*Legendary rapper/reality TV star Rev. Run (born Joseph Simmons) sat down with TheWrap to reflect on his career with iconic hip-hop group, Run-DMC.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished,” Run told TheWrap. “I’m not the EGOT guy like John Legend, but once you’ve got a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trophy and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, you’re pretty much killing it…or killed it.”
He not only cites Drake and Bruno Mars among his favorite newer artists, Run says unlike some of his contemporaries, he’s “not the old-school angry rapper. I actually look for new hit records and enjoy them.”
“I still love rap,” he continued. “I love seeing Beyonce and Jay-Z tour the world. I love what Meek Mill just put out. I’m not one of those old-school guys who says, ‘Back when I was younger…’ I’m not the old-school angry rapper. I actually look for new hit records and enjoy them, like Nicki Minaj, Flipp Deniro and other stuff. I’m into rap, I’m not only up on it, I love it.”
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This time of year, my family enjoys being together, but we also use it as a time to motivate each other to get on track for the New Year! Part of that is knowing our #diabetes risks and getting screened. Take the time to learn more here: https://t.co/Zp1UP9Y2DC#NovoAmbassador pic.twitter.com/JLbroX59GC
— Rev Run (@RevRunWisdom) December 18, 2018
But the hip-hop pioneer says…“Don’t put me up against Nat ‘King’ Cole,” when it comes to comparing top Christmas songs, such as the DMC classic “Christmas in Hollis” from 1987.
Run credits the group’s then-publicist Bill Adler for urging them to record the track which was part of “A Very Special Christmas” compilation album.
“I sat there with a pen,” Run recalled. “I remember bacon, eggs and jelly and I wrote the rhyme within one minute. I called him (Adler) back, and I think there was a Holy Ghost takeover because the rhyme was very much spiritual and beautiful. I thank God for that moment of giving me that rhyme.”
Fun Fact: Run-DMC played a vital role in molding the Beastie Boys into what they ultimately became.
Run-DMC was a hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York, founded in 1981 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip-hop acts of the 1980s. pic.twitter.com/5onNuaFO4M
— Inlightenmg (@inlightenmg) December 15, 2018
Rev. Run also recalled remaking the now-iconic cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
“I thought we were making hillbilly jibberish,” Run recalled of the song. “We used to rap over that beat and never wanted to hear the lyrics and never knew what was being said by Steven Tyler. The job of the DJ was to make sure that Steven Tyler didn’t say anything. When Rick Rubin told us to do those vocals, we had to go home and find out what Steven was saying because as a rapper, you’d be biting if you took someone else’s lyrics. We used to rap over that beat in the hood and those vocals were not the hippest thing for us to do. And it ended up being a big hit and confounded our minds.”
As for any new Run-DMC music, don’t count on it. While he and DMC continue to play “seven-to-eight” shows that are “the right opportunity,” the report states, Run says a new album will likely never surface.
“How often does an iconic group make another hit record?” he asked rhetorically. “And how often do they go out and perform all of the hits? How badly do you not want to hear the material from the new record that’s replacing ‘My Adidas?’ How bad do you want to hear ‘Walk This Way’ instead of a new record?
“You’d be pissed if I tried to play my whole new album and miss you all of your favorite songs,” Run added. “So that’s the answer.”
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