Earlier today (Jan. 18), Peacock unveiled a new trailer for “Kings From Queens: The Run DMC Story,” a three-part series that will provide an in-depth look into the lives and careers of Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. In addition to commentary from the legendary members, some of their veteran peers also provided their perspectives on Run-DMC‘s story.
“That was the moment that I knew that Hip Hop was gonna be huge. They brought more people to the genre,” said Ice-T. Ice Cube added, “They’re the reason that Hip Hop is as big as it is right now.”
Run-DMC first made waves with their 1984 self-titled debut, which went on to become the first rap album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The group would continue to deliver with classic LPs like King of Rock, Tougher Than Leather, Down With The King, and the triple platinum Raising Hell. Run-DMC’s last body of work, the well-received Crown Royal, made landfall in 2001 — one year before Jam Master Jay was murdered.
“Our thing was to be the best DJs and emcees that people would ever see forever,” DMC said about the iconic collective’s legacy during a sit-down on REVOLT’s “Drink Champs.” “We took the beat from the street and put it on TV, as it is, in its form, no explanations to the s**t. When we was doing that, we knew, ‘D**n, we representing the f**king culture.’ And Jay was like, ‘We always gotta watch what we say.’ And we would never go for any fake s**t.”
DMC continued, “Nobody had ever seen what we did in Hip Hop because the people before us that created it didn’t do it. [Melle] Mel, and [Grandmaster] Caz and all of them was mad at us when we first came out.”