Run–DMC

Run-DMC, formed in Hollis, Queens, New York, was one of the most influential groups in hip-hop history, consisting of Joseph «Run» Simmons, Darryl «DMC» McDaniels and Jason «Jam Master Jay» Mizell. Emerging in the early 1980s, they helped move rap from its disco-funk roots toward a harder, stripped-down sound built on booming drum machines, sparse guitar and aggressive vocal trade-offs.

The group broke commercial barriers for hip-hop, becoming the first rap act to earn a gold and later platinum album, appear on MTV, and land on the cover of Rolling Stone. Their collaboration with Aerosmith on «Walk This Way» in 1986 fused rap and rock and became a landmark crossover moment, while tracks like «It's Tricky», «My Adidas», «Peter Piper» and «King of Rock» defined their catalog and cemented their sneaker and fashion influence.

Run-DMC's career was cut short after Jam Master Jay was fatally shot in 2002. In 2009 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only the second hip-hop act to receive the honor, cementing their legacy as pioneers who brought rap into the mainstream of American popular music.