Raising Hell: Vinyl LP

Up until Raising Hell, the rap juggernaut we know as Run-DMC was still in its building and breaking-down- doors phase. In 1986 that changed, and in a dramatic way. With their third long-player, the group had reached the mountaintop. It was THE record that proved hip-hop wasnt a fad. Raising Hell marked an important and significant new era for the group. Leaving producer Larry Smith for up-and- coming sonic innovator Rick Rubin (still co-produced by Runs brother Russell Simmons), they began to fully transition not only their own sound, but the sound of the entire genre. Less live playing with some exceptions and a slicker, tighter sonic attack.

Musical aesthetics aside, though, at their core they stayed true to the essence of hip-hop: two turntables and a microphone, or two. Its impossible to talk about the album without its worldwide smash, Walk This Way, which hit #4 on the Billboard pop charts and saw the group digging in the rock crates to summon Aerosmith in the flesh, combining Steven Tylers and Joe Perrys musicianship with the groups own take on the 70s classic. The songs video cemented Run-DMC as legit MTV idols, and both groups rode its wave to new heights. Beyond Walk This Way, the platter is full to the hilt with undeniable classic singles: You Be Illin; Its Tricky; Peter Piper and the fashion-world shifting My Adidas. Each song was new proof that Run-DMCs sound was indeed new, but still familiar, and full of the energy, charisma and innovation that drew fans to their first two LPs.

Aside from the singles, the reason the album stands up so well is the fact that there is virtually no filler. Proud To Be Black remains a pioneering and underrated cut when people talk about conscious hip-hop. And to make sure they never lost the streets that gave them their start, Hit It Run, Son Of Byford, Is It Live and Perfection all bring it back to the groups early days in the park. Besides the triple platinum status the album achieved, it was more than just a pop smash. It signaled a new era for rap music, and it was the no-turning- back point for the entire genre. This was the beginning of what we now call the Golden Era, and it still sounds as fresh today as it did three decades ago.