Run-D.M.C. were responsible, more than any other hip-hop group, for the sound and style of rap music. The trio from Queens NY, consisted of Joseph Simmons, Dareyl MacDaniel and Jason Mizell. From their gold chains and adidas shoes, Run-D.M.C. set the sound and style for the next decade of rap. For many reasons, Run-D.M.C.are seen as one of the most pivotal groups in the history of hip-hop. They were the first group of that genre to have a Gold record, the first to go Platinum, the first rappers on MTV, the first to have a corporate endorsement and the first to be nominated for a Grammy Award. To everyone who followed the group, they were a huge influence.

The group's self-titled first album was something entirely different to any record that had come before it. It was hard, angry and full of funk. Run-D.M.C. hit the music industry hard, shouting every rhyme and creating the most ferocious beats and scratches laid to wax. The original sound of Run-D.M.C. was evident on their first single ''It's Like That'' which was released one year after they left high school. The single had a sound that was like no other record at the time - it was blunt and skilful, with rough beats and powerful vocals. From this first single, Run-D.M.C. ignited a revolution that brought hip-hop into the front-line, across television barriers, and inspired the figures of rap today.