| Run-D.M.C. took hardcore hip-hop from an underground street sensation to a pop-culture phenomenon! Although earlier artists, such as Grandmaster Flash and the Sugar Hill Gang made rap's initial strides on the airwaves, it was Run-D.M.C. that introduced hats, gold chains, and untied sneakers to youth culture's most stubborn demographic group: white, male, suburban rock fans. In the process, the trio helped change the course of popular music, paving the way for rap's second generation with classic tunes like It’s Like That, Hard Times/Jam Master Jay and their hugely successful cover of Aerosmith's Walk This Way. |