the DK Rap.

Даже несколько песен с неожиданными и приятными аранжировками не заставят меня полюбить хип-хоп. Речитатив и общая примитивность звучания жутко надоедают

Probably made sense when it first came out. It doesn't sound great now.

Qué beats! Nota: 3.4

A super influential and important record, one of the first of its kind. Great beats, fun rapping (I was a little distracted by work today, but I still really enjoyed the album and need to check it out again). Mid 4.

naww

A decent old school hip hop album that unfortunately doesn't pass very well the test of time. What is very enjoyable about this album are the great flows and chemistry between the rappers and their boastful attitude, which make the record very fun. I specially like their performance on the sarcastic track "Wake Up", where they talk about these scenarios where global peace is achieved with the plot twist of being just dreams. What I'm not a big fan of are the incredibly rudimentary beats, often only composed by bass and percussion, so it should not be a surprise to say that "Rock Box" is the best song in here, not only thanks to the accompanying guitar riffs, but it also happens to have the voices with the most attitude out of the entire project. What I can praise the bases for is for not using the exact same rhythmic pattern in any track, giving some sense of variation to the record. Overall, it is a good experience. Nothing incredibly remarkable but the MC's have a lot of spirit and are very fun to listen to.

I can’t get over how badly The Beastie Boys ripped these guys off.

This was good. I came in on Run DMC on Raising Hell, but had I heard this back then I would have loved it. Proper Hip Hop, inventive for the time and sounds just exactly as you’d think it’s going to. It does sound dated but that’s its charm.

Pre Listen: I think I've heard of Run-D.M.C. before, though anytime I hear "DMC" my brain defaults to Devil May Cry, so I'm not really sure to be honest. Expecting rap or hip hop of some sort, based on year and release date. Notable Tracks: Rock Box - Best track on the album and my favorite. The guitar carries so hard here it's crazy. Their lyrics are also the best here, and flow well with everything else. It's Like That - Painfully repetitive and bland, least favorite track on here. Wake Up - This song is another lowpoint. I appreciate the message, any positive message is always appreciated, but man it sounds so juvenile. This belongs on Sesame Street. Post Listen: One of those albums where I kept checking the clock like a man waiting to leave work. I found Run and D.M.C's lyrical ping-ponging kind of charming at first, but it grew so, so stale by the end of the album. Beyond that, their verses flow so slow and lack so much substance, it's like they were trying to make PG rap for a white suburban audience. The beats and samples too were so basic and boring, beat and snare with no flare. At least now where the inspiration behind the Donkey Kong rap came from. Except that song is better than anything here, somehow. 2/5 https://youtu.be/rWSgsbWiX_g?list=RDrWSgsbWiX_g&t=22

This is not their best album, but I have to give Run-DMC props for being hip hop innovators.

cool album will revisit

So incredibly boring then and now.

Not as good as Raising Hell, but still an enjoyable album by Run-D.MC. Another example of 80s Hip-Hop I enjoy when overall it is not a genre I care for especially the 90s and early 2000s stuff ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Classic but not aged brilliantly

It's like that

This album made me want to put a tracksuit on with a pair of white Adidas Superstars…not really my jam(master) but I quite enjoyed it.

I love the simplicity of the sound of early hardcore hip-hop. I like how it is specific to its time.

And to the sucker MCs who did not learn Better give a 5 or we will return.

Run DMC feels like hip hop that is carefully crafted for white people to be able to keep up with

Maybe I wasn't in the mood for this, but I just couldn't get along with it. I expected more.

Very influential album. Can appreciate it for being the bedrock of the genre, but it's just too basic all around for me to fully enjoy. 3.4/5.

It’s Like That is a bop, but a considerable number of naff songs for a 9 song album

Has some good moments, but hasn't aged particularly well

Meh

I've never been one to listen to hiphop so this album was a very new genre to me, but this is the reason I'm doing this anyways. To be honest, I didn't mind it, very simple background music really highlights the meaning and flow of the lyrics. HM to Rock box and Sucker MC's Krush-Groove 1.

I was quite excited to listen to my first run dmc album, but that was a lot less enjoyable than I anticipated

It was ok. They got a lot better

I don't really have a lot to say about this album. I put it on while working and it didn't sound too bad.A little repetitive, some say dated but I bet it sounded fresh in it's day. 3/5

Rock Box really got my attention. I can’t say I’ve heard anything quite like it before. This is obviously a hugely important, iconic, and influential album. But at this point, most songs play like more of a quaint nostalgic jaunt than an immersive experience.

Will listen to this over some mumble rap of today, any day, any time.

This one came with a heavy dose of nostalgia for me. I already knew several songs, including “Hard Times,” “Rock Box,” “Jam-Master Jay,” “Sucker M.C.’s,” and “It’s Like That,” and I still enjoyed all of them. Musically, a lot of the album does have the same stripped-down sound throughout. Run and DMC trade lines back and forth over relatively simple beats, and if I were hearing this style for the first time today, I might think some of it sounded repetitive. But nostalgia definitely works in its favor. More importantly, this is a lyric-focused album, and that's where the variety comes from. One song might be Run and DMC talking about themselves and where they came from, while another tackles social issues and everyday struggles. “Sucker M.C.’s” particularly stood out because they move away from constantly alternating lines and give us more of their individual backgrounds. “Rock Box” is the biggest musical change of pace, bringing electric guitar into the mix and hinting at the rock/rap combination Run-D.M.C. would become famous for. And I still love “Jam-Master Jay.” Knowing that Jam Master Jay wasn't even featured on the front cover of the album makes hearing Run and DMC devote an entire song to him even more meaningful. RIP Jam Master Jay. This album is unmistakably from another era of hip-hop, but that's part of what I enjoyed about it. It's simple, direct, lyric-driven, and doesn't overstay its welcome. For me, this wasn't just an important album historically. It was a really fun trip back to the early days of hip-hop.

Classic

Nah not good… almost the same beat the same bpm the same way they edited their voice.

this album, personally, is super tough to rate. its hard to read anything about Run-DMC and not come across just how influential they were for the genre. the beats, the style of flow, and the iconic look... they literally did so much for the genre of hip-hop. that said, having been born well after this album came out, i grew up on a much more evolved version of hip-hip. i compare it i guess to going back and watching Casablanca, or Gone with the Wind nowadays... we have to give credit to the classics, but i'm just used to a different style of movie nowadays. nothing against the classics, they are classics for a reason, but I don't think this album will ever hit the same for me as it did for someone that saw where hip-hop began, and how this started to really transform it. my heart says its at least a 4, but truthfully i'm not going to be listening to this a ton going forward. its flow is so slow and drawn out, and the beats (compared to today) are quite basic. again, nothing against the classics - we have to respect where it all started. i just don't find myself having this on repeat.

The beats are good and and I liked the creativity, but the rapping was a bit too slow for my taste and a little too “in your face”. Still, mad respect for these guys.

I fully understand this was groundbreaking music and that this would have been the coolest and catchiest thing you’ve ever heard in your life, it’s just that milk ages better than this style of rap. Totally deserving of a place on the list and its influence is important to understanding modern music, but it’s a difficult listen.

This is like listening to Beethoven at his first piano recital. It's simplistic and a little slow, but you know that it's going to lead to some of the most influential music of it's time.

Yeah, it's the sound that defined the decade, pretty much, so, ok, it sounds a little dated. But songs like "Wake Up" feel like 1984 ridiculing us in 2026 for imagining that we might be living in a wiser, better, more politically conscious age. Never heard this before, but I dig it. The elementary rhymes and production accomplish a lot, even makes it easy to engage with. Yeah, list it!