40 Years Later: Run DMC Bring Guitar/Drums Instrumentals To Hip Hop Forefront With ‘King Of Rock’

It’s funny how the idea of a king of rock has become such a controversial conversation. Ask ten people who they believe rules over the genre, and you’ll most likely get ten different answers. Elvis coined the nickname during his reign over the genre, and phrases like “Clapton is God” have been featured on T-shirts and spray-painted on the sides of buildings. With the objectiveness of it all, the conversation seems a little silly, but forty years ago today, a Hip-hop group aimed at the crown. Rather than dawning a jeweled headpiece, these rock-and-rollers wore fedoras and matching tracksuits. Their bold statement did not come without a worthy claim to fame, and in 1985, Run-DMC released their forward-thinking King of Rock LP. 

The legendary group’s sophomore effort was released forty years ago on January 21, 1985. It came only one year after Run-DMC’s groundbreaking debut catapulted them to Rap’s upper echelon. Their self-titled debut was simplistically beautiful, featuring gritty beats colliding with Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels’ loose and jovial vocal melodies. The trio, rounded off by Jam Master Jay, could have played it safe and followed a similar formula to success. Rather than stick to the norms, Run-DMC dove headfirst in the opposite direction. King of Rock finds the trio rapping over hectic, rock-influenced instrumentals, marking a sonic shift for the group and merging the worlds of Hip-hop and rock like never before. 

The name of the game is Fusion on King of Rock. The nine-song outing, recorded in New York City, found the trio employing classic rock and dancehall samples, moving away from the funk minimalism that built their debut. The risks Run-DMC took on their sophomore album would go on to pave the way for future Hip-hop artists who dared to break boundaries, and the boundaries broken on King of Rock still echo in modern times. Everything from their use of dense guitar riffs to the Yellowman-assisted “Roots, Rap, Reggae” being cited as one of the first rap-dancehall crossovers, Run-DMC’s fearlessness ushered in a new era for themselves and Hip-hop as a whole. The title track features an avalanche of guitar samples, a worthy contender for the two vocalists whose words tear through speakers as if they’re being freed from a cage. 

Therein lies part of why the experimental King of Rock was such a success. The trio sounded natural and comfortable even in this left-field territory. The synth-drenched “You Talk Too Much” has groovy keys, keeping up with Run and DMC’s passionate vocal performances and emphasizing their words in a way their debut couldn’t. “You’re Blind” is a smoother example of the trio’s fusion prowess. How the soaring guitar melodies interact with the then-modern Hip-hop drums exemplifies King of Rock’s all-encompassing sentiment. 

To give even more credit to Run-DMC, their experimental sound was an instant success. King Of Rock peaked at 52 on the Billboard 200 and 12 on the Hip-hop charts. It is the first Hip-hop album ever to be released on CD and the third to be certified Platinum, an achievement the album captured only two years after its initial release. 

In 1985, Run-DMC was not considered a rock group, let alone the genre’s kings. The title of the trio’s sophomore effort would prove to be more of a warning shot than a catchy name. Run-DMC is now considered a pioneer of rap-rock and took its vision into the crowded halls of popular music, seamlessly finding its place in it all. King of Rock cemented Run-DMC as true artists and separated them from their peers for good, allowing their restless creativity to manifest into a statement piece of an album. 

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