533. Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (1984)
















Track Listing

1. Hard Times
2. Rock Box
3. Jam Master Jay
4. Hollis Crew (Krush Groove 2)
5. Sucker MC's
6. It's Like That
7. Wake Up
8. Thirty Days
9. Jay's Game

Review

Run-D.M.C. explode onto the scene with an album that completely re-defines the whole genre of hip-hop. This is probably one of the most influential albums of all time, and really a pretty great one.

The beats are aggressive, the voices are aggressive, and execution is perfect. The way Run and D.M.C. bounce off each-other is amazing, and shows a kind of close relationship essential to make the album work. Then you have the unsung hero, the late Jam-Master Jay, bringing some amazing scratching and sounds that top the whole thing perfectly.

The whole purity of sound here is quite amazing, there is no real R&B influence, there is no superfluous sounds, it works in a very sparse and effective way, almost minimalistic. One of the very best hip-hop albums.

Track Highlights

1. It's Like That
2. 30 Days
3. Rock Box
4. Hard times

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

In 1998, the album was selected as one of "The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums".

In 1989, the album was ranked #51 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 greatest albums of the 1980s". In 2003, the album was ranked number 240 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

It's Like That: