#FreshRadio salute and Happy Bornday to Rev Run
14 November 2012 Fresh Radio
November 14th – Rev. Run of the legendary Run-DMC was born Joseph Ward Simmons in Queens, New York, on this day in 1964.
Run, the younger brother of Def Jam Records co-founder and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and abstract painter Danny Simmons, began rapping as a young teen in a group called The Force.
Run’s older brother Russell, who at the time was an aspiring hip-hop promoter, was handling the career of his childhood friend Kurtis Blow.
Run, who got his new stage name by neighborhood friends because he talked so much and was accused of always “running off at the mouth” became DJ Run – Son Of Kurtis Blow when he backed one of rap’s first superstars as a DJ.
Run soon met Darryl McDaniels, who was also from Run’s neighborhood of Hollis, Queens and the two began rapping together.
After signing a record deal with Profile Records, the duo was in search of a new DJ after the group’s original turntablist got a full-time job and opted to leave the music business. The new duo eventually met a flashy young DJ name Jason Mizell at a block party at Two-Fifths Park in Hollis, who at the time used the DJ name Jazzy Jace. Mizell would change his name to Jam-Master Jay.
The group was then released the double A-sided 12 inch single “It’s Like That”/“Sucker MC’s (Krush Groove 1).” The two songs eventually became hip-hop classics.
Run-DMC released their Self-Entitled debut album the following year. Run-DMC would be at the forefront of the rock/rap fusion movement with a hit single on their debut set called “Rock Box”. That style would continue on into their second album released in 1985 called “King Of Rock” and would culminate in 1986 on their third album “Raising Hell”, which contained their collaboration with Boston rock legends Aerosmith on a remake of their mid-1970’s classic cut “Walk This Way”, whose break beat intro had been a hip-hop staple for New York City DJ’s for years. The success of the collaboration, which received heavy airplay on MTV, would revive the careers of Aerosmith in the process.
Run would go on to release four more albums with Run-DMC; 1988’s “Tougher Than Leather”, which also served as a semi-soundtrack to a film of the same name released the same year starring the group, 1990’s “Back From Hell”, 1993’s “Down With The King” and 2001’s “Crown Royal”.
Run-DMC also starred in the 1985 Warner Bros. film “Krush Groove”, loosely based on the life of Run’s brother, Russell, as well as the 1995 Def Jam docu-film “The Show”.
In the mid-1990’s Run became an ordained minister and began being known as Reverend Run and even released an album using the same moniker in 2005 called “Distortion”.
After the murder of Jam-Master Jay in 2002, Run disbanded Run-DMC and devoted a lot of his time to his ministry and collaborating with other artists like Jagged Edge and Liberty X.
Run eventually became a reality TV star with MTV’s “Run’s House”, a reality show about Run’s life at home with his wife and kids. Run also appeared on MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16” with his son Diggy Simmons and “Daddy’s Girls”, spun off from “Run’s House” starring Run’s two eldest daughters Vanessa and Angela Simmons.
In 2008, Gotham Press published Run’s book “Take Back Your Family: A Challenge To America’s Parents”, co-authored by his wife Justine Simmons.
The same year Run and Justine teamed up with Kool-Aid in a project called “KaBoom”, which builds playgrounds in underserved communities.
In 2009, Run-DMC were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio by Eminem.
On September 2nd of this year Run-DMC reunited for Jay-Z’s “Made In America Festival” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Jam-Master Jay’s sons TJ and Jason Mizell Jr. filling in for their late father on the turntables. The group would perform a 40 minute set of classics like “Peter Piper”, “Here We Go”, “Rock Box”, “It’s Like That” and others.
Run is one of the most influential MC’s of all time!
Source: ThisDayInHipHop.com
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