Cabe’s Collection – Run-DMC’s ‘Raising Hell’

Cabe Eaton is an Austin-based music fanatic and author of the new book, How Did This Sh*t Become a Number 1 Hit?: From WTF to #1 – 50 Bizarre Hits That Took Over the Charts and the Reasons Why. You can purchase his book from online booksellers, such as Strand Books. Cabe is digging into his extensive collection of recordings for 360°Sound and taking a fresh, track-by-track look at some classics.

There wasn’t a kid around in 1986 who didn’t own a copy of Run-DMC’s Raising Hell – and it was most likely on cassette. If you didn’t own one, chances are you recorded a buddy’s LP onto one of those blank Maxell tapes you bought at Thrifty’s, which got you quite zonked after removing the shrink wrap and breathing in the poisonous fumes. Noxious fumes and generational loss aside, it was all about hearing new and fresh music — and Run-DMC was the newest and freshest.

The mid-1980s represented a significant time in the commercialization of hip-hop music. Sure, the genre was crude and rude at times, yet it paled in comparison to the ultra-narcissistic gangsta rap-era looming just around the corner. In fact, hip-hop had a sense of humor during its nascent days — I laughed with ‘80s rappers, whereas I laughed at ‘90s rappers.

Indeed, hip-hop music (initially known as rap) was invented long before Raising Hell hit shelves in 1986. But the album is vital in that it was the first to showcase the fusion between hip-hop and rock music. Whether it was sampled or played in the studio, rock music was the vehicle that transported hip-hop to millions of suburban households in America.

Raising Hell was Queens-based Run-DMC’s third release and arguably the trio’s finest. With Raising Hell, the world was introduced in large scale to the formula of a two-man MC set-up (Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels) and a DJ (Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell). The two rappers the group was named after were often shown as a duo to the public (perhaps to avoid confusion). This would explain Jay’s omission from Raising Hell’s purple-tinted front cover photo (extra points to those who can identify the other color the cover was available in—and no internet searching.)

The world was also properly introduced to the vision of punk rocker-turned rap producer Rick Rubin. The Def Jam Records co-founder had already cut his teeth in the rap genre, via L.L. Cool J’s debut album Radio. Raising Hell gives Def Jam’s other co-founder (and Joseph’s brother) Russell Simmons shared production credit, but judging from the successful and edgy work Rubin would produce in years to come, for artists ranging from the Beastie Boys (Licensed to Ill) to Tom Petty (Wildflowers) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), Rubin was likely more prevalent at the console for Raising Hell.

“Peter Piper”

This track opens the album at about 90 miles per hour. Lyrically, it involves nursery rhyme themes with a twist. The lyrics may not be quite as hip today, but the music track is pretty awesome. The sample of drums and bells comes from Bob James’s elaborate 1975 cover of Paul Simon’s “Take Me to the Mardi Gras,” while Jam Master Jay’s skills at the boards is out front and center.

“It’s Tricky”

This is a hip-hop cult classic, featuring a sample of the Knack’s “My Sharona.” The track finds Run-DMC moaning about the pressures of success, with Run explaining, “to spend some time and rock a rhyme…it’s not that easy.”

“My Adidas”

A fan-favorite of the album, “My Adidas” gifts a commercial jingle to a shoe company that never requested it. But the move would pay off, as Run-DMC would famously score an endorsement deal with Adidas the very same year Raising Hell was released.

“Walk This Way”

“My Adidas” cleverly segues into the standout cut on the album, “Walk This Way,” a cover of the 1975 Aerosmith classic that guest-features Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. What’s interesting is that Run-DMC’s take on “Walk This Way” was not only the mega single that gathered listeners of both the rap and rock genres (as it penetrated the Top 5 of the Hot 100), but it had also succeeded—with some help from MTV—in the resuscitation of Aerosmith’s foundering career. After all, who didn’t enjoy seeing Tyler smash his mic stand through a wall?

“Is it Live”/”Perfection”

“Is It Live” relies more on generic beats behind Run-DMC’s rap bragging, whereas “Perfection” uses an actual drum set and not much else, as more rhymes are made amid a slightly annoying chant of the song title.

“Hit It Run”

This high-energy cut features DMC handling most of the rapping as Run shows his beat box skills. Yours truly would personally like to give a special shout out to the late Human Beat Box from the Fat Boys. Word.

“Raising Hell”

The title track is an impressive tune which brings things back to a heavy rock style, featuring Rubin on guitar. The chords dabble in the same formula as that of Led Zeppelin’s “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” and Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4,” but nonetheless kick some major ass. Rubin co-wrote this one with the group.

“You Be Illin’”

This classic—which Run-DMC samples from their own previous 1985 single “You Talk Too Much”—is more of a comedic song, involving a catchy bass line and very questionable situations at places such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and a 76ers basketball game, with characters that just cannot be as stupid as they’re portrayed. I mean, who in the hell unknowingly eats dog food?

“Dumb Girl”/”Son of Byford”/”Proud to Be Black”

The last few tracks are more or less forgettable. “Dumb Girl” relies too heavily on a poor man’s Max Headroom stutter, while “Son of Byford” is a very brief origin story featuring DMC on vocal and Run on beat box. “Proud To Be Black” is the most topical track on Raising Hell, although the hip-hop props to Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver might be a little on the hokey side.

Whether you’re revisiting Raising Hell or simply wish to dabble in Hell for the first time, check out the album’s 2005 remaster. There’s some pretty cool bonus material on this edition, including some unintentionally hilarious radio spot takes, with the group plugging a fundraising appearance and telling their fans to get their asses down to their nearest Ticketmaster outlet. At one point, an out-of-breath Jam Master Jay can be heard complaining, “You only got sixty seconds to say a lot of shit.”

A lot has changed since the release of Raising Hell, including the senseless murder of Jam Master Jay in 2002, but the trio’s legacy still endures. Run-DMC was deservedly inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but—more importantly—they have since inspired countless artists spanning several music genres. Great music lives on.