Early career The three members of Run-DMC grew up in
Hollis, Queens. Previously, McDaniels had been more focused on athletics than music, but soon began to DJ after purchasing a set of
turntables. Simmons convinced McDaniels to start rapping, and though McDaniels would not perform in public, he soon began writing rhymes and was known as "Easy D". Simmons and McDaniels started hanging around Two-Fifths Park in Hollis in the late 1970s, hoping to rap for the local DJs who performed and competed there; the most popular one known to frequent the park was Jason Mizell, then known as "Jazzy Jase". Mizell was known for his flashy wardrobe and
b-boy attitude, which led to minor legal troubles as a teen. Thereafter, he decided to pursue music fame and began entertaining in the park soon after. Eventually, Simmons and McDaniels rapped in front of Mizell at the park, and the three became friends. Following Russell's success managing Kurtis Blow, he helped Run record his first single, a song called "Street Kid". The song went unnoticed, but despite the single's failure, Run's enthusiasm for hip-hop was growing. Simmons soon wanted to record again—-this time with McDaniels, but Russell refused, citing a dislike for D's rhyming style. The group's name used Joseph Simmons's DJ name, DJ Run. It was combined with several letters from Darryl McDaniel's name. (DMC can also stand for "Devastating Mic Controller" and in one instance, Darryl rapped in King of Rock "People always ask, 'DMC, what does it mean?' D's for never dirty, MC for mostly clean.") After signing with
Profile Records, Run-DMC released their debut single "
It's Like That/Sucker MCs" in late 1983. The single was well received, peaking at No. 15 on the R&B charts. The trio performed the single on the
New York Hot Tracks video show in 1983. Emboldened by their success, Run-DMC released their eponymous debut album
Run-D.M.C. in 1984. Run said later: That embrace of the look and style of the street would define the next 25 years of hip-hop fashion. Despite not receiving as much recognition as McDaniels and Simmons, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell had greater behind-the-scenes influence with Run-DMC than widely assumed, and gave the group their street credential image. Mizell, who discovered
50 Cent, has also been credited with taking the hip hop genre to a wider worldwide audience.
King of Rock, Raising Hell and mainstream success After the success of their first album, Run-DMC looked to branch out on their follow-up. The release of
King of Rock in 1985 saw the group furthering their rap rock fusion on songs like "Can You Rock It Like This" and
the title track; while "Roots, Rap, Reggae" was one of the first rap/dancehall hybrids. The music video for the single "Rock Box" was the first ever hip-hop music video to be broadcast on
MTV and received heavy rotation from the channel. The song was the group's most popular hit at that point and the album was
certified platinum. Run-DMC performed at the legendary
Live Aid benefit shortly after
Rock Box was released. In late-1985, Run-DMC were featured in the hip-hop film
Krush Groove, a fictionalized retelling of
Russell Simmons' rise as a hip-hop entrepreneur and his struggles to get his own label,
Def Jam Recordings, off the ground. The song and video became one of the biggest hits of the 1980s, reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100, and cemented Run-DMC's crossover status. It also resurrected Aerosmith's career. The single "
My Adidas" led to the group signing a $1,600,000 endorsement deal with athletic apparel brand Adidas. Adidas formed a long-term relationship with Run-DMC and hip-hop. This has been described as the "beginning of what we have come to know as
hip-hop fashion". The success of
Raising Hell is often credited with kick-starting
hip-hop's golden age, when rap music's visibility, variety, and commercial viability exploded onto the national stage and became a global phenomenon. Later in 1988, the group made their second film appearance in
Tougher Than Leather, a would-be crime caper that was directed by
Rick Rubin and featured special guest performances by the
Beastie Boys and
Slick Rick. The film bombed at the box office, but strengthened the indirect relationship between Run-DMC and the Def Jam label which led to the common misconception that the group was signed to the label. They
were, however,
managed by Russell Simmons, produced by Rick Rubin (who founded Def Jam, along with Simmons), and often shared
concert tour spotlight with acts on the label's roster. release for the single
"Faces" from the album
Back from Hell Amidst the changing times and sliding sales, Run-DMC released
Back from Hell in 1990. The album was the worst-reviewed of their career, as the group tried to re-create itself musically with ill-advised forays into
new jack swing (a then-popular style of production that sonically merged hip-hop and
contemporary R&B) and sometimes-preachy lyrical content. The two singles released, the anti-drug, anti-crime song "
Pause" and street narrative "The Ave", had little success, and the group began to look outdated. Reeling from their first taste of failure, personal problems began to surface for the trio. McDaniels, who had been a heavy drinker in recent years, was losing control to alcoholism. Jay was involved in a life-threatening car accident and survived two gunshot wounds after an incident in 1990. In 1991, Simmons was charged with raping a college student in Ohio, though the charges were later dropped. With so much personal chaos and professional uncertainty, the members turned to faith to try to steady their lives. Both Simmons and McDaniels joined the church, with Run becoming especially devoted following his legal troubles and the toll it took on his finances. After a three-year hiatus that seemingly saw rap music move on without them, the rejuvenated Run-DMC returned in 1993 with
Down with the King. Building on the gritty sound of
Tougher Than Leather, and adding some subtle religious references, the album featured guest appearances and production by several hip-hop notables (including
Pete Rock & CL Smooth and
Q-Tip of
A Tribe Called Quest). Buoyed by the title track and first single, the album entered the charts at No. 1 and No. 7 on the pop charts. In 1997, producer and
remixer Jason Nevins remixed "
It's Tricky" and "
It's Like That". Nevins' remix of "It's Like That" hit number 1 in the United Kingdom, Germany, and many other European countries. A video was made for "It's Like That", although no new footage of Run-DMC appeared in it. In 1999, Run-DMC recorded the theme song for
WWF wrestling stable
D-Generation X entitled "The Kings", which appeared on the
WWF Aggression album. They also made an appearance in a rare version of the music video "
Bodyrock" by
Moby. Soon after, the group finally returned to the studio, but in an increasingly tense environment, as Simmons and McDaniels' differences had begun to show. In the wake of the exploding popularity of rap-rock artists like
Korn,
Limp Bizkit, and
Kid Rock, Simmons wanted to return to the aggressive, hard rock-tinged sound that made the group famous. McDaniels – who had become a fan of thoughtful singer-songwriters like
John Lennon,
Harry Chapin, and
Sarah McLachlan – wanted to go in a more introspective direction. Appearing on
VH1's documentary series
Behind the Music in early 2000, McDaniels confirmed that he was creatively frustrated and highlighted some songs that he was recording on his own. The continued friction led to McDaniels sitting out most of the group's recording sessions in protest. Simmons, in defiance, recorded material anyway, inviting several guest stars such as Kid Rock, Jermaine Dupri, Adrian Burley, Tony Fredianelli and Stephan Jenkins of
Third Eye Blind,
Method Man, and fellow Queens MCs
Nas and
Prodigy of
Mobb Deep to contribute to the project. The resulting album,
Crown Royal, was delayed due to the personal problems, and when it was finally released in 2001, it featured only three appearances by DMC. Despite no major singles, the album initially sold well. However, many critics blasted the lack of DMC's involvement. Some positive reviews were published:
Entertainment Weekly noted that "on this hip hop roast, new schoolers Nas and
Fat Joe pay their respects with sparkling grooves...Run's rhymes are still limber." After
Crown Royal, the group embarked on a worldwide tour with their "Walk This Way" compatriots,
Aerosmith. The tour was a rousing success, celebrating the collaboration between the two acts and acknowledging the innumerable rap and rock acts that had been influenced by their seminal hit 15 years prior. Even though he had little to do with the album, McDaniels was relishing the stage; he had been suffering from an inoperable vocal disorder that had rendered his once-booming voice a strained mumble. Performing allowed McDaniels to come out of his depression and he appeared revitalized on the tour. There was even talk of Run-DMC finally signing with Def Jam, which by then was no longer held by its original founders. Simmons, however, had been growing increasingly tired of hip-hop. His family was growing, and he was assisting with his brother Russell's
Phat Farm clothing imprint,(cap) making Run-DMC less of a priority. Despite the success of the tour and Aerosmith consequently discussing adding additional dates, Simmons abruptly announced that he was quitting.
Murder On October 30, 2002, Mizell was shot and killed at his recording studio in Queens. Fans and friends set up a memorial outside the studio with Adidas sneakers, albums, and flowers. In the aftermath, Simmons and McDaniels announced the official disbanding of the group. Mizell's murder remained unsolved until August 2020, with the arrest of Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. Washington and Jordan Jr. would later be convicted for the murder in February 2024. A third suspect, Jay Bryant, was charged in May 2023, but later arranged to have a trial which would be separate from Washington and Jordan Jr. The accusation of Bryant being the murderer is consistent with the testimony of a neutral witness Yarrah Concepcion. Concepcion testified about a fight before the shot and a hat with the DNA of Bryant was found next to Mizell's body.
Post-breakup In 2004, Run-DMC was one of the first acts honored on the first annual
VH1 Hip Hop Honors, alongside legends like
2Pac and
the Sugarhill Gang. The
Beastie Boys paid tribute. Simmons did not attend the show; he was recording his first solo album,
Distortion. McDaniels also released a solo album,
Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll. He had recently discovered that he was adopted, which led him to be the center of the VH1 program
My Adoption Journey, a documentary chronicling his re-connection with his biological family. McDaniels was also featured in the 2008 video game,
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, making appearances in the songs "Walk this Way" and "King of Rock". He frequently contributed to VH1 programs such as the
I Love The... series, and he released the song "Rock Show" featuring singer
Stephan Jenkins. Simmons also turned to television, starring in ''
Run's House'', a reality show that followed his life as a father and husband. In June 2007, McDaniels appeared with Aerosmith performing "Walk This Way" for their encore at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London. Simmons joined
Kid Rock's 2008 Rock N Roll Revival Tour, performing "It's Like That", "It's Tricky", "You Be Illin, "Run's House", "Here We Go", "King of Rock" and "Walk This Way" with Kid Rock. They also covered "For What It's Worth" at the end of the show. In 2007, Mizell's wife, Terry, Simmons, and McDaniels also launched the J.A.M. Awards in Jay's memory. Jay's vision for social
Justice,
Arts and
Music was promoted by many recording artists, including
Snoop Dogg,
LL Cool J,
Raekwon,
Jim Jones,
M.O.P.,
Papoose,
Everlast,
DJ Muggs,
Kid Capri,
De La Soul,
Mobb Deep,
EPMD,
Dead Prez,
Biz Markie and
Marley Marl. In October 2008, Mizell's one-time protege
50 Cent announced plans to produce a documentary about his fallen mentor. In 2008 Run-DMC was nominated for 2009 induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On January 14, 2009, it was confirmed that Run-DMC would be one of the five inductees to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On April 3, 2009, Run-DMC became the second rap act to be awarded the honor (after
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, who were inducted in 2007). The group reunited at Jay-Z's Made in America Festival in September 2012. Simmons and McDaniels then reunited again for
Fun Fun Fun Fest in
Austin, Texas in November 2012, and again in June 2013 and August 2014 for summer concerts in
Atlanta, Georgia. Despite McDaniels and Simmons making sporadic appearances together, Run-DMC did not record any new music in the time following Jam Master Jay's death. Following the success of
Notorious, it was announced in 2009 that a Run-DMC biographical film was in the works, with the screenplay by
Notorious writer
Cheo Hodari Coker. The film was rumored to depict the life and story of the group beginning from their inception in Hollis, Queens, and leading up to the 2002 murder of
Jam Master Jay. However, the project never went into production. In September 2021, McDaniels was signed to
Nickelodeon to perform the music for the NOGGIN SVOD series ''What's The Word?'' a 15-episodes series which featured an animated version replica of McDaniels teaching children reading and vocabulary skills. The soundtrack for the short-form program was released on January 13, 2022. At the same time, Nickelodeon collaborated with McDaniels for a consumer products line deal. On January 4, 2022, McDaniels published his first children's book called ''Daryl's Dream'' and since then, all of McDaniels' preschool content portfolio was compiled into an Amazon.com page titled "Young DMC" which is a wordplay on the name of the former hip-hop trio. On August 11, 2023, Rev. Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels gave what they stated would be their final performance as Run-DMC at a "Hip Hip 50" celebration concert held at
Yankee Stadium in
New York City. ==Legacy==