Reviews (page 4 of 7)
One of the most recognizable voices in all of music.
IGHT
Obviously legends and trend setters, influential giants. What struck me was how simple and spare everything is, some of the tracks were just a straightforward beat and rapping over the top. I found it refreshing.
Love the drum machines on this. Despite being a big step towards "hardcore" rap their tone is largely positive. In this way it sounds very balanced and refreshing.
Surprisingly I actually kinda dig it. I haven't listened to this early of hip-hop much, but I like this minimalist/staccato/sparse presentation, definitely a fun little jaunt. Plus decently thoughtful lyric material. Dare I say this album is cute now?
Such an influential album and group. The skeletal production works well with Run and DMC's expressive style and signalled a change in hip hop at the time. Loved the dialogue between the two MCs too on tracks like It's Like That.
A lot of the tracks are not just old school but prehistoric rap. That said it still wins you over and about half the tracks are bangers.
it's like that and that's the way it is
game changer
This album is a little bit repetitive, but is impossible to think about any modern hip-hop and don't think about Run DMC, so, it deserves his place on this list.
At a time when hip hop was mostly about parties and fashion brands, here were Run-D.M.C, shaking up the template by dropping lyrics with social commentary and slamming the drum machine over rock sound samples. This was ground breaking for early hip hop and kicked the genre along, broadening the horizons. Hard Times, It’s Like That and Rock Box are stand out tracks.
Definitive mid-80s hip hop beats. Appreciate what it laid the foundation for more than I actually really dig the music.
Solid listen
3.8 - Somewhat sparse beats, but great delivery above them. Loved Rock Box. Can really hear the influence they had on later artists - especially in late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
El disc que ho va començar tot gairebé. Sense ser un fanàtic del génere, els pocs discos que van a arribar a editar com a banda em semblen una meravella, especialment el to i flow dels MCs, aquí tan brillants a 'It's Like That'... Encara millorarien, però aquí ja van estrenar-se a una altura molt alta
Funky
An welchen Straßenecken hat der Hip Hop zwischen 1984 und jetzt die falschen Abbiegungen genommen, dass wir nun diese Nigga-SuckMyDick-Mumble-Rapper haben?
Good start, great middle and a meh ending. 4/5
Great!
4 stars. Great to listen to an album that has inspired to much modern music. This is not something I would be itching to listen to again, but worth it at least once
Solid stuff - easy to see how they took the genre mainstream and became so influential. Fave track - love the guitar samples from "Rock Box". Also, gotta love the juxtaposition of the unsympathetic pragmatism of "It's Like That" followed by the dreamy idealism of "Wake Up"!
Holds up
doesnt understand
better than I expected, a trendsetter in its time.
The debut album of Run DMC is a hip hop classic. The music is basic and direct and the raps are to the point. This album has not aged a bit.
Cool to get to know their first album. Fine early hip hop. Won't relisten though, it's still a bit raw
A classic
Love the rock hip hop fusion from that time, solid album.
Stone cold classic
We all know that Run-D.M.C. didn't originate hip-hop music. But they did completely reinvent it. In the early 80s, hip-hop was all about the party, and that definitely wasn't the theme on the duo's quintessential debut. Adapting the hard rock attitude and edge with hip-hop, changed the way hip-hop was perceived for all time. Their style was raw, rough and tough, and hit much harder than anything that came before it. In comparison, they are a lot like The Beatles of hip-hop. If rap and rock were on a level playing field, Run-D.M.C. was arguably just as influential as The Beatles. The thing that could possibly date this record, is the production. It's very minimal, built on drum machines and Jam Master Jay's relentless scratching. Every once and awhile they throw in a guitar riff, or a keyboard hit, but overall, it's pretty skeletal. But that almost seems to be part of the strategy. The record was supposed to sound raw and stripped down, and the production reflects that nicely, retaining it's full-fledged impact. This was the first of many Run-D.M.C. records that Russell Simmons produced. He also went on to produce records for other artists, such as LL Cool J and Slick Rick. The music, lyrics, themes, delivery, and attitude on their debut marked a turning point for rap music. It's shocking at how good the track listing is for this debut. My favorites are "Hard Times," "Rock Box," "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)," "It's Like That," and "30 Days". Run-D.M.C. have influenced countless acts to follow. Such as The Beastie Boys, Boogie Down Productions, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Eric B. & Rakim and many, many more. Rappers built on Run-D.M.C.'s style, just like rock bands built on The Beatles' style. This stunning debut may not be their most cohesive or popular album. But it's undoubtedly the most copied formula in rap and hip-hop. 4, as close as it gets to being a 5.
I’ve always enjoyed Run-D.M.C. and, of the hip-hop I’ve heard during this challenge, they remain one of the acts I connect with most. Hip-hop is still a genre I often struggle with, but what I like about Run-D.M.C. is that their lyrics don’t feel misogynistic, crude or overly dated in the way some older rap can. I’ve also always loved their beats and stripped-back style. Earlier in this challenge I gave Raising Hell a 5/5, so I was really looking forward to listening to their self-titled debut, Run-D.M.C.. I really enjoyed this album. It feels slower, rawer and more stripped back than a lot of later hip-hop, which actually works in its favour. Nothing feels overproduced — it’s just beats, rhythm, attitude and strong delivery. There’s a simplicity to it that gives the album a lot of charm. My only slight criticism is that, as the album goes on, the sound doesn’t evolve all that much. The formula stays fairly consistent throughout, and at times the tracks can blur together a little. That said, the album is short enough that the repetition never becomes a major issue, and the quality of the beats and lyrics keeps it engaging. Overall, this is another strong Run-D.M.C. album and a great reminder of why they were so influential. Favourite track: “It’s Like That” is superb Least favourite track: Everything on the album earns its place Album artwork: Standard album cover
These guys were pioneers, not only of hip-hop, but also of rap-rock that would eventually become nu metal. It’s crazy how outdated it seems today. Still god’s
나쁘지 않았다. 뭔가 옛날 느낌이 나는(긍정적으로) 그런 힙합이었다. 힙합을 좋아하는 사람으로써 전체적인 느낌이 나쁘지 않았다. It wasn't bad. It was the kind of hip-hop that had an old-school vibe—in a good way. As someone who enjoys hip-hop, I found the overall feel quite good.
It's a solid old school dawn of rap album.
It's Like That
3.5, good not great
I enjoy putting in Run-DMC when they come up here. I have an affectionate and nostalgia feeling for the sound though I would have been a little kid when this came out and didn’t know anything of it. The sound is a bit sparse and dated and though I like listening to it once it’s probably not something I’ll give a lot of repeat listens. “It’s Like That” is awesome though.
Old school.
Classic. Not fully formed yet, not you could see where it was going.
flow so legendary, the costco guys have nothing but to steal directly from them WE BRING THE BOOM THAT'S WHAT WE DO
Raising Hell was so much fun, but this one ran out of steam towards the end.
So simple and satisfying.
This was a pioneering album for 1984 but it hasn’t aged all that well. With the exception of a couple of the songs, it sounds pretty basic these days. They made huge strides between this album and Raising Hell which still sounds great to this day.
You can hear the beginnings of greatness in this album, but it was still elementary and not Run DMC’s best work. Jam Master Jay laid down beats and Rev Run And Daryl fed off each other to deliver lyrics in that unique 80’s rap style. A good listen and a foundation that was built on by a group of rap pioneers.
The roots of rap in the house. You can tell that the style has evolved well by how remedial this early stuff sounds now. The infancy of the Kings of Rock and their simplistic but playful lyricism (“if you say you need a car, well then I’ll buy you two// and if you say, you want a pet, I’ll buy a kangaroo”) and the less than intricate beat breaks, which entertain but fail to enthrall. They were pioneers to be sure, but these songs were best left out on the trails they blazed.
Man created wheel, then carts, bicycles, trains, cars...and so on. It all starts somewhere and when looking back that starting point is always the simplest version of the modern product. Chuck D said it best, "Run D.M.C first said a DJ could be a band, stand on its own feet, get you off your seat". They are the wheel everyone used when biulding their vision of what rap could be, and now that those ideas have evolved the wheel seems simple and plain. I like the wheel, it's not fancy but it's solid and well made. Nothing but respect to the pioneers.
A hugely influential album on the direction that hip-hop would take in the years to follow. You can hear the future coming. An important album, no doubt, but very much a relic of its time with its overt 80's production and simplistic rhymes. This sure ain't fresh no more.
I like it but not my favorite run DMc
Coolt klassiskt sound, men inte så mycket som stod ut allt som allt nu.
Bra hiphop! Bra flow, tunga beats, texter jag inte stör mig på.
Me pareció aburrido. El ritmo siempre el mismo, el rap también, pasé varios temas que me parecían muy largos
Sure
A landmark album in hip-hop music. These guys walked so other rappers and DJ's could run. It's very minimalistic and sparse, there's very little samples used compared to modern hip hop. It makes it sound quite cold and rigid, when the only main instrumental part is the drum machine. The song "Rock Box" particularly stands out to me in that it sounds so inspiring, I want to conquer the world to that song. I can't imagine what it would've sounded like back in 1984; must have been life changing. I think it's a high 3 album, it's far from bad and far from perfect, it's a alright one. Highlight Song/s: "Rock Box" and "It's Like That"
Hard Times - 4/5 Rock Box - 5/5 Jam-Master Jay - 3/5 Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2) - 3/5 Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1) - 3/5 It's Like That - 5/5 Wake Up - 2/5 30 Days - 2/5 Jay's Game - 2/5 Average score: 3.2/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as dated as this album is, i somehow don't hate it nearly as much as some other hip-hop albums from the same era. the music aged in about the same way as Beastie Boys' albums did; the flow is a little whack by today's standards, but it's a fun enough listen that i can overlook it for the most part compared to Raising Hell, most tracks are pretty mediocre, but Rock Box in particular sounds damn good even by today's standards. Jam-Master Jay was a great DJ and complimented the duo's rapping style very well (RIP) i don't think i'd listen to the full album again, but i'd absolutely come back for Rock Box and It's Like That again. i think most of their other tracks i like are on Raising Hell
This album sounds like what the beastie boys stumbled onto when they first started out and was like “we will make a killing innovating this style.” Pretty damn cool for 1984 tho
Nowhere near the peaks on Raising Hell, but it is Run-D.M.C. delivering decent song after decent song. Not half bad for a debut album, and it set them well for the rest of their career and for the scene as a whole (looking at you, Beastie Boys).
Can’t help but think about how Run DMC and the Beasty Boys sound so similar! Liked it but wouldn’t listen again.
it's nice
3/5
Really good listen, since its early hip hop, the rhymes and beats are simple, but still good.
Raw talent on show here, it’s like that, and that’s the way it is
buen album igual sonaba bastante viejo en comparación a otros albums para ser de los 80s
I am aware of Run-DMC and have a few songs liked by them on Spotify. Also, one of my favorite Christmas songs is their song "Christmas in Hollis" - haha. But I've never done a deep dive into their stuff - since I was always more of a rock kid. Prior to this I don't have any songs liked on this specific album. Thoughts after listening 3 times... This was pretty good and the best rap album I've listened to so far. I actually remember and like the song "It's Like That". I ended up liking 5 songs on this one ... "Hard Times", "Rock Box", "It's Like That", "Wake Up", "30 Days". "Wake Up" is kinda like a rap version of John Lennon's "Imagine". That's cool. Or maybe a Martin Luther King speech. "Hard Times" and "It's Like That" are still relevant in 2026 in the US - with yet another Republican administration fucking up the economy - except for the richest people. As with pretty much every rap record I've listened to on this website, there are too many songs bragging about their rap abilities. This get pretty tedious after a while. Anyway - it's my first hip hop 3 rating - so that's a high water mark so far for this genre. Liked songs on Spotify: 5/9 Rating: 3/5
honestly pretty impressive how much they get out of what is mostly very sparse drum machine work and some scratching. the interplay between the two vocalists is pretty slick as well, but overall it kinda feels like an unmixed set rather than an lp.
Respect the achievement, just sounds really outdated and old fashioned in a way other old music doesn’t.
Doesnt stand the same today I reckon. Still enjoyable. 3
No soy muy fan del rap, pero esta bueno. Me gustó la guitarra de "Rock Box". Mas allá de eso no noto algo tan wow por ahora.
such strong mid-80s vibes. favourite song: sucker m.c.s
This album whilst undeniably influential for all of rap somewhat suffers from this. It is simplistic and feels a bit unrefined but overall a good listen
While this is a pretty good debut record, none of the tracks really stood out to me. Favourite Track(s): Rock Box Least Favourite Track(s): 30 Days, Jay's Game
Listened to on my Apple AirPods Max. A relic of the early days of rap, this first eponymous release by Run-D.M.C. is enjoyable to listen to, but in the way that playing 'Pong' or 'Pitfall' can be enjoyable. For me, it's mostly the historical relevance that gives it value in the modern day, rather than the actual content of it, just because of how outdated it sounds. This album mostly plays the same song over and over again, which is these now cheesy-sounding shout raps over minimal beats, typically just a programmed drum beat and maybe some scratches. After hearing the first song, you've got a pretty good idea of what the album is. Still, that doesn't discount it so much, seeing as this was the blueprint for the great rap that was soon to follow (very soon, in fact, with acts like Eric B and Rakim showing how to mold more complex sounding beats with rhymes that flow into one another rather than sounding choppy). In fact, it can be fun seeing the little moments where the album does kinda of experiment with the established sound, such as in 'Wake Up' which features a lot of sample work over the beat. It doesn't necessarily make for a good track, and some samples like water rushing just seem plain odd, but it's interesting nonetheless. Rock Box fuses the hip hop sound with distorted guitars running licks through the song, something that was crucial to the adoption and understanding of hip hop in the larger context of America. There's also the track 'Sucker M.C.'s', which is easily the most impressive in terms of actual rapping, mostly ignoring the shout rap style of the rest of the tracks, with both Run and DMC rapping just straight through the whole song, which is an appreciated turn of vibe compared to how the rest of the album plays. In terms of songs I actually like, 'It's Like That' holds up pretty well with a recognizable hook and some synth stabs and drum fills that helps the beat stand out. Beyond that, however, there isn't much I really enjoy on it's own. Listening within the context of the time, this album is enjoyable just to trace some of the roots of hip hop, but absent of that historical value, this just isn't my kind of rap.
Personally, I think Raising Hell is a more complete album, but this one isn't a bad place to start.
Rating:★★★ Most classic sounding rap I've ever heard. I assume this is where the beastie boys get their flow from. It's kinda cheesy to listen to nowadays but I bet back in the day it was the jam. I can respect that this changed a lot culturally. There were some rhymes in there that were pretty nice, and messages that are timeless in their meaning. Overall, decent album.
6/10
They certainly are an 80s hip hop group with everything that entails. Beats are fairly basic, which isn’t bad, and the lyrics are clear with the half shouts supported by the other periodically. Yo be upfront I’ve never been a huge Run DMC fan, though they aren’t bad by any stretch. Overall I enjoy a track or two at a time but when I hear a full album it blurs together. Potentially with more familiarity I might be more engaged track to track but honestly they haven’t given me a whole lot of reason to want to dive in repeatedly.
some classic tunes
Proper old-school rap. While not something I’ll listen to again (except maybe It’s Like That), rap from this era just had something to it that isn’t present in modern rap. It feels fun, and I enjoy the two-pronged vocals.
7/10
they got bars and the beats are catchy but it gets very repetitive at some point
Was a bigger fan of Raising Hell than this one.
Imagine being an MC in the early 80s. A respectful title, no one could make fun of you. And then Run-D.M.C. comes out with "Sucka MCs" Gotta hang up the headphones after that
Buen álbum. Se nota que es foundation para el hiphop/rap de hoy. Muy old school. No creo que lo vuelva a escuchar.
"(And why you wear those glasses?) So I can see...Huh Huh!" - hardest line ever delivered in hip-hop.
Really cheesy, usually I love the fun early hip hop but this was some corny stuff. So vanilla Will Smith raps look like explicit gangster rap in comparison
Some pretty fun beats and rhymes, but altogether not my genre of music at all. I liked Wake Up for its positive message, fun lyrics, and unique beats.
As one of the more accessible entry points to early hip‑hop, Run-DMC is built on hard beats, simple hooks and a stripped‑back swagger that still cuts through. It undeniably sounds of its time — blocky drum machines and shouted call‑and‑response raps — which may feel dated to some ears. But there’s an energy and directness here that makes it easy to stick with, even if hip‑hop isn’t usually your thing. It’s a foundational record I was surprised to get through without skipping, and that counts for a lot.
It's almost unbelievable how naive and candid this record is.
fun beats! not usually into hip hop but I enjoyed this one
I definitely respect the impact this album had on the future of rap and hip hop. It sounded just okay, but I could feel how it laid the groundwork for the artists that came after them.
As a historical snapshot, this excels. I love the way these two play off and complement each other. Favorite track: Rock Box
01) Hard Times - 8,0 02) Rock Box - 8,0 03) Jam-Master Jay - 7,5 04) Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2) - 7,0 05) Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1) - 7,0 06) It's Like That - 9,0 07) Wake Up - 7,0 08) 30 Days - 7,0 09) Jay's Game - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,44 (74/100) Current ranking: 376/884
The star of this record is JMJ and the Oberheim.
Pretty okay
Quite dated, but still quite pleasurable. Not sure how often I'll return to this, but I enjoyed this listen much more than I like other similarly of-a-distinct-time-and-place albums.
Ok
Take a shot every time they say “Sucka MCs” The vocals themselves are pretty well done, very distinct and they’re almost comforting in a way. I think my favorite part of the album is just getting a glimpse at very prototypical rap, it’s very cool to see how it evolves over the years. I do like rap collectives where you use multiple singers; it lets more personality flow into each track and adds to the variety I just don’t think the backing beats are very good at all, they lack energy and they don’t absorb you like future rap albums do. For the most part the lyrics are fine but eventually you get to the point where it feels a little corny and every song sounds like DK Rap (which was modeled off Run DMC ofc) Really cool for its time and pretty inoffensive but doesn’t really hold up compared to the great albums of the 90s.
I'm kinda at the point where all these rap albums are starting to blend together for me. Nothing was really a stand-out except for Wake Up where the extremely idealistic lyrics feel cutting through its absurdity. That's really it. I think rap itself just moved a lot from when this was made so it just feels very... silly? Simple? Somehting like that.
Intéressant mais redondant
I do wish I was more aware if Run-DMC earlier in life. Truly listening to them now, after cutting my teeth on BDP, Nas, Wu, PE they sound flat, not as robust. It's redundant. I respect its power of influence, but I'm not drawn to revisit it.
I've struggled to rate some of the rap and hip-hop we've had on this list, due to not really understanding how some of those albums sit in terms of timing or significance (and sometimes being put off by the swearing). I didn't mind this though, perhaps because it was more familiar from my 80s UK childhood. Run DMC broke through here, along with Grandmaster Flash, and provided something new to listen to in the charts; it felt quite fun at the time, as well as having a message. Today, I wasn't really engaged by a whole album of Run and DMC, but it was pretty good.
Donnerstag, 09.04.2026 Spaziergang in Moabit um Mitternacht rum am Samstag, dem 04.04., auf dem Weg zu AERA Chb 2good2go abholen
I have a lot of affection for this but yes the reviews are right it's dated in a way that's hard to overcome. That said, it *is* interesting in a historical context and benefits from the unclear boundaries of the genre. I love Rock Box's fruity loops-ish guitar. Something like Jam Master Jay is so like...it's just dudes so excited for everyone to meet their friend. If you are willing to meet the album about 70% of the way and get on the wavelength of the dated flow it's genuinely charming. call this a 1980s five and a 2026 three.
Old school Rap… Maybe too old
Drum sounds. Simple rapping. Reminds me of early mtv
#84/1001 🇺🇸🎤 There's something that I love about Run DMC. They have a distinctive sound and you immediately know what you are getting. I've given it a couple of spins today and while its not really set my world alight, i dont dislike it either. Its easy to see the influence that this album had in hip-hop reaching the mainstream. Best tracks: Rock Box, Its Like That, Sucker MCs.
I remember breakdancing (poorly) to this as a kid. On another note it's amazing how far hip-hop has progressed
It is a little barebones by today's standards, and i think some years later, some other groups perfected this sound even better, but their influence can not be understated. That is for sure. I'm gonna give it a stroooong 3, but not a 4 sadly.
Did not hold up as much as I would have liked. One bonus star for the refreshingly optimistic “Wake Up”
This feels every bit its age. Run DMC is a fantastic rap group, but the sounds just don't hold up in 2026. It's very easy to see the influence they've had on what came after, but without any nostalgia attached to it, it feels lacking.
Fun classic hip hop. Rock Box and It’s Like That were my favorites. It’s cool how it’s all so minimal. Tough one to rate.
Cool and fun, i always kinda enjoy run dmc but probably wouldnt go back to this
Fun album with a surprisingly elaborated sound for a debut. A little lacking in variety, maybe.
I’m sure this is a very important album and probably more groundbreaking at its release. It comes off a hair bland to me today.
Not the album I would have chosen for this group. Raisin Hell is iconic in so many ways. That being said, this album is the roots of hip hop.
3.5 Classic rock. Love it. Goes down quick and easy. Vital, fun, intense.
That was nostalgic. Back to Basics simple OG rhyming.
Super
Fav: it’s like that 3/5
Not as good as their second album, but still not too bad. Early hip-hop has that je ne sais quoi that I can't help but enjoy. Yes, it is pretty corny, but that's part of it. Key tracks: Hard Times
Hard Times - 3.5/5 Rock Box - 4/5 Jam-Master Jay - 3.5/5 Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2) - 3/5 Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1) - 3/5 It's Like That - 5/5 Wake Up - 3/5 30 Days - 3.5/5 Jay's Game - 2.5/5
6/10
Liked the debut, simple songs but very well produced, fairly simple raps but it gets the point across and let's you wanting more after it ends.
🎧Respect to Run DMC, innovators and legends in their own right. But this is not great. Wake Up is fun and corny as hell. Gotta love the sincerity on display, cliche as it may be.
Run–D.M.C. are very simple rhymers. And, y'know, I don't blame 'em for that. In the era of hip-hop they debuted in, I doubt **anyone** was a super spirtual lyrical miracle. Heck, next to their contemporaries, they were probably among the hardest MC's out there — if not **the** hardest. Who was gonna compete? The Sugarhill Gang? I don't think so. And it's not like their simple style can't be enjoyable; just take a look at songs like "It's Tricky", "Peter Piper", "Kings Of Rock" and this album's own "Rock Box". But ultimately, Run–D.M.C. are victims of being so primordial. Living in 2026, in a world that's had rappers Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, Biggie Smalls, MF DOOM, 2Pac, the Wu-Tang Clan, and so many others, it's very hard to be impressed by what Run–D.M.C. have done. Especially here, on their debut album. If I thought 'Raising Hell' could be basic, hoo boy! I ain't heard nuthin' yet! I feel like the best thing Run–D.M.C. have always had going for them is their delivery. The way they shout the lyrics, and the way they finish each others' lines so frequently is such a joy. They could almost be rapping anything and I'd get a kick out of it. Which is just as well, 'coz I don't think they're saying much anyway. And they're not even saying any of it in a particularly clever way. I mean, I really get the impression that I like these guys the best when they happen to be rapping over guitar — somehow, it adds a level to their rapping that they just can't get to on their own. 'Coz when they're over spare drums and claps, or those fantastic electro hip hop synth horns... Yeah, it's just not the same. It's a little funny to read Ice-T crediting Run–D.M.C. for allowing hip-hop to evolve from singles and dance floors to full-on albums. I don't disbelieve him, and I'm not tryna knock the group's impact and legacy here; I have nothing but respect for what they've done for the genre. But between 'Raising Hell' and this album, I think I'd be better off enjoying these guys for their singles than anything else. I mean, do I needa hear "30 Days" again? I don't think so. I guess if you're really into early hip-hop (like, not exactly Golden Age hip hop, but a little later than that), you'll probably get a kick out of this. For me: eh. I've got less simple options.
I’m at a 3.5, & I’m going to barely bump it up to a 4 despite my desire to keep it at a 3.5 & this album very nearly crashing itself down to a 3 out of boredom. This album comes out of the gates really, really nicely through its first 6 tracks; only “Jam-Master Jay” didn’t really click with me like that, and while I did think “It’s Like That” got a bit repetitive near the end, I was digging everything about it. They were both flowing, the pacing was great, the verses were hitting, and for 1984, it felt like the sort of super important rap album people generally call it. The final 3 tracks here really fucking killed the vibe for me, man. It’s not that they’re bad tracks, but my god, the pacing of the album crawls to a gargantuan halt. You can see it in the Spotify plays here too – people willingly do not listen to these tracks. “Wake Up” is good in its messaging, and I did like it, but it has more break time between verses than it does actual time listening to people rapping, which is antithetical to the whole genre at this time, I think. “30 Days” is kinda fun, but the soundscape between verses is just synthetic & hollow, with nothing to fill out the soundscape in the same way the guitar did on “Rock Box”, and it just kinda drags on because of it. “Jay’s Game” ups that synthetic level even higher, acting as… I mean, it’s something. It didn’t bother me that much, but it’s a structureless attempt at a dance track that barely keeps a consistent rhythm, and goes on way longer than it needs to. If it weren’t for the strength of the first 6 tracks, I’d be far more inclined to fully bump this down to a 3, and honestly, if you had caught me on a different day that wasn’t right after we got “Planet Rock: The Album”, I might’ve done it. However, I feel like I owe Run-D.M.C. just a little bit of grace for not giving “Raising Hell” a bit more attention, given that it was the 6th album we got. I at least owe it a relisten, because I don't remember it ever getting as dire as the last 3 tracks here did. Hence, a 3.5 that I’ll barely bump up to a 4; a 66% hit rate normally doesn’t earn that, but both “Rock Box” & the Krush-Groove beats just kinda rock hard enough where I feel fine doing so. Edit: Yes, a rare usage of the edit feature here to say that I have relistened to "Raising Hell" only to discover that it does, in fact, get that dire around the halfway mark. Between that, and giving this album one more relisten to see if the pacing is still a nightmare (and yes, it is), I feel like I genuinely need to edit this to rectify it. I'm sorry; it just isn't that strongly structured of an album. Those tracks I mentioned are still good, but as an album experience, it's worth bumping down from a 3.5 to a 3.
Obviously influential. You can really hear the building blocks that rap/hip hop were built on top of going forward. By today’s standards, a little unexciting.
I'm glad I heard it once, but I doubt that I'll be listening again. I was surprised at how dated and flat this sounds compared to other albums that were recorded just a short time later. "Hollis Crew" was my favorite track, possibly because I've heard that one several times before. I liked the beat on "Wake Up," but the lyrics and the snoring in the background are a little cringeworthy.
Classic old-school hiphop beats and sound throughout. More fun than some of the other from this time that I have gotten on this list before. The addition of the electric guitar and keyboard makes it even better to me. Really fun to listen through and while i probably wont come back to it in the near future I can really see how they influenced later artist that I listen to now.
Loved to hear a classic old school hiphop album again. Great debut album and really set the standard for what they would become.
This going to be tough competition going up against the other Run D.M.C. album I've hit here so far, Raising Hell, which I loved. This self-titled debut album definitely doesn't have the same pull, but it's still pretty good. It's cool to see the progression of the group. Songs are fun and have good beats but there's a lot of similarity between the tracks that makes this album drag a little. Run D.M.C is so good at making these little ditties and sounds that fit into their beats that just live in your head forever, and I love that. Their back-and-forth rapping style, bouncing off each other, is very much present from the beginning. Favorite songs were "Hard Times" "Rock Box" and "Wake Up." Some songs had an almost industrial/electronic sound to them that I enjoyed. Overall, a fun listen but this one didn't have the staying power or oomph as other offerings from the group. 3/5 for me.
As influential as this album is, it was kind of tiresome. I was born long after the era in which this album released, so perhaps i can’t understand this as well as others. i like their chemistry, and some of the songs on here are decent, but the flows are repetitive, the beats are super simplistic, which wouldn’t be a problem if some of the songs on this album weren’t like 6 minutes long for some reason. Not bad, worth a listen. That’s it for me, sorry!
I am not a big fan of most rap artists and although Run is cutting edge, in my view they merit a 3.
Respect the early 80’s NYC Rap but the simple beats sound dated. Lacks the Dada of the Beasties or the political urgency of P.E. 3.5 stars
I can appreciate that this would have been ground breaking at the time, but it feels dated now and not one I’m going to listen to on repeat.
Familiar, but I've never listened to this album. Classic old school hip hop that I appreciate but am not terribly interested in.
It's cheesy, it's repetitive, it's also quite good fun in parts. It's Like That is great, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to the rest of this again. A high three.
Some really good beats but is very dated now
Enjoyed it, and the fact it’s very nostalgic, somewhat basic compared to what came later, but then I am the same with rock and pop. 3 Star. And it has the grace of being less than 40 minutes unlike 2 albums this week that were 2 hr chores.
i enjoyed it but the songs were a little bit long and i probably wouldn't return to it as a full album
I love them, but i can't really listen to more than a few Run DMC tracks in a row without it feeling too repetitive
Blast from the past. Enjoyable listen, though not my preferred genre, so musically many songs sounded the same to my untrained ears. These guys helped initiated an entire music genre, so props to them.
Solid early hip-hop album. Definitely some prevalent themes explored, too. And I loved the back-and-forth vocals on a few of the tracks. Wake Up was a stand out song for me. And while this normally isn't my preferred genre, I enjoyed it! 3.5 stars.
Not really my style of music, but not a bad album in any way.
Some good ones
Enjoyed the first half more than the second.
cool but repetitive
Inventive 3 - deserves to be on this list
This album is a cool time capsule, but isn’t something I would actually want to put on to listen to. The style of rapping is just so dated and slow! This whole album is surprisingly slow. There were moments that I was really enjoying the intros and beats and then the slow rapping came in and the track loses momentum. Favourite track was Jam Master Jay.
Part of the hip hop revolution. It will sound outdated now maybe, but it maintains it's importance
Not memorable but also not so bad i had to turn it off.
It’s ok
Hard Times 3.4 Rock Box 3.6 Jam-Master Jay 3.5 Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2) 3 Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1) 3 It's Like That 3.2 Wake Up 3.3 30 Days 3.1 Jay's Game 3 Score: 3.233333333
Fun old school hip hop
3/5. one of those albums that irreversibly changed the course of its genre. If it weren’t for Run DMC rap would likely be very different from what it is today. That being said to steal an Analogy that’s a bit overused, it’s like looking at the first ever car in a museum. You can respect how it was a revolution that changed things forever, but you can also acknowledge how things have become more refined and better since then. Run DMC set the blueprint but in terms of lyricism, flow, production, etc. they can’t really compete with what would come after them in rap/hip-hop.
The first pancake of rap music, in a weirdly attractive way
Album 36 Top 3 favorites off the album: Wake Up, Hard Times, 30 Days A bop, I'm afraid. Lyrically simplistic, musically as well, it all starts sounding the same around 3 tracks in, but I enjoyed the rhythm. This is an album I'd put on to distract myself from The Horrors if I were spiralling.
I suppose because many of the tropes of hip hop were invented on this album that is why this album sounds a bit ordinary.
This grew on me the more times I listened. Hard times, it’s like that, and 30 days are the standouts to me. Early hip hop made well.
It's fine
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I understand how important it was for rap and music generally but I just can't transport myself back to a world when this was new and fresh, where the production doesn't sound like mucking about on a Yamaha keyboard in the 90s. I felt the need to cleanse my palate with the 1997 Jason Nevins remix of It's Like That, which despite also being nearly 30 years old, is at least fun to listen to and has a ton more punch to it than the original. I love that they made this album. It's pretty incredible that we're here 40+ years on and so many of the lyrics are still relevant. I also agree that everybody should hear it as a crucial piece in musical history but in terms of pure personal enjoyment, I am not going to be choosing to put it on again in a hurry.
Some good songs.
This is clearly a blueprint for so much of what came after it, but it also sounds quite dated in a way that a lot of stuff that came after it doesn't. 3 defeated sucka MCs out of 5
They've hit on a great sound and are good lyricists but it's very samey
I wanted to like this more than I did. The minimalist instrumentals were a bit grating for me, but it's no doubt fundamentally influential 1980s hip hop. Feel bad giving this a 3 but it just didn't lure me back.
It's dated - but can't deny how ground breaking it was for the time.
I get that this is a pioneer album for rap, and though I like a lot of rap, I just found that this album doesn’t hold up. It’s not bad, it’s just not amazing. The raps are decent, but the beats are simplistic and repetitive.
Old school
3.5 Cool to hear the influence that this would have for hip-hop going forward.
3/5 - Great beats throughout and super important historically from what I can tell, but the lyrics and flow just don't hold up that well. Enjoyed the whole album, especially the dynamics with the vocalists, but not enough to listen to again
Much better than i expected but very samey
Expected worse. Yes extremely dated but after a weak start soms great songs start to come up.
Pretty interesting to hear their oldest stuff, although I don't feel like they really hit their stride until Raising Hell a few years lady. Still, to this doc Run-D.M.C. is undeniable hip hop legends.
Wake up, get up— vision of a world working as team, it was just a dream
Está bueno. Buenos ritmos de hip hop y rap, arreglos padres y en general un buen rato.
Suuuper dated rapping, but their voices sound great. And the beats/production is surprisingly great thanks to Jam Master Jay and producer Russell Simmons
This was fun although I feel like once you’ve heard one song you’ve heard them all. My favourite lyrics 😂 I'm gonna give you everything that you ever need If you need a pint of blood, then I'll even bleed If you're lookin' for a car, I will buy you two And if you're lookin' for a pet, I'll buy a kangaroo
Despite the fact that this is a foundational hip hop album, the rhymes are super dated and the beats are quite basic. Sucka MCs is the first diss track ever, but the lyrics are so generic that it feels corny.
As Rap albums go, this is a good kickoff for the genre.
non male la dinamica tra i due ma suona troppo vecchio, troppi bassi e troppe poche melodie per i miei gusti
Pretty good
I was annoyed by the first song, seemed very repetitive, but as the album went on I enjoyed it more. Not a huge fan but I understand how people enjoy it.
Definitely 1980s, and sounds the same after a while, but it's a good sound. Favorite track: Rock Box
This takes me back to the times when rap was known as electro in the UK . Thanks to the great albums electro 1-7. This is a good record but also feels a little sparse to what rap, sampling and scratching would become - Feels almost punk in places but I'm Not sure it is required in the 1001 albums . “It’s like that” is head and shoulders above the rest It could be a 3 to fit with my I like that enough to buy on vinyl ( I already do )- but I think I’m being generous It’s not a 2 as I like listening to early hip hip - check out the amazing Soul Jazz Records Presents YO! BOOMBOX - Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro And Disco Rap 1979-83. That’s good enough for 3 double albums but this is not as great as they will turn out to be.
raw, minimal, powerful
Old school rap
I never loved Run DMC, but it is fun to go back and hear the mail they made.
In 1984, this was seminal, and has influenced just about every hip-hop artist since. This is the original sound of hardcore hip-hop moving from the underground scene, and bringing it towards the mainstream. The problem is that the whole genre has developed so much since this album came out, that it sounds very basic, and totally of its time.
In the context of when this came out, it's incredible how innovative this sounds compared to the Message, which only came out a couple years before. The flip side is how fast the genre kept innovating that this record became dated only a few years later when Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, etc came along. Still a great record, but it definitely serves more as a snapshot of rap at the time it was released.
I totally get how seminal this was but it hasn’t really stood the test of time. I was wiggling my hips to the beat but the beat is pretty much the same in every track and it’s all a bit too shouty
good
It is interesting to hear the early outings of hip hop compared to what we hear today. Thoroughly inoffensive, heavy disc scratching, super cheesy lyrics, it’s just about as 80s as you get. It’s like the entire industry was still learning flow. Not sure why they introduced themselves in each song. They definitely felt a need to tell us it was, in fact, them on the mic. And, yes, I get it, you dislike “Succah MCs” and love rhyming “Queens” and “Greens”. I mean no disrespect as hip hop is not what it is today without Run DMC, but this album is painfully dated. This has a special place in history, but the early days of any newer media is often still trying to find itself, which leads to some defined growing pains.
This is a weak 3. It’s hard to get really into this type of rap, since the beats are so simple and the raps aren’t all that different song to song. But it’s clearly incredibly influential and important so gotta give it respect.
can imagine this blowing peoples minds in the 80s
Groundbreaking early 80's "hardcore" hip hop. A departure from the good time rap style of the day, more raw and streetwise. The beats are very machine sounding and a bit tinny compared to todays sounds. The blending of rock and rap were very forward thinking and an inspiration for many future bands. Overall it is very catchy and worth an add to any collection for the history of a genre.
Beastie Boys took this style and ran. This doesn't age well, but it's not awful.
This wasn't really my genre, but I think I can appreciate old-school hiphip. I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it. It was better than average for the era, but it didn't blow me away and I was ready for it to be over at the end. Three stars.
I understand the historic significance of this album, I'm going to focus the rest of my words on how it feels to me. Because that choppy '80s sound usually bugs me, but there's something about the production on here that integrates really well with their Vocal Chore- Ogra- PHYYYYY I also find it cheesy, but as a founding structure of hip-hop, I can't hate on it too much. I appreciate it's a short listen, it's fun and packs a quick punch, just a spurt of energy. I'd buy this record. 3.3/5
6.0
It's like that
Not as good as their later stuff, but still half-decent. I like the classic hip-hop style and sound, and this album is the prime example. Yeah, it doesn't go anywhere exceptional, and sounds very dated listening 40 years on with 40 years of hip-hop gone by. The beats are basic and the flow is predictable, but still, doesn't mean it's bad. Decent enough.
6/10… hip hop / *1984
It's good for me, 'cause I like that hip hop shit. But it really feels outdated: the beats, the sounds. Huge respect to the guys anyway. 3/5 —————————————— Liked: — Rock Box — Wake Up — 30 Days
3 and only because of its historic relevance, because honestly it sounds pretty dated.
Raising Hell is the album I'm familiar with. I think this one is better. Of course it's dated. It's literally old school.
Hip-hip pioneers produce a record so 80s, you can see the neon leggings. But in a good way.
not my style, but i'm glad i listened to it
Not something I expected to be as creative as it was sonically. I don't know much about this style of music, it was certainly interesting to hear this album. I'm not sure it was something I would listen to again but if I did hear any of the songs I'm sure they would be just as enjoyable. The opening and closing songs were strong
Hard times is still do relevant
No es mi tipo
I feel like I listen to a part of history. A vintage hip hop album for sure. A great listening 3/5
Fun ? Liked it overall but every song sounds the same. idk if that’s bad in this case because i don’t find it particularly annoying or anything
I didn't enjoy this one as much as their other album. The songs here sounded very dated 3 ⭐️
Very, very dated. The call and response, ending each others sentences gimmick really grates after a while. This was clearly an important and influential album, but it ends up sounding very simplistic and old.
Best Track - "It's Like That"
I liked Wake Up
Proto-HipHop. Inzwischen etwas aus der Zeit gefallen für meinen Geschmack, aber natürlich revolutionär und teilweise gute Songs dazwischen. Scranton. What? The Electric City
“Rock Box” is great. The rest is okay.
I liked this one more than their later albums because it sounds fresher, prob cause it is. Everything else just sounds repetitive.
I recognize the importance of this album to hip hop. I enjoyed it. But it got old fast.
It was a little goofy at times ngl… but I had fun!
This record changed the world. I recognize this; I just don't really enjoy listening to it.
This album in particular--by one of the creators of what became Rap/Hip-hop, raises the question of do you rate based on historical importance, impact, etc., or on how much you actually like the music, today? This is a classic, important album, but I'm not sure it's stood the test of time. There's a couple tracks on here that will always be bangers at a party but otherwise I'm never likely to play this again.
3 stars. It's like that & that's the way it is.
A good album, I liked Hard Times and 30 Days the most.
It's an interesting album and one that is on this list for obvious reasons. One of the most influential and important rap albums of all time, and the first to really penetrate the main stream American conscious. It's a really interesting listen because there's a lot of rock influence in the songs - which I presume is the Rick Rubin influence but I'm too lazy to look up whether he produced this one. It's also interesting to hear the extent that the DJs were, at that time, the stars of the show. The rappers were kind of just there to showcase the DJ, who was the man the audience came to see. How far we've come. Ultimately, one of the greatest things about rap is that it is a perfect little time capsule of the era it's created in. Although that can lead to a healthy dose of nostalgia and admiration, it also means that rapp from certain eras can end up sounding cringey, corny, or just plain anachronistic. I respect the hell out of this album, but I don't think I can say I like it.
Ancient texts, hanging gardens of Babylon ahh rap album, the goats
Did Macklemore rip off Rock Box?
The rhythm and structure of the lyrics don’t age well, but some of those beats still funk me up. And It’s like that, and that’s the way it is.
A good ride for a Tuesday listen
Maybe my expectations were too high or it just feels outdated but 🤷🏻♀️
So sweet and innocent! And I loved Rock Box.
Feels incredibly dated in 2025, which probably just means it was influential as shit.
This is a fun time, but Raising Hell is better. A little simplistic but for early hip-hop it works. Kinda front-loaded too. Favorite songs were Hard Times, Rock Box, and It’s Like That.
Hiphop uit de 80s, dat is kale beats en veel geluidjes uit de computer. RunDMC mixt daar een vleugje rock bij. Blijkbaar waren ze pioniers daarin om rap en rock te mixen. En ik moet zeggen dat ik ze daar toch wel dankbaar voor ben. Veel nu-metal is daar misschien wel op gebaseerd en dat heb ik toch met veel plezier mogen luisteren destijds. Het stomme is, ik had Rock Box nog nooit eerder gehoord. We denken altijd aan Walk this Way met Aerosmith, maar dit nummer was dus veel eerder. En het klinkt bijna alsof Eddie van Halen of Brian May meedoet, met die scheurende gitaar erbij. Even kijken op de wiki wie dit inspeelt: Eddie Martinez. Nooit van gehoord, een sessiemuzikant, maar hij heeft wel veel van David Lee Roths soloalbums ingespeeld. De zanger van, jawel, van Halen! Nice! Qua hiphop kan ik die ouwe dingen wel beter waarderen dan de recentere. Al is dit soms heel erg kaal met alleen een beat en wat gescratch. Ik weet niet zo goed hoe kinderachtig de teksten zijn, maar ze waren wel heel erg bezig met hun kleding. Ze hebben eigenhandig een bepaald schoenenmerk groot gemaakt zo ongeveer. Dat uiterlijk vertoon heb ik nooit zoveel mee, dan heb ik bijna nog liever uit-het-raam-staar-zweverige teksten of teksten van Blof waar je niks van begrijpt. Qua muziek is het dus allemaal wat karig, wat moet je daar nu voor geven. Sterretje of 2. Het pionierende Rock Box is heel tof, dus dat verdient wel een extra ster. Krijgen ze 3 strepen van me, net als hun favoriete merk.
I'm too white to have an opinion on this.
beastie boys found bald and sobbing in fear
aged better than LL cool j, but worse than public enemy or the beastie boys. Not a bad album, and without it I think music in 2025 is drastically different, but it's not something I'm going to want to listen to frequently
Ah, the early days of rap. Cardboard box breakdancing, back spins and the worm! Setting the stage for the Walk This Way megahit.
Nice! Meshed perfectly with my long walk. Would give it a 3.5!
Mér fannst einfaldleikinn og beatin sjarmerandi en varð fljótt einhæft
Skemmtilegt (hallærislegt?) rapp. Samt ekkert sem ég er einstaklega hrifinn af.
These super old school rap are fun but get repetitive quite quickly 6/10
Gee 1984 was a great year! I mostly enjoyed this, its maybe a tad repetitive and a bit slow, but its really important in the history of the genre and given the technology used at the time to put these tracks together its pretty interesting.
So I'm gonna give it a 3 because I'd rather listen to it than popular rap these days but it like uh.. does often sound the same throughout
Well, somehow I misread the information on Raising Hell and mentioned it being their debut. Mea Culpa. The Generator is here to correct me within two days, by giving me their real debut album. Also since notes are unchangeable, my mistake will be on this site till the end of the internet. Now for my thoughts on Run-D.M.C. real debut. It's quite good. Obviously getting two albums from the same artist in such a short time makes for an easier comparison. And this album's rating will suffer from being less good than Raising Hell. But that doesn't mean the album is bad. It has a some bangers on it and is overall a great tasty snack before the dinner to come. An Amuse-bouche as one could say.
A groundbreaking album at the time, but hearing it back now it does come off as a bit simplistic and repetitive in terms of beats/sampling. Lyrics can be corny too, but interesting cross-over. Fave tracks are "It's like that" and "Hard times"
It's weird to listen to this album today, forty years later. Hip hop has come so far that this sounds kind of simplistic and slow but at the time is was super cool and ground breaking. Someone had to start it up. I'm listening to the highlights again now as I'm writing this and the beats and pacing of the lyrics seem crazy slow. It's really interesting to hear how things have changed.
I am going to listen to this again so it may get a higher rating, but as someone who doesn't listen to a lot of rap I really liked this. I have read that this debut album showcased a more hardcore rap, so I am surprised by why I enjoyed it so much. The reason is two fold, first: no samples, which I always find annoying, not so much if you do it in one song but if all of your tracks use tunes from others I am not going to rate it highly. Secondly the guitars - those guitar solos had me at hello.
I was expecting to like this but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I like the rapping and they sound good together. The lyrics are good, marking hip hop's development as protest music, and there are a few highlights (Rock Box was a new song to me). I'm not a fan of the tinny, drum machine beats though, and in some parts there's not much else happening. Not bad but not great either
Quite enjoyed this but did find that the songs all sounded similar
3 out of 5. Enjoyable listen, and I'm starting to appreciate Run D.M.C. the more albums I hear from them.
Kind of fun, but not my usual type of music.
Classic hip-hop golden age album (and arguably the one that kicked off the golden age). Still holds up pretty well.
This is such a wildly important album for both hip hop and modern music at large that it really can't be overstated. Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: this sounds like a hip hop album from 1984. So yeah, it sounds old, and it sounds clunky at times, but I can pretty much guarantee I didn't need to tell you that. Even if you go a year or two later, you get music that sounds way more modern, but it's because of albums like Run-D.M.C.'s self-titled that we got that music. And honestly, if you go a year or two earlier, you get hip hop that sounds *so* much clunkier. And honestly, despite the age, I actually like this quite a bit. McDaniels and Simmons have some really cool synergy. And through the somewhat dated rapping, you can still very much tell that both men were incredibly skilled at the art-form. And Jam Master Jay's production can be similarly dated, but there are still plenty of cool grooves here. I also need to acknowledge that people were still figuring hip hop out here: upon doing research, this is really an album of firsts. I've seen people cite It's Like That as the first hardcore hip hop song, Sucker M.C.'s as one of the first diss tracks, and Rock Box as the first rap rock song. These are also among the best songs here. It's Like That is almost an incredibly early example of conscious hip hop. Although Rock Box may be my favorite here: Eddie Martinez's hair metal guitar works surprisingly well here, and McDaniels and Simmons are at their most locked in, the flow is actually really cool. Additionally, I've heard arguments that this song had a big hand in tearing down the barriers between rock and hip hop, giving us future Run DMC songs, and resulting in other very influential artists like the Beastie Boys. I'd also like to shout out Wake Up, with it's very hopeful lyrics. While this album wears it's age on it's sleeve, I still find it very enjoyable, and it's role in music history can *not* be denied.
Bit more relatable than the more gangsta stuff and quite whitty in places but this genre is definitely not for me
Listening in 2025 this sounds very safe and tame compared to what came after. It really isn’t very exciting, the beats are bland but the rapping and flow is solid, it’s just very dated and not my bag in general. Not rubbish, but not good.
Influential but doesn’t hold up over time. Outdated rhymes and beats. Not bad, just lacks something. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again
I can appreciate how influential this group is and the talent of their rapping abilities but the production on this thing has aged like milk.
I love hip hop, but there is just something so annoying about the early days of rap. Maybe it’s the flow, maybe it’s the beats, maybe it’s that it sounds kinda gimmicky, but the golden age of hip hop can’t come soon enough for the mid 80s. Not a bad listen, not a great listen either.
Enjoyed this
Iconic but really doesn't age well.
They walked before they could run on several songs but still enjoyable.
Influenced heavily by Grandmaster F&TF5, but less interesting
Good fun
Rock Box is a cracker
A bit of the same but fun and short
A difficult one to rate for sure. The album and Run DMC have significant influence into how modern Hip Hop and Rap has been shaped (along with the creation of rap rock), however the album itself doesn't have many highlights and a simple beat in each song. Rock Box is the standout for sure, the influence in creating and inspiring Rap Rock is of course important, however it is also just a really good song. I will go for 3 stars on balance.
if there’s one thing i’ve learned from this project is that 80s rap > 90s rap
I don’t like to use the term dated. Everything is dated. But hip-hop for sure doesn’t sound like this any more. Which is a shame. No mention of fucking hoes, and shooting niggas, and Oh I’m so oppressed. And it’s all the better for it. Found it got a bit repetitive at times, but I’d listen to it again.
Early tracks felt ahead of their time, i just wish some were less sparse. Made the whole album feel longer.
They're good lads. Does sound very dated now and the 'melody' gets very repetitive, but I like it and appreciate it's importance.
Old school
ekki sjarmalaust en mjög fornt bæði hvað varðar flæði og takta. þarf ekki meira.
Way ahead of the curve, rhymes written by ChatGPT long before ChatGPT... And God damnit, use the snare, it helps with the groove, really... Influential for sure with some fresh ideas, but other who came after did it better...
I know it is the start of hip hop as we know so I respect that, I just prefer modern hip hop
I like it. Oldschool, often minimalistic beats made only with percussion. The lyrics a sometimes a little childish, ironic but the things you hear in newer rap songs are already here. Fav: It's like that
Endearingly primitive in its sound. Not a ton to take away in 2025 but well worth the history lesson.
punk af
Liked it more than I expected. Not a fan of the finish each other sentences style, but it wasn't terribly annoying with this album. Good beats, and pretty clear lyrics. The song about dreaming, with the constant "wake up" I can't get out of my head.
Hard times, it’s like that var bäst. Generellt lite enformiga och för långa låtar
Not as good as I was hoping for but still enjoyable.
I have a fondness for Run DMC just because I watched a lot of vh1 countdowns and I-Love-The shows, and inevitably they all talked about how Run DMC started hip hop. (Seems a bit of an oversimplification, in retrospect, but hey, I wasn't there.) My vh1 recollection is basically like: "OK, so music was invented by Michael Jackson, Queen, Run DMC, and Madonna. The end." Oh, we had another Run DMC album 150 albums ago and I said the same thing. Time is a flat circle. Anyway, this is good. The rhythm/stress pattern is so consistent that it's kind of like the album is all one big song ("my name's aMANda and i'm HERE to SAY, i'm likin' this ALbum in a MAjor way"). No slurs! I arbitrarily decided that 4 is for albums I'd listen to in my spare time, which is apparently a pretty high bar, but among 3s, this is one of the 3s-I-like and not one of the 3s-I-don't-dislike. It's tricky to sort a disc, to sort a disc that's just like this, it's tricky :( Highlight: 'Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)' (it unlocked a core memory for me of the rhythm game(?) in Sega's Toejam and Earl 2, which I was terrible at but liked a lot), 'Wake Up' (nice dream. presumably "we weren't afraid to show our faces / it was cool to chill in foreign places" was meant about race, but now it applies even more broadly 😔) Lowlight: 'Jay's Game' (the only break in the long song -- I also hate these short repeated loops (IDK if there's a DJ name for this thing); I think it's one reason I dislike Missy Elliott['s songs] actually)
Wow, going in I thought I would like this album given Run DMC's place in hip-hop history. I found most of the songs sounded very similar to each other, the notable exception being Rock Box with that awesome guitar riff. I guess they walked so others could run, but listening to them walk isn't something I'll choose to do again.
I kno its old school, but ive heard good old school
I was enjoying this but it did can a bit samey about half way through them came good again at the end. Refreshing was the total absence of bitches, niggas and requests to suck their dicks!
3.5 stars - I liked the lyrics to several of the songs, but overall the album felt a bit repetitive in its sound.
I'm sure Michelangelo had some sick finger paintings too. Why would anyone listen to this when Raising Hell(⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐exists?
Ok so some of this feels a bit dated but it’s still pretty good. Rock Box is the stand out track, possibly because it’s the one that sounds different from the rest, a lot of which all sound quite similar.
Early hip hop that whilst basic seems more accessible that than what the genre has morphed into. I liked some of it, but was a bit samey.
Ah, the true masters of going ‘huh’ to end a chorus. Minimalistic beats and some rudimentary sampling. Actually it’s quite catchy.
Even though I dont really care for it, I understand Run DMC's importance to hiphop as a whole. Its a fun time capsule of an album. I cant listen to this without getting the DK rap song stuck in my head though 😂
I don't don't like it
Pretty good
Decent classic hiphop nothing really stood out to me though
Ritme increïble, impossible no moure's. Preferides "Hard Times","Rock box", i "Hollis Crew" la resta se'm fan un pèl pesades (segurament perquè no estic acostumat a escoltar aquest tipus de música.)
Fantastic timeless rap/rock fusion album.
Pretty good early hip hop. Enjoyable.
No standouts, but not bad, just nothing special
It’s decent but I prefer the other Run DMC album on the list 3/5
Pioneers of rock rap