Episode 60

full
Published on:

27th Mar 2024

The far-reaching impact of Run-DMC on Hip Hop and pop culture (Kings from Queens: The Run-DMC Story)

Today on Hip Hop Movie Club: Kings from Queens: The Run-DMC Story. A new 3-part documentary series on Peacock chronicling the rise and dominance of the Hip Hop powerhouse that we know and love as Run-DMC. We see the origin story, the apex, the struggles, and the undeniable legacy left by this dynamic trio.  

Topics discussed:

  • This documentary shows why Run-DMC is most responsible for introducing hip-hop to the entire world. 
  • The late Jam Master Jay is responsible for the image and the fashion of the group. 
  • DMC battled and overcame personal demons along the journey of being a star. 
  • Run-DMC revived the Adidas brand of footwear and apparel, as well as the career of the rock group Aerosmith. 
  • Run-DMC inspired the likes of Ice Cube, Eminem, LL Cool J, Chuck D, and the Beastie Boys. 

Also check out:

Run-DMC's performance of "King of Rock" at Live Aid

"Whose house? Run's House! from Dogma

A Conversation with Chuck D, April 16 at Northampton Community College.

Credits

Hip Hop Movie Club is produced by your HHMCs JB, BooGie, and DynoWright. Theme music by BooGie. Follow @hiphopmovieclub on Instagram!

Keep up with all things Hip Hop Movie Club with our newsletter. Subscribe today!

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Don't hate...captivate!

Transcript
Speaker:

Welcome to Hip Hop Movie Club, the show

that harmonizes the rhythm of hip hop with

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the magic of movies.

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Today, we're discussing Kings from Queens,

the newly released three -part documentary

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series about the legendary hip hop trio

Run-DMC.

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We're three old heads who put their old

heads together to vibe on these films for

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you.

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I'm Dyno Wright, podcaster, filmmaker,

longtime hip hop fan, and I saw Run-DMC

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with Aerosmith in September of 2002, the

month before Jam Master Jay was killed.

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I'm JB, 80s and 90s nostalgia junkie, long

time hip hop fan, and two years ago, a

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friend of mine who goes by the name of

Dyno Wright asked me and BooGie to join

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his crew.

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HHMC was born just for you.

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So we say the things we're about to say,

the words are def and they go this way.

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Yes!

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we go.

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I'm BooGie, a DJ, long time hip hop fan

and the song that got me hooked on hip hop

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is Sucker MC's by Run-DMC.

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Yes.

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When did I fall in love with hip hop?

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When I heard this song.

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In this episode, we'll answer the

question, how far reaching was Run-DMC's

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impact on hip hop and pop culture?

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And we'll give you five key takeaways to

make you a smarter hip hop movie fan.

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Kings from Queens is a 2024 three -part

documentary series chronicling the rise

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and dominance of the hip hop powerhouse

that we know and love as Run-DMC.

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We see the origin story, the apex, the

struggles, and the undeniable legacy left

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by this dynamic trio.

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This documentary shows why Run-DMC is the

most responsible for introducing hip hop

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to the entire world.

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The late Jam Master Jay is responsible for

the image and the fashion of the group.

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DMC battled and overcame personal demons

along the journey of being a star.

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Run-DMC revived the Adidas brand of

footwear and apparel, as well as the

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career of the rock group Aerosmith.

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And Run-DMC inspired the likes of Ice

Cube, Eminem, LL Cool J, Chuck D, the

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Beastie Boys, and many more.

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All right, let's get right into it.

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Mentioned the takeaways and let's start

with the first takeaway about the

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documentary showing how Run-DMC was most

responsible for introducing hip hop to the

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entire world.

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These were the first rock stars of rap,

the first rap group on MTV, and they

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changed the entire sound of music and hip

hop.

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BooGie, what do you have about, you know,

the powerhouse?

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that Run-DMC was and their international

influence.

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Yeah, so Run-DMC, they grew to prominence

pretty quickly because they look just like

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the guys in the neighborhood.

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I mean, they dress like them, they walk

and spoke just like them.

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Before them, hip hop groups, they wore

costumes.

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You think of Afrika Bambataa and the Zulu

Nation, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious

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Five, those artists, they wore costumes.

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When Run-DMC came to perform, you see them

playing a tracksuit, hat.

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you know, sneakers with the shoelaces out,

looking like everyone around the way.

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So when they started gaining local speed,

you know, their songs were, it became such

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a, so in demand that everybody wanted to

hear them, see who these guys were.

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Like you mentioned, JB, you know, they

went on MTV, they started doing tours.

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One of the big doors that are open for

them was performing at Live Aid.

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And, you know, just that alone put them in

front of the world.

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And then from there, you know, they just

became such an in -demand artists.

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You know, people wanted them on film.

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So we have Krush Groove coming around.

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And then after that, they became

recognizable to the point where they

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couldn't go anywhere without people

knowing who they were.

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They just, you know, they had the

charisma, the style, the flash, the flair,

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but they were just like everyday guys from

around the way, you know?

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So that was probably the biggest thing

that hooked everyone was that, you know,

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anybody can be Run-DMC.

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Like you could look at them and you

would...

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see some of the characteristics or the

movements or the mannerisms within them

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that remind you of somebody that lives on

your block.

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True, relatable.

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DynoWright, what do you have?

Yeah, I'd forgotten that Run-DMC was the

only rap group at Live Aid.

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40 years later, all we hear about really

is Phil Collins doing both shows in London

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and Philly and Freddie Mercury.

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But yeah, Run-DMC was there too.

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Yeah, I had forgotten as well.

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It wasn't really highlighted back then.

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the one reason that I'll always remember

them performing at Live Aid is because

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they mentioned it in My Adidas.

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Yeah, yeah, you know, stepped on the stage

at Live Aid, all the people who gave and

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the poor got paid.

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I'm like, that always sat in the back of

my head.

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So I'll always remember them performing

here.

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But yeah, like you said, it's not really

talked about a lot.

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Yeah.

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you see in this interview, the interviews

really struck me because, and I think it

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was a lot of these British interviews for

some reason, they showed where these guys

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were saying, so what are you guys doing

after this?

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Like this hip hop is a fad.

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Like, what will you guys be doing in two

years?

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Was literally what they said.

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So these guys were like, well, we'll be

doing this, you know, they fought for the

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legitimacy of hip hop.

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They paved the way for so many and they

were loud and bold and courageous.

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I think one of the quotes was like, loud,

courageous pioneers.

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And that's exactly what they were.

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They just stood in the face of any type of

criticism.

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You had folks in R &B and you know,

because they don't really use instruments,

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you know, traditional instruments.

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And so people just pooh -poohed them.

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They're like, you guys aren't real

artists.

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like would you ask the singer if he's

gonna be singing in two years?

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So why would you ask us that same, ask us

that question?

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Yeah.

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were calling it a fad.

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It's crazy.

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Yeah, like most marketing companies at

some point, they got to consider like

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tapping into hip hop in some way, shape or

form to get their point across.

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It's everywhere.

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You know, it's so embedded in our global

existence that they don't even think about

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it.

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They think, oh yeah, you know, we're just

going to do this and that.

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But we know that's hip hop.

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They're just thinking that it's something

everyday life.

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It's everyday life because hip hop is so

ingrained in everyday life now.

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life.

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I think that theme comes up so many in so

many of our episodes is the ubiquity of

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hip hop.

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It's everywhere.

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I think I must have said this on other

episodes, but like you can't put on TV and

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network TV for more than like a few

minutes without seeing some form of hip

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hop, whether it's on a sitcom, on a

commercial, on a sporting event, inside a

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sporting event as they go to commercial,

you know, it's just everywhere.

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It's so beloved.

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These guys were there in the early days,

fighting for legitmacy.

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Yeah.

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they toured, so they introduced it to the

entire world.

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Other folks have toured but

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didn't have the type of impact.

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as much as Run-DMC did.

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Right.

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So BooGie, you hit a little bit on the

image and the fashion of the group because

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they look like the everyday person in

urban centers where these guys are from

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Hollis Queens.

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So in what we learned in the documentary,

this is the second takeaway is that the

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late Jam Master Jay was the one

responsible for that image and the fashion

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of the group.

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He brought that style.

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Do you want to speak a little bit more

about that?

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So yeah, as the group's songs got bigger,

there became a desire for them to be

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performing these songs live.

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So now they need a DJ.

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So they're looking in the neighborhood for

DJs.

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And there was another guy, Darnell Smith,

who's a local DJ.

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He was actually a friend of Jay's, but

there's a story about he got a job at a

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post office.

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He said that he never got a job at a post

office.

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He just got a job in another state, but he

wasn't available.

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So, you know, they bring in Jam Master Jay

and Max.

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Jay who was actually had street

credibility in the neighborhood to be the

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DJ.

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And I know they said they get to their

first show and you know, Jam Master Jay

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pulls up.

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He's got the black Adidas tracksuit on

with the, you know, with the white stripes

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down the side, his Godfather hat, you

know, Adidas with no shoestrings in them.

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And everybody just kind of looked at him

like, yeah, I think, yeah, yeah, that's

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what we're going to do.

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And then from that point on, they think...

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that's what they dressed like.

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They all imitated, you know, whatever Jay

was, you know, his image or whatever he

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thought was cool.

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That's what they wore.

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And it was funny how in the documentary it

shows how they used to dress before and

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had the plaid blazers on.

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They had the plaid blazers.

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I'm like, whoa.

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Thank God for Jam Master Jay, man.

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working at McDowell's.

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-

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They created the b-boy look.

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If you look up b-boy, that's b -boy style.

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This is what it is.

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It's tracksuits.

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It's Adidas with no laces.

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It's funny because I remember as a

youngster, like I had cousins that were

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much older than I was and they wore Adidas

tracksuits.

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So the good thing about being the youngest

one is when they outgrew it.

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So I had the black one with the red

stripes down the side.

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I had another one that was like color

blocked with stripes down the side.

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I was like, yes.

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Couldn't tell me nothing.

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And this was before sneaker culture hit

its peak.

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These were affordable shoes, which was

good.

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People could afford them and they could

dress like Run-DMC.

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else to add about

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the image, the fashion brought in by Jam

Master Jay.

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Only to talk about, just so people know

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A lot of stuff about his murder and the

resolution of the legal process came out

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A lot of stuff about his murder and the

resolution of the legal process came out

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after this was released.

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So if you're looking for a deep dive into

motives and what happened with the murder

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of Jam Master Jay, this isn't the place to

go.

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But this still is good for seeing how

their style evolved and was really...

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you know, taking on a rocket ship when Jay

joined the band or joined the group.

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Yeah, there's mention of his passing and

the mourning and that's really the

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dissolution of the group.

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Like that was pretty much it.

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They stopped touring, Run, went full time

into being a reverend.

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He was already, you know, he had already

become a Reverend and a Rev Run, but it's

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kind of like they didn't really produce

more music.

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They have since kind of reunited for the 50 year hip hop

tours, which we'll talk about a little bit.

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It was like, we're the three of us.

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This is, you know, this is not the same.

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Jam Master Jay was irreplaceable.

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Literally.

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They couldn’t bring in another DJ to replace

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him.

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So the next topic, you know, takeaway is

DMC, Darryl McDaniels.

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It really showcased or highlighted how he

battled and overcame personal demons along

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the journey of becoming a megastar.

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BooGie, you want to talk a little about

that?

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so DMC was known for having that powerful,

booming voice that commanded the stage

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when he rhymed.

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But originally, DMC didn't want to

perform.

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He wanted to just write.

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At first, he just had a book of rhymes

that he would just write because that was

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his outlet.

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He didn't have a therapist or a counselor

or anybody like that that he spoke.

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So anytime he wanted to express himself,

he wrote it in his book.

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Of course, you know, Run in his

charismatic ways, find out that D had this

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gift of gab when it comes to rhyming and

convinced him to tag along down to the

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studio.

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And you know, subsequently convinced him

to start rhyming And once everybody heard

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him, they were like, yo, this guy's

serious.

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We need him.

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Yes, this is what's gonna work.

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So then they start touring and everything.

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And you know, DMC, he almost has to put on

a persona.

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every time he goes out on stage to

perform, you know, he'd rather, you know,

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write rhymes and read comic books and

things like that, you know, typical quote

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unquote nerd stuff, rather than be out on

stage performing.

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And then when it got down to recording, he

said, you know what, I don't mind

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recording, but I don't want to perform.

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But as he goes through these motions, he

has to figure out ways to cope with what

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he's feeling.

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And it all starts to come to a head as

he's getting older and realizing that, you

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know,

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This is something that's not gonna last

forever, but I wanna figure out what to do

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with my life.

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And then unfortunately, Jam Master Jay is

murdered and it really takes him, he takes

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it really hard.

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He becomes alcoholic and suicidal, things

like that.

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And not really sure how to cope with

himself.

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But he starts to realize that, I know I

skipped the part too, is when he was going

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on tour, he would take on a persona of

different comic book characters to get

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through his performances.

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So now at this point in his life, he's

trying to figure out how to deal with

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himself.

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And he's thinking about, there's several

instances where he thinks about taking his

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own life.

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And he comes out of an airport at one

point and he...

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in a cab ride from the airport and the guy

driving the cab recognizes him and says,

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hey, you know, you got me through this,

you got me through that, your rhymes were

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brought me through when I was having a

really hard time in life.

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And he said, can I just have an autograph?

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And he said, yeah, sure.

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He gives him an autograph.

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He said, I could take a picture with you

too.

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And the guy said, hey, do you mind if I

put on the radio?

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And he puts on a radio

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yeah, so he puts on a radio and the song

comes on that changes his life and makes

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him reconsider, you know, those thoughts

that he's having and, you know, he decides

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that he wants to fight.

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And then he puts on the fight and he just

starts revitalizing himself and moving

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forward.

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nothing else, watch this documentary to

find out what song saved his life.

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What unlikely song and artist saved his

life.

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Now a great breakdown there BooGie.

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DMC definitely was the most introspective

of the crew and he battled the bouts of

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depression on and off.

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You said Run had his family life early on,

he was always going back home to be with

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his family and Jam Master Jay was always

out and about socializing, he was kind of

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life of the party.

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Whereas DMC, Darryl McDaniels was kind of

like a bit of a loner.

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He was a rocker but he was very

introspective like I said.

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So he kind of was like left to his own.

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And it took a toll on him putting on that

face.

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And again, I thought it was cool that he

was inspired by the Marvel superheroes.

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And that was back before this whole MCU

and the mega films, Disney and everything

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like that.

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He was down with Marvel.

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It was kind of cool.

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saw a DMC at the airport once.

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This was a few years ago and he was by

himself.

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So like you said about being a loner, like

he was by himself in the airport.

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No one was bothering him, which was kind

of cool.

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Like if he had come to my terminal or my

gate, I would have had to talk to him.

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But like, yeah, he's walking around like a

normal guy, dressed like a normal guy.

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Yeah, it really is him.

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They do show in the documentary that he does get married and I think he has a child.

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So he kind of has that family bond to help

steer him a little bit more.

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But, you know, in the throes of it, he

didn't, you know, he had difficulties, you

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know, like you said, up to the level of

being suicidal, unfortunately.

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at one point he says he wants to, you

know, he creates the comic book and that's

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when his son realized that, oh, dad's a

nerd.

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He's doing the Comic Cons and stuff.

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Wait a minute, I didn't know that.

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Yeah.

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to the beginning documentary of the

childhood, like they grew up in Hollis,

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Queens, and there was crime, you know,

throughout the neighborhood, and he would

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just take refuge in his room and just read

those comic books.

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And that was his outlet.

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And then he said writing became his

outlet.

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And then, you know, he was forced to front

the crew a lot and get out there.

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I just think it's kind of cool though,

because I think when I was growing up, I

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read a lot of comic books too.

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And I used to draw characters and make up

my own characters and things like that.

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So I kind of embraced a lot of what he was

talking about, you know, between, you

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know, drawing the characters and then

subsequently, like I used to do a lot of

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my graffiti and stuff like that.

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But then I found my way to the turntables,

being at my friend's dad down the street.

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And that became my other outlet.

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So it's a clean line.

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That's pretty much the outlet that I use

now.

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Most of the time I rarely draw now.

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But I don't get away from music.

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I don't get too far away from the music.

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But it was cool how he was talking about

the complex.

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And now when you mention this whole MCU

thing, it's like...

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Mind -blowing like, man.

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I couldn't imagine having that as a kid

These kids are lucky You know, I gotta

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jump up and down and like a big kid

jumping up and down.

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They can jump up and down to be a kid

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Yeah, we can relate to the, you know, if

you guys haven't noticed, if you're

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listening, we're kind of nerds, you know,

it was like, we're doing deep dives on

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these things.

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We talked about MCU a little bit in the

past, you know, we did a Spider -Verse

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episode, Transformers, and stuff like

that.

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So yeah, DMC's our guy.

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So another takeaway was

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Run-DMC as a crew, they revived

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the Adidas brand of footwear and apparel.

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Which was really a kind of a low point

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and like for them

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putting them on the map by wearing

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their stuff

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And even doing the song

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called “My Adidas”

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They also revived the career of

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the rock group Aerosmith.

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I mean, Aerosmith was a classic rock

group, you know, popular like in the

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seventies and had a couple of hits here and

there, but they were dormant for quite a

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while.

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And then with that collaboration, with “Walk This Way” - Boom!

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You guys want to talk a little bit more about

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how they did both things.

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Yeah so, I mean, the Adidas, you know, takeaway

was kind of cool because like they weren't

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even setting out to get any kind of

endorsement or deals or anything like

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that.

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that's just what they wore.

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It's like, you know, hey, everybody in the

neighborhood wears their affordable

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sneakers.

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They look cool.

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Everybody wears them.

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So, you know, when they wanted to, you

know, when they embraced the style of

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wearing the track jackets and the track

suits and things like that to go with

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them, that's just what they did.

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And, you know, it was funny because Lyor

Cohen, who now, like most people in hip

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hop know that name, Lyor Cohen.

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I didn't even realize that he started off

as their road manager.

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I was like, wow, that's Lyor Cohen, the

Lyor Cohen.

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It's like, wow.

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:

But he was honest.

362

:

He said, you know, the Adidas deal would

have happened with or without him being

363

:

involved, which was actually, you know,

big of him to say that because you think

364

:

about it, yeah, somebody would have been

like, would have caught wind of it.

365

:

But it just happened.

366

:

He was in the right place at the right

time.

367

:

And he contacted some execs over at Adidas

and said, hey, you know,

368

:

come to this concert down in Madison

Square Garden, I want to show you guys

369

:

something.

370

:

I don't even think he hinted at what they

were going to see, but you know, Run is on

371

:

stage and he just holds up a pair, holds

up one sneaker and he's like, yo, you

372

:

know, everybody in the crowd, you know, do

the same thing.

373

:

And then all you see is a bunch of hands

go with a Adidas sneaker in their hand.

374

:

And before they got off the stage, you

know, it kind of solidified that they were

375

:

making an impact on the sales for Adidas.

376

:

And

377

:

Lyor negotiated the million dollar

contract deal with Adidas.

378

:

And I remember when that happened too,

because they had commercials, billboards,

379

:

posters everywhere.

380

:

I remember they had like the limited

edition Adidas with Run-DMC on one of the

381

:

sneakers.

382

:

The Adidas Forums was, you couldn't buy

those sneakers anywhere.

383

:

You couldn't find them anywhere.

384

:

They were selling out everywhere.

385

:

The Superstars were selling out.

386

:

The Classic Shell Toes were selling out.

387

:

Like...

388

:

they would come in and gone quick.

389

:

I mean, if you had a small foot, you could

probably find them with a guy like me with

390

:

a big foot, couldn't find them.

391

:

I don't even think, I think I had a couple

pairs of Forums but when I was younger, I

392

:

never had a pair of like, I had a pair of

some Stan Smiths, but I never had the

393

:

shell toes.

394

:

I couldn't find them.

395

:

You never get them.

396

:

I could get them now, but couldn't get

them back then.

397

:

Yeah.

398

:

DynoWright, anything to add about the

Adidas connection.

399

:

BooGie covered it quite excellently.

400

:

the challenge, I think.

401

:

Yeah.

402

:

I mean, there was one scene that we talked

about before, before we were recording.

403

:

There was that former executive from

Adidas who was tearful and like so, so

404

:

thankful and, and, uh, grateful for what

Run-DMC did for their brand.

405

:

I think he mentioned that they were kind

of struggling.

406

:

And then when, when they had the song and

everything, like their sales just rocketed

407

:

up and what a boon for the brand.

408

:

I believe what the deal was

409

:

that they gave them

410

:

a million dollars

411

:

and

412

:

anything that they wanted.

413

:

It's like, all right, $1 million and like

whatever shoes you want because they were

414

:

just raking in the dough with all the, it

was free endorsement up until that point.

415

:

And then they had the deal.

416

:

So that was incredible.

417

:

Just an incredible marriage of the brand.

418

:

And then, you know, maybe that's.

419

:

That's kind of responsible for maybe the

sneaker culture and hip hop being tied

420

:

together for.

421

:

Yeah.

422

:

to this day.

423

:

Jordans and Nike and whatever brands that

people want and then you got you know

424

:

hip hop stars having their own lines and

etc of shoes, sneakers.

425

:

Yeah.

426

:

Jay-Z had his S. Carters with Reebok.

427

:

Kanye recently up to fairly recently, you

know, just had his own line with Adidas,

428

:

you know?

429

:

Yeah.

430

:

all paved the way by Run-DMC.

431

:

Travis Scott has some Nike variants that

comes out every so often.

432

:

Those things sell out like hotcakes.

433

:

If you don't put your order in within like

they'll release them at 10 o 'clock by

434

:

like 10:01, if you haven't put your sale

through, you're not getting them.

435

:

You're in line, you're in a digital line

and you won't get them unless you buy, get

436

:

them on resale.

437

:

Right.

438

:

So I want to talk a little bit more about

Run-DMC's connection with Aerosmith, their

439

:

impact on Aerosmith's career.

440

:

So when they collaborated with Walk This

Way in the mid 80s, like that really put

441

:

Aerosmith back on the map.

442

:

A lot of, nobody in our generation had

known who Steven Tyler was probably.

443

:

Unless you're a rock guy, but, but like

Aerosmith could have easily gone the way

444

:

of like

445

:

Super Tramp or Grand Funk Railroad is

like, all right, there's a group there, or

446

:

Kansas or something like that.

447

:

They're a group, they had a couple hits

and then I'll go back and listen to them.

448

:

But after that, Aerosmith's like a hot

commodity.

449

:

And then they were soaring through the

charts through the 90s, mega hits.

450

:

I was just joking that without Run-DMC,

there's probably no rock and roller

451

:

coaster in Disney World.

452

:

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

453

:

You don’t see Steven Tyler and their crew on the

Polar Express and stuff like that.

454

:

Like these guys are like up there in the

upper echelon of rock groups.

455

:

And I really think that, and Ad Rock from

Beastie Boys in an interview mentioned

456

:

that, like they saved Aerosmith's career.

457

:

They put them back on the map.

458

:

And like they, yeah.

459

:

Put it in perspective, Walk This Way, the original came out in

:

460

:

And so 11 years later, Run-DMC uses it for

their version and just brings them back

461

:

and then Aerosmith's next

462

:

album goes like multi -platinum.

463

:

And so yeah, thanks to hip hop.

464

:

Rock gets a new life.

465

:

Yeah.

466

:

When they were talking about how they

wanted to do Walk This Way, Rick, the genius

467

:

Rick Rubin had, um, you know, I think they

were going to do a totally different

468

:

version, version of it and, and, and whole

different lyrics.

469

:

And then Rick Rubin is like, if you listen

to the way that Aerosmith did it back in

470

:

‘75, it has a hip hop adjacent flow.

471

:

Like it's fast, it rhymes and it can work.

472

:

Just put the beats in and, and dub it that

way and make it your own in a hip hop.

473

:

format and it was brilliant.

474

:

Yeah.

475

:

A direct cover of the song, not even a

remake or not even an interpretation.

476

:

It's like a direct cover.

477

:

That was genius.

478

:

I remember when I first heard the song, it

took me years before I realized that that

479

:

wasn't even their lyrics.

480

:

As a kid, I always thought that that was

their lyrics.

481

:

And then I got older, I was like, wait a

minute.

482

:

And I heard the original, I'm like, wait a

minute.

483

:

Run-DMC was just saying the same stuff

that they said the whole time.

484

:

It was like my mind just went.

485

:

And he filled the room and I was like

done.

486

:

I couldn't believe it.

487

:

I mean, think about it, Aerosmith was

ahead of their time because yeah, it's

488

:

kind of rap adjacent Like, hey, diddle

diddle, kitty in the middle, and like, it

489

:

just don't care.

490

:

You know, so it's like, all right.

491

:

That totally lends itself to hip hop.

492

:

Yeah, definitely.

493

:

Mega hit, mega hit.

494

:

And I liked the video too, where they're,

cause it's a meshing of the two genre.

495

:

It's kind of like, Run-DMC is working in

their little studio and then Steven Tyler

496

:

and crew are working theirs.

497

:

And it's like, they're pounding on the

wall, like, hey, and all of a sudden it

498

:

just breaks through and it's like, all

right, let's do this.

499

:

All right.

500

:

All right.

501

:

That Rock and Roller Coaster is a fun ride too.

502

:

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

503

:

That’s the one that goes like 0 to 60, whatever, in like no

time and you're upside down.

504

:

Yeah.

505

:

Oh, yeah.

506

:

That's...

507

:

I've rode that in the very front and in

very back.

508

:

my family loves that one too.

509

:

Um, awesome.

510

:

One other takeaway that we wanted to talk

about, you know, the way that Run-DMC

511

:

One other takeaway that we wanted to talk

about, you know, the way that Run-DMC

512

:

inspired so many other hip hop artists.

513

:

You see Ice Cube, Eminem, LL Cool J, Chuck

D, obviously the Beastie Boys.

514

:

You can see the admiration.

515

:

Um, you want to talk a little bit about

that BooGie?

516

:

How we see the influence.

517

:

I mean, like you look at guys like Ice

Cube and Eminem, just talking about the

518

:

I mean, like you look at guys like Ice

Cube and Eminem, just talking about the

519

:

very first record, the very first time

they listened to a Run-DMC record, LL Cool

520

:

J signing with Def Jam and being taken

under Russell's wing and almost having a

521

:

J signing with Def Jam and being taken

under Russell's wing and almost having a

522

:

bit of a sibling rivalry with Run-DMC.

523

:

Like they pushed one another, like, cause

they looked at LL, it was like, yo, he's

524

:

the...

525

:

You know, they said they would always

tease Run and say, yo, L's coming for your

526

:

crown.

527

:

He's coming for your crown.

528

:

He's coming for your crown.

529

:

And that will push Run harder.

530

:

But at the same time, LL Cool J is not

having the same obstacles to deal with as

531

:

Run-DMC did.

532

:

So he has more of a cleaner lane, but he's

trying to aspire to be like them because

533

:

he sees all of the success and the

accolades that they're achieving.

534

:

So he wants to be like them, you know?

535

:

And then you look at, I mean, same thing

with the Beastie Boys.

536

:

And there was a joke that said,

537

:

the Beastie Boys or what would happen to

Run-DMC if they were white.

538

:

And they had a great camaraderie as well.

539

:

They were going on tours together.

540

:

And I'm sure there's so many stories that

they can't even talk about of the antics

541

:

that went on tours with those guys.

542

:

And then Chuck D's retrospective on being

a...

543

:

up in Adelphi University working at the

radio station.

544

:

And the very first time he received that

white label Sucker MCs record and he

545

:

listened to it.

546

:

He said, oh man, we got to throw this on.

547

:

And at a time where, and he put it on at a

time where a lot of radio stations were

548

:

not playing hip hop at all, you know, and

they definitely weren't playing Sucker MCs

549

:

because Sucker MCs as Russell Simmons, you

know, relayed.

550

:

That song was for the streets.

551

:

That was for the locals.

552

:

That was for the hood.

553

:

That wasn't even supposed to be the hit.

554

:

You know, that was just something that was

raw that they wanted to put out for the

555

:

people in the neighborhood to listen to.

556

:

But when Chuck D heard it, you know, he

put it on his radio show and it just kept

557

:

playing.

558

:

And then, you know, everybody's playing

the song over and over again.

559

:

But you could definitely see in all of

these legends in the game, you know, Ice

560

:

Cube, Eminem, LL Cool J, Chuck D.

561

:

the Beastie Boys, et cetera.

562

:

They're all legends.

563

:

And again, even they had Salt from Salt

and Pepa talked a bit, you know, one of

564

:

the great, you know, lyrics, female

lyricists, lyricists period, but

565

:

definitely one of the biggest hip hop

female artists of all time.

566

:

And they all, you can see the deep

admiration that all of them had for

567

:

Run-DMC and how Run-DMC kicked down doors,

knocked down walls.

568

:

Run-DMC and how Run-DMC kicked down doors,

knocked down walls.

569

:

and made a way, paved a way for them to

become the artists that they were and how

570

:

they all would listen to the songs as they

were writing their own and have that

571

:

admiration, hey, listen, they're making it

big, I wanna make it like them.

572

:

So we're gonna write harder, we're gonna

work harder, we're gonna aspire harder to

573

:

be like them.

574

:

Definitely.

575

:

DynoWright, anything to add on that?

576

:

Yeah, you can tell just how influential

they are when you have all of these stars

577

:

appear in the documentary and just talk

about the profound impact they had.

578

:

It wasn't just these rappers, it's also

Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine

579

:

and not just other rappers, but other

musicians too.

580

:

Right.

581

:

They were bold.

582

:

I mean, that's one of the biggest

adjectives that I took away.

583

:

It's like they were just so bold,

courageous and the content too was fun.

584

:

And I think that we should touch on this a

little bit too is that they're, they were

585

:

not about any negativity whatsoever.

586

:

They were about having a good time and

partying and talking about the person–...

587

:

They revealed some of their personalities

and what happened though, like where they

588

:

kind of lost some steam, so to speak.

589

:

was like in the late eighties, whereas the

rise of the West Coast gangster rap and

590

:

was like in the late eighties, whereas the

rise of the West Coast gangster rap and

591

:

NWA becomes popular.

592

:

And these are more or less hip hop with a

message, a political message or social

593

:

message.

594

:

And the young urban youth were listening

to that and even suburban youth, you know,

595

:

listened to this and they fell in love

with it.

596

:

listened to this and they fell in love

with it.

597

:

And now they wanted something with a more

deeper meaning.

598

:

And so Run-DMC wasn't really about that.

599

:

So they kind of lost some popularity, lost

some steam.

600

:

And there was that one scene where,

remember when they went out to the West

601

:

coast and there was a guy, he was from the

Crips, I guess, right?

602

:

Riding up on the bike, because he was

wearing the blue.

603

:

And he yeah, yeah, it's going down

tonight, it's going down tonight.

604

:

And DMC was like, yeah, we're going to

rock the show.

605

:

He had no idea that there was going to be

some act of violence or some craziness,

606

:

right?

607

:

And...

608

:

threw them for loop and then there was

violence in the crowd.

609

:

Brawls. Yeah.

610

:

But it was still a bad smear.

611

:

And then Run-DMC had to deal with a lot of

negative press because of that and they

612

:

had nothing at all to do with it.

613

:

And that was, I think that kind of, you

know, left a sour taste in a lot of

614

:

people's mouth about hip hop in general.

615

:

And then Run-DMC was kind of...

616

:

had a stain on them in terms of like, are

they promoting violence or like, you know,

617

:

associated with it, you know, guilty by

association.

618

:

Yeah.

619

:

was an early clip from, I know there was a

clip in there from with Jam Master Jay

620

:

talking and he said, hey, listen, like we

realized that we have an influence on

621

:

people.

622

:

So while we have this platform and this

voice, we wanna be positive.

623

:

We wanna spread positivity.

624

:

We wanna be good role models for the kids.

625

:

And they always strive for that.

626

:

which was cool.

627

:

I always thought that was cool to them

that they weren't really talking about,

628

:

you know, shooting people and robbing

people and things like that.

629

:

They just kind of rhymed, hey, I'm the

best there is.

630

:

And if that's what it is, you know, so be

it, you know, their rhymes were always

631

:

focused on their rap lyricism and how

great they were as an MC, not, you know,

632

:

necessarily taking anyone out.

633

:

Yeah, I don't think there's any type of

diss tracks or anything in their history

634

:

that I can think of.

635

:

Oh yeah, there's the other, when they were

trying to do that whole new jack swing

636

:

thing too, but we don't talk about that.

637

:

So they experiment with that.

638

:

Was that before Pete Rock got engaged with

them, involved with them?

639

:

And yeah, so they do really thank Pete

Rock for reviving their career after they

640

:

hit that downturn when they came out with

Down with the King, which was...

641

:

Down with the King is just a great song.

642

:

It uses the Sucker MC refrain a little

bit, you know, and it evokes that and it

643

:

works so well.

644

:

Yeah.

645

:

that became a smash hit, put them back on

the map and everybody, if you loved that,

646

:

allowed them to tour the world again.

647

:

Like that was like a second life for them.

648

:

there was that Down with the King and then

Run's House.

649

:

Woof.

650

:

They're back.

651

:

Yeah.

652

:

for sure.

653

:

So I think, you know, we were

talking about this as a crew here.

654

:

It's so hard to narrow down to like our

favorite songs.

655

:

And we'll kick it to you, Dyno Wright,

first here.

656

:

What would you say are your five favorite

Run-DMC songs of all time?

657

:

Boy, this is so tough.

658

:

This is so tough.

659

:

But I've settled on Sucker MC's, My

Adidas, King of Rock, Me Myself on My

660

:

But I've settled on Sucker MC's, My

Adidas, King of Rock, Me Myself on My

661

:

Microphone, which they did with Living

Colour for the Judgement Night soundtrack,

662

:

and Walk This Way.

663

:

Man, it was hard to make that list.

664

:

You leave out such good ones, too.

665

:

I couldn't do it.

666

:

I tried, I tried.

667

:

Like it was funny because my initial list

was Sucker MCs, Rock Box, Beats to Rhymes,

668

:

King of Rock, Peter Piper.

669

:

They were like, wait a minute, My Adidas

isn't on there.

670

:

Mary Mary's not on there.

671

:

Here We Go's not on there.

672

:

Run's House not on there.

673

:

I was like oh my God, I can't do it.

674

:

it's tough.

675

:

It's like...

676

:

I couldn't do it.

677

:

favorite children.

678

:

We love them all, so.

679

:

If I had to go top five, I go with Peter

Piper, King of Rock, Rock Box, Down with

680

:

the King, and You Be Illin'.

681

:

And just because it's so hilarious, like I

used to sing that all the time.

682

:

I had to be like fifth, sixth grade or

something like that.

683

:

Me and my friends, we would just sing it

because it was so goofy.

684

:

It was so funny.

685

:

But again, I'm leaving off Sucker MCs.

686

:

Like how can I leave off sucker MCs?

687

:

How can I leave off, you know, I left off

Walk This Way and I just think it was

688

:

because it was played so much that it's,

you know, I become a little bit

689

:

desensitized to the greatness of it.

690

:

This documentary really reminded me just

how good Sucker MCs was and you know when

691

:

they play it and you hear how DMC's flow

goes with the beat it's like wow it's so

692

:

good it's so powerful.

693

:

This is the song that got me hooked, man.

694

:

I remember it.

695

:

Like, man.

696

:

Because I got to tell people all the time,

like, the songs before it, like, you know,

697

:

Newcleus, Jam On It and, you know,

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,

698

:

and, you know, and Afrika Bambaataa and the

Zulu Nation.

699

:

And even, you know, Sugarhill Gang, you

know, all of those songs had that disco

700

:

type flow to it.

701

:

It was like a sample of a song or a sample

of a disco song or was disco adjacent.

702

:

And here comes this boom, cat, cat, cat,

cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat, cat,

703

:

cat, cat, cat, cat,

704

:

What is that song? What is that?

705

:

Everybody went nuts.

706

:

The whole ‘hood went nuts around here.

707

:

Unbelievable, like we were

708

:

on the bus, trying to figure out what they were saying, and

709

:

see who could come up with the rest of the

rhyme until we could finally get the first

710

:

verse.

711

:

And it was like a big success story when

everybody finally was able to say the

712

:

first verse in unison.

713

:

Like the whole bus was rocking.

714

:

Yeah, man.

715

:

And Run and DMC, like they still have it.

716

:

Like I was fortunate to see them perform

at the Rock the Bells Festival last summer

717

:

in August.

718

:

Man, oh man, they put on a show and they

are still like in perfect harmony with

719

:

each other, picking up where each other

left off.

720

:

And they have the energy.

721

:

And I'm like, man, they did a great set.

722

:

All as many of the classics as they could

fit.

723

:

And...

724

:

Man, it was great to see them live.

725

:

I think Jam Master Jay's son may have been

out there as well, like helping.

726

:

I don't know if he was actually DJing, but

he was part of the crew.

727

:

Yeah, it's just legendary stuff.

728

:

Mm -hmm.

729

:

I can't say enough great things about the

group and the documentary is amazing.

730

:

Like I said, you have to see this for all

the reasons we mentioned here.

731

:

Absolutely.

732

:

Any other parting words on kings from

queens?

733

:

Just be careful how you Google it.

734

:

You might end up with Kevin James coming

up and Leah Remini.

735

:

Kings from Queens, not Kings of Queens.

736

:

Yeah.

737

:

It's like, what's that documentary again?

738

:

Kings of Queens?

739

:

No, no, no.

740

:

That was taken.

741

:

Yep.

742

:

was one thing that the very, it was almost

at the very end where Rev.

743

:

Run is going, you know, he’s sitting in the car,

he's talking about how he'd go out to the

744

:

beach every day.

745

:

And he said there was one quote regarding

Jam Master Jay.

746

:

He said like, all fairy tales end, you'll

see Jay again, my friend.

747

:

And I was like, huh, yeah.

That was deep.

748

:

It was, yeah.

749

:

Yeah.

750

:

You can see how Run, Joseph Simmons was

leaning more towards a pious life when

751

:

he...

752

:

and in Down with the King when he has a

line of the G-O-D be in me then the king I

753

:

be.

754

:

And he's kind of ...

755

:

that kind of like stuck with him.

756

:

He's like, yeah, you know, I want to have

that type of impact on people and that

757

:

connection with the higher authority.

758

:

Yeah, he's been, he was, he's always been

hinting at it his whole life.

759

:

Even if you look at, you know, we were

gonna talk about, you know, Krush Groove

760

:

is, and Krush Groove's father was in the

church and the minister in the church.

761

:

And, you know, I don't think it was his

father.

762

:

I didn't realize the actual minister.

763

:

I'm not sure, but that was actually his

dad that played him in the movie.

764

:

Funny.

765

:

But yeah, he's always kind of walked that

line of like, I, you know, am I gonna do

766

:

it?

767

:

Am I not gonna?

768

:

So when he did it, it wasn't.

769

:

Like nobody was really surprised, you

know?

770

:

Did you guys watch any of his reality

show?

771

:

I didn't really catch much of it.

772

:

Mm-hmm.

773

:

I didn’t.

774

:

Yeah.

775

:

Or was it called Run's House?

776

:

Or...

777

:

Run's House, yeah.

778

:

House.

779

:

There's a great reference to Run's House

in Dogma with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

780

:

It sticks with me still.

781

:

Definitely a good one.

782

:

Definitely a good one.

783

:

Yeah, it's one you can rewatch too.

784

:

This is on the Peacock network or Peacock

streaming service.

785

:

Do we want to bring this funky flick back?

786

:

We don't even need to.

787

:

Yeah.

788

:

-brainer.

789

:

Yeah.

790

:

that's a no-brainer right here.

791

:

If you can't figure out that we're

bringing this funky flick back then.

792

:

Hahaha!

793

:

Yeah, you weren't listening.

794

:

yeah, exactly.

795

:

Yeah.

796

:

Sharpen your comprehension skills a little

bit.

797

:

you had any doubt, you'd be illin'.

798

:

You'd be illin', man.

799

:

Hip Hop Movie Club is produced by your

HHMC's JB, BooGie and DynoWright.

800

:

Theme music by BooGie.

801

:

Come on out to A Conversation with Chuck D

th,:

802

:

of the Bethlehem campus of Northampton

Community College.

803

:

Our man DJ ARM 18, Andrew McIntosh will be

in conversation with the legend himself.

804

:

We'll be there.

805

:

Come out and hang with us.

806

:

Get your free tickets for A Conversation

with Chuck D.

807

:

at Northampton .edu.

808

:

And whether you're listening to the

podcast or watching us on YouTube, we

809

:

appreciate you.

810

:

Thanks for tuning in.

811

:

And remember, don't hate, captivate.

812

:

Ooooo

813

:

Just like Run DMC did.

814

:

Captivate the world.

815

:

Absolutely.

Show artwork for Hip Hop Movie Club

About the Podcast

Hip Hop Movie Club
Harmonizing the rhythm of hip hop with the magic of movies
Upcoming Hip Hop Movie Club events:
Oct 25 - Live show at Rider University Homecoming 2024:
https://www.rider.edu/about/events/homecoming-weekend

Nov 13 - Boyz n the Hood screening at SteelStacks, Bethlehem PA: https://www.steelstacks.org/event/16191/boyz-n-the-hood/

HHMC is brought to you by a trio of longtime hip hop fans: JB, an 80s and 90s nostalgia junkie, BooGie, a veteran DJ and graffiti artist, and DynoWright, podcaster and filmmaker.

Buy some merch: https://meteorwright.one/shop

More events to be announced! Subscribe to our newsletter and get updated on events: https://hiphopmovieclub.substack.com/