Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Classic Album Review: Run D.M.C., "Raising Hell"


The 1980's were an incredible time for hip-hop.

While there was some truly amazing music being produced by the likes of Run D.M.C., Grand Master Flash, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Chuck D, hip-hop had still not broken fully through to the main stream.

Although the water (aka hip-hop) had been constantly breaking through cracks in the mainstream music dam, it wasn't until Run D.M.C. unleashed "Raising Hell" that the river of hip-hop finally began to flow through. For so long it had been the forgotten child, but now was the prominent star.

Released in the summer of 1986, the album ignited the popularity of hip-hop and trumped all perception of what people thought the industry was. The album eventually went triple-platinum and it launched Run D.M.C. into the hip-hop stratosphere.

"Raising Hell" was produced with the help of the legendary Rick Rubin, who broke almost all the conventions of hip-hop with his work on the album. There are tons of hooks, more drum beats, more scratching, and more samples here than had ever been used before.

The group doesn't waste any time on this album, which is filled with some amazing, catchy tracks. Some of the best of the bunch includes, "Walk This Way", "My Adidas", "You Be Illin" and "Perfection", although I think every track is pretty damn good.

The most well known track off the album is "Walk This Way" which featured one of the biggest musical groups at the time, Aerosmith. While I am not the biggest fan of the track, without it, the album may not have become as huge and immensely popular as it did. This was the first time in music history that the two genres (rock and rap) had collaborated in such a way.

Whether you feel the track is a novelty or something of that sort, you still must admit that it is catchy, and is easily one of the most fun songs to listen to of all time. It's clear that Run D.M.C. thoroughly enjoyed how things turned out, and you can hear the enthusiasm and youthfulness as they rap: "With the boys in/tune/And her feet just fly up in the air/Singin hey diddle diddle with a kitty in the middle/And they swingin like it just don't care/So I took a big/chance/At the high school/dance/With a lady who was ready to play".



While "Walk This Way" was the most popular of the tracks off the album, "It's Tricky" might be the most recognizable and is one of my favorites. To this day Run D.M.C.'s impact is felt from this track, with it having appeared in countless films and TV shows since its release, such the 2000 hilarious comedy film "Road Trip"

"My Adidas" was the first single off the album and was produced by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. Any rapper who writes lyrics referencing the clothes or styles they enjoy owe a debt to Run D.M.C. for making that aspect of hip-hop more than just about brand names. The group was known for their love of Adidas, track suits, sneakers and all, and they crafted it into one of the most interesting tracks in hip-hop.



You can truly hear the connection of the group and the brand (in a good way and not a corporate ploy type way) as they rap: "I wore my sneakers but I'm not a sneak/My Adidas cuts the sand of a foreign land/with mic in hand I cold took command/my Adidas and me, close as can be/we make a mean team, my Adidas and me."

My personal favorite track on the album is "You Be Illin", which was the third single released off "Raising Hell". The beat is one of the best on the album and you might as well credit the group for making the term "Illin" popular and bringing it to the cultural lexicon. It was just another way that the group made an affect on society which still resonates today.



The track is easily the most humorous on the album, with the group describing events when someone is actually "illin". They describe a guy coming into KFC and asking for a Big Mac, as well as shouting out "Touchdown!" at a basketball game.

The best verse on the track is the final one, which describes a guy getting a bit confused about his meal. You can hear the irony as they rap: "(For) dinner, you ate it, there is none left/It was salty, with butter and it was def/You proceeded to eat it cos you was in the mood/But holmes you did not read it was a can of dog food!/You be illin'".

It's quite hard to put into words the impact that Run D.M.C. had on hip-hop and just the music industry in general. Either way it's clear from their work on "Raising Hell" that they were willing to push the envelope in regards to what hip-hop could be, and they succeeded beautifully.

"Raising Hell" is Run D.M.C.'s most important album,, and is easily one of the best of all time. It gives true meaning to the word "classic". R.I.P. Jam-Master Jay.

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