Reviews (page 9 of 13)
Gøy fordi de var tidlig ute og legender, men fy fader for noen beats og jevlige trommer Gøy å h hørt, blir ikke fler
Bon album. Je n'aime pas trop le hip pop donc ce ne m'a pas beaucoup plus à par quelque piste comme its tricky ou d'autre assez connue. Sinon dans l'ensemble ça va.
Kinda fun but didn’t personally enjoy listening. Appreciate there unique style and innovation.
Holy groovy. I love 90s rap. I really like the guitar in the title song. Fav song is ‘My Adidas’.
Reasonably. But also outdated ...
I enjoyed it although it lost me a little towards the end
Very different from what I’m used to but I actually enjoyed it a lot! I was slightly familiar with a couple of the songs, but didn’t know much about the group.
Favourite Song: Raising Hell
Favourite Songs: Raising Hell
It’s hard to listen to a whole album of 80s hip hop but there’s lots of good songs including the collaboration with Aerosmith.
I can see the appeal but not my type of music
Flashbacks to going to your friends house after school and playing hours of SSX Tricky. Me and Elise getting tricky. 3.5
Good album. Made want to move.
not really my go-to vibe, but it was nice to find out where so many famous tracks came from!
Ωραίο άλμπουμ, πρόδρομος μιας εποχής της ραπ μουσικής που λίγα χρόνια μετά κατέκτησε τον κόσμο. Λίγο επαναλαμβανόμενο ωστόσο αρκετά fun.
Some classics but also not a big fan of Run-D.M.C. I respect their impact and legacy but I'd be lying if I said it was as good as other hip hop groups of the era
3/5
Easier to listen to than a lot of the stuff around now. First 3 or 4 tracks are pretty solid then I got bored as I usually do with hip hop!
My name is Alex and I'm here to say, these rap songs sound kind of quaint
Expected not to like this but actually a fun album. I recognized a lot of the songs. Want to revisit - might earn a higher rating.
I do not particularly care for hip-hop coming into this, and...this album isn't gonna change that. I did, however, like it more than I expected. It's pretty okay. I can see why it's liked so much and why it's a foundational album. It's just not particularly one for me. Favourite song: It's Tricky (duh. that song fucking rules)
Love the rap rock thing. A lot of classic tunes. Big for my mom. Not my personal fave, but good.
Those 2 songs hard-carry this album. The main problem is that the production/audio-mixing is really poor, definitely feels like this could have more impact with a remaster or something.
Fav Song: It's Tricky WAAAAAY better than the first album holy moly. Decent lyrics but actually good and varied instrumentals this time. The beatboxing track made me laugh out loud though it was so dumb
This was a fun listen, but I've heard all the major singles before. It's so easy to fall into sounds that have been around you since birth. I recognize this isn't usually for me, and I probably won't be playing them more frequently after this either. Fun. Choppy, but well thought out. Musically it sounds like the 80s, but the level of production surpasses the typical drum machine sound. I'm sure this is a few key production techniques away from being a project I really love. 3.4/5
Mixed feelings about this album. Walk this way is a seminal moment in music history. Tricky is a banger. a few other songs are decent enough. Its OK in small doses. But I was so ready for it to be over. This type of call and response rap or whatever its true name is gets old fast
THE COVER, very 80s My Adidas- very wholesome: talking about not liking pimps, represents how emblematic these shoes are for the hip hop community, laid back: 5.5/10 Son of Byford Interlude: fun little beatboxing situation: 6/10 Raising Hell: heavier rock guitar, it's pretty good, prefer My Adidas: 5/10 It's Live: the breakdown where they say "Is it Live" is good, the slapping women line is WILD, the ending is fire: 5/10 Proud to be Black: scratching in the start is HEAT, "Don't worry about what color I am... Because I'll show you how I'll this man can act" encouraging people to be excellent, his Malcom X bar I don't agree with, if black history was a song 😂: 7/10 Dumb Girl: message is good- you know the guy doesn't like you but you stay for his money & has lots of sex & doesn't increase her mind 5/10 It's Tricky: beat is the most exciting yet! They mention how drugs are so easy yet they don't take them: 6/10 Peter Piper: nursery rhymes in rap form, they mention Grandmaster Flash but respectfully (not tearing down others while still being confident): 5/10 Perfection: reminds me of how rhymes used to require good vocabulary You be Illin: don't be a drunkard: 5/10 Hit it Run: the mixing with 'Run' and the beatboxing: 5/10 Walk this Way: the Aerosmith feature is amazing: 7.2/10 *The same beat for every song 😂, lyrics are decent but not super creative, no inventive breakdowns: 5/10- wouldn't listen again
Pretty good. Some prehistoric beats but the rocking songs are great
Now I want to listen to Aerosmith. Felt repetitive
It's a nice album but maybe hasn't aged the best. 3/5
the to be expected album
The run of It's Tricky, My Adidas, Walk This Way is an incredible three tracks. The rest of the record sounds dated now and gets a little repetitive, but it's hard to understate how important this was to bridge the gap of hip hop to the mainstream.
6 This hip hop is not to my taste but I’m always happy to get a hip hop album more please
Guitar solos were pretty sound
39/1001 Back in the day, License to ill was my go to when I wanted to listen to rap. This is almost as good to me but not quite. 6/10
Très bonne découverte ! Excellents en rap / rnb et aussi en riff rock très propres. La vibe est hyper bien réalisée, très énergique, avec une rythmique et des sonorités très créatives, super groove (vraiment des partitions de percu hyper intéressantes, des compositions de sonorités stimulantes). Ça m'a rappelé les Naive New Beaters qui ont une énergie assez proche. Pas fan de tout non plus quand ça boucle un peu dans les riffs ou dans l'aura ego-trip même si bon enfant. Un solide 3,5, que j'arrondis malheureusement vers le bas car pas énorme coup de coeur, mais vraiment impressionnée par la technique, et chouette découverte encore une fois.
Corny, lighthearted and catchy. I had never heard of this record but I’ve definitely heard a lot of these tracks and they’re bangers. It gets repetitive when you’re listening to the album throughout, and I have to be in a specific mood to want to listen to this. 67/100
Definitivamente não é um álbum que irei ouvir novamente. Provavelmente hip-hop não é meu estilo de música preferido, o que me surpreende um pouco já que tenho gosto pelas músicas do The Notorious B.I.G. e Lauryn Hill. Contudo, devo apreciar a quebra de moldura que o álbum pretende. Ao trazer Aerosmith para uma das músicas, mostram uma versatilidade interessante de se acompanhar, que se repete em faixas como Raising Hell, não se prendendo a batidas fixas comuns ao Hip-Hop. Apreciei algumas das letras como a egopick de Is It Live e o black powering em Proud to be Black. No geral, parece ser uma apreciação a uma cultura que não me alcança, já que faixas como "My Adidas", revelam um amor a uma estética e estilo de vida — elementos que fazem sentido dentro do contexto do hip-hop, mas que não me causam conexão alguma. Também me diverti em descobrir a fonte daquele velho "tricky, tricky" que ouvia pela internet aleatoriamente em vídeos. Faixa Favorita: Walk This Way (feat. Aerosmith)
Always more of an NWA man myself.
Giving it a three because of the influence and the Aerosmith song that slaps.
No surprises (already heard at least half the record), super cool. TIL that Atmosphere's 'Shoes' interpolates 'Perfection'. Definitely prefer the more rock-oriented tracks to the b-boy ones (prob bc the rock tracks have riffs and the b-boy tracks mostly use the same beat with scratches) but can't deny that there are bangers all over this one. Keepers: Whole album except 'Dumb Girl', 'Son of Byford', (maybe 'Is It Live' and 'Hit It Run'?).
Classic, but it feels a bit repetitive
Old school hip hop. Classic "It's tricky" is on here. The rest is okay (Walk this way was good though).
I’m not a huge fan of 80s’ hip hop as it is usually very simple and very repetitive, but this one is a lot more varied and energetic. There’s some rock influences, which I enjoyed, the flows are good, the rapping is decent. Pretty good album. It doesn’t push any boundaries, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. 7/10
This might be one of the most bare-bones hip-hop records I've ever heard just because how rudimentary the beats are and how little detail are added to them in general. In fact, the song 'Perfection' only has rapping and drums. Nothing more. So what truly shines in the project is the incredible chemistry between the two rappers and how fun their delivery and tone is. For me the highlights would be 'Peter piper', 'It's Tricky', 'Walk This Way' and "You Be Illin' ", with the latter one having some of the funniest lyrics I've ever read talking about who a guy ordered a Big Mac in a KFC or how one of them mistakenly ate dog food as dinner. Hilarious. Unfortunately, I think being an album so simple works against it favor and makes a bit too repetitive, but it manages to be solid.
Good!
Poor dumb girl. I hope she finds peace. This is all high quality but a tad one-note. 3.5
I think I can admit that I've never been the biggest hip-hop guy but that I enjoyed this about as much as I can for a hip-hop album I've listened to the first time.
Good fun beats but sounds pretty dated and gets a bit samey.
When in the right mood and environment…
I love the beat and rhythm.
I listened, but I don’t listen to this genre at all.
Peter Piper - 7 its tricky - 8 my adidas - 6 walk this way - 9 is it live - 7 perfection - 6 hit it run - 6 raising hell - 8 you be illin - 6 dumb girl - 7 son of byford - 0 proud to be black - 7
Solid, fun and iconic listen. For me Peter Piper, It's Tricky, and Walk This Way are the standouts. The only reason I'm giving it 3 vs 4 stars is it's not one that'll be in my listening rotation.
A classic album. It’s kinda like listening to like Elvis or something. Very primitive and super fun. Can’t say it is something I put on but certainly understand it’s importance and it has a bunch of hits
Should’ve given rush a 2, this was actually a 3. Super fun with the hits hitting.
Started great, sorta fizzled out in the second half.
Piece of history but very late 80s pop even tho it’s rap
Some classic bangers on this one. A nice change of pace with what we’ve been getting so far.
There’s not much more that can be said about the obvious influence that Run-D.M.C. would have on hip hop. Their rhymes were slick, their beats were great. The walk this way aerosmith collab is legendary. I don’t really have much negative to say about this album. Unfortunately it’s a product of its time - it doesn’t necessarily transcend the period it was made in. It’s good, it’s impressive, and we have to put respect on Run-D.M.C., but I don’t think Raising Hell is timeless.
A fun album but I just couldn't get into it.
Not my favorite hip hop album. I like some of the songs but they do mostly sound the same to me. I see how this progressed the east coast NY scene to the early 90s stuff which I love
Listened on the train to EWR. Twas alright. Reminds me of the Beastie Boys. Raising Hell is easily the best track on the album.
Super dated. I can see how this was groundbreaking back in the day, and it has some serious gems, "Tricky" and "Proud to Be Black," especially. Overall would not return to listen to the entire album, but would listen to specific tracks.
Liked the beats, liked the instrumentation and vocals on some of the tracks - although there were a few with weird breathing noises I didn’t like. Some songs I would listen to again but as a whole it’s not really my thing. Fav song: It’s Tricky Least fav: Dumb Girl
Not super into hip hop. but I enjoyed this. It's kind of abrasive, which makes sense considering how it was one of the pioneering rap albums. Surprisingly the Aerosmith collab wasn't my favorite song. Favorite songs: Raising Hell, Hit It Run.
Great tunes, great group. 3/5h
I always liked side A of Raising Hell. It takes my brain back to a simpler age. Also, considering the sheer amount of hours I logged in the early 2000s playing SSX Tricky, I’ve probably heard variations of Tricky more than any other refrain on any other song in existence, and I still like it! That’s a testament to quality. Then, there’s that dumb girl song on side B. I can’t spin that while my wife’s in the room. She’ll forbid me from playing the album ever again! What a stupid song.
started off me being like a "oh this is an album they've put on here because it's got one good hit". well, one, it's got two hits on it, and two, the backhalf of the album has some pretty dang good hip hop bits that make it into a pretty nice listen
The highs on the album are really high, with the first four tracks being bangers. That middle run of songs was such a drag, though, it's like they put all of their effort into the hits and ignored the rest. The album closes well, though.
3/5 stars (6/10) Fav song: Peter Piper Least fav song: Perfection
Rap, musica de carrer. Hi ha cansons que me resonen de xarxes (ex. It's Tricky)
Попсовый хип хоп
It’s Tricky, blast from the past
This is such a fun album full of attitude and personality. Though if you’ve listened to one, you’ve listened to them all. Generally they blend in to one another. I think it could be an 8 or 9 track album instead of 12. Though I must say, Walk This Way and It’s Tricky stand out amongst the others, they’re brilliant songs!!
Enjoyable if a little samey.
Great album. I wish more albums were made like this.
This was fun! Of course it sounds dated, it's 40 years old, but it's a ton of fun. I'm not sure if I'll revisit it - the A side is a lot more strong and high energy than the B side, but still glad I heard it.
3 estrelas
Gosto do som deles, me agradou bastante porém bem monótono, sempre na mesma pegada sem muita criatividade ao menos musicalmente falando, destaque para walk this way que foi a única música contra a maré destacada, trazendo o aerosmith e misturando gêneros de forma muito satisfatória. 6/10
80's Rap
80s sun
It's okay for what it is.
Fun.
7/10
Liked the beats and the wordplay
Only got to about half of it before my show, but all around pretty solid. Obviously from the 80s, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Aerosmith + Run DMC > Micheal Jackson + Paul McCartney 3.5
First really big hip hop album, mid 80s. Brought hip hop to the mainstream with Walk this way.
Quite fun just didn't have enough big tunes for me.
Old school hip hop similar to Beastie Boys stuff just a lot more stripped down and sparse. It's fine, just not something I'd really go back to. Walk This Way is the obvious highlight as its got more going on.
Fun but kind of repetitive. Also there is no need for the Aerosmith song.
I definitely acknowledge the pioneering status of this album, and in the late 80s and early 90s, I found it easy to listen to. Today, it sounds so outdated to me. The genre has come so incredibly far (perhaps further than any other genre) that listening to this album is like keeping your food in the snowbank outside because your refrigerator is broken. It's just not something I'd prefer to do, if avoidable. There is also a whole lot of sameness on this album for me . ⭐⭐⭐
Nostalgia
Classic Hip Hop. Good fun stuff
Surprised by the story telling of rap.
I've never been told a song is so influential as much as Walk This Way, it is incessant. Its fine. Aerosmith sucks. This version is better for having less Aerosmith in it. The rest of the album is better overall.
Classic 80s hip-hop with Run DMC's signature rock fusion. A bit more upbeat and sanitized than my preferred artists in the genre, but it's still a hard album not to enjoy from start to finish.
Loved this so much as a kid. Still feels important, but a little less so 40 years later.
Repeat listen
Catchy and rhythmic but lacking depth.
Undoubtedly an important album in the history of hip hop, but I feel like I've just never clicked with this era. Could imagine throwing this on at a party and it going down well, but I just want more from the hip hop I listen to.
Good album. Raising Hell is a great song. The album might be historically significant, but it failed to blow my mind. Enjoyable while it lasted, but not gonna be a favourite
Lite tröttsamt med alla dess tidiga hiphop-album. Taskigt mot run dmc att komma så här efter alla andra. Så måste försöka bortse från irritationen av hur denna lista tycka föredra gammal hiphop framför nyare (vi har dock haft några nya också, men bara supermegastora). Det är som om personerna bakom listan inte kan någonting om hiphop. Att ta klassiker är så ett billigt sätt att kvotera in hiphop. Hur som helst. Tillbaka till skivan. Ok. Inte mer. Knappt. Det är inte särskilt mycket variation. Sen är det ett kul sound rytmiskt och nästan som en kär "barnramsa". Man gillart liksom. Men det är inte tricky ....
Suck, here we go again. En klassiker visst, men på egna meriter inte mer än en svag trea tack vare ett par bra låtar i början.
Walk This Way with Aerosmith is a great track. The rest is a bit repetitive and not my thing.
That musics lost its taste so try another flavor
Started off stronger than it finished. Some of it has stood the test of time, some less so. Relatively enjoyable to listen to.
About has high as I am going to rate Hip Hop - love the collaboration with Aerosmith.
Une vibe Beasty boys un peu, je connaissais le feat avec Aerosmith, que j'aime bien, mais sinon bof ma came, mais ça reste dynamique bien qu'oubliable comme dirait l'autre
Des sons connus Un groupe important dans le mouvement hip hop, toujours agréable d’écouter ! C’est un 3,5/5 pour moi ! Car il n’y a pas assez de mélodie à mon sens
It’s fine. Don’t love the mix. Voices feel quiet and the random record scratches and other fix are loud
Fun, foundational to rap and hip-hop. Not really my style but the more I listened, the better it got! Probably would not purchase if I saw it at the thrift store.
Dumb girl made me drop the score.
As hip hop goes I can get along with Run DMC because (like The Beastie Boys) they incorporate rock riffs. Obviously Walk This Way and Tricky are the standout tracks here but I also thought Raising Hell was decent.
Fun
Not my favorite style of rap but I can appreciate it for the hit songs in here and the fun sound throughout. Better than the self titled debut
Shooketh by the freshness Fav song: You be Illin’
I was excited to give this a listen, because I really loved this album 35 or 40 years ago. Turns out, I've moved on and, while it has some excellent songs, this just isn't my jam, def or otherwise.
Forty years later, it sounds pretty rudimentary. Still some bangers on there and middle schooler in me was very happy to hear Son of Buford.
3/5 mostly because of its tricky. it's really not my style of music, i also had to adjust the sounds settings in my headphones because the majority of the songs have too loud drums. You be illing good too. it's all around fine but i'm not sure it's 4/5 worthy yet.
Like Queen Latifah, fun laid back old hip hop. Slow, melodic, well articulated. Not much thematic diversity, but i like it. Collab with Aerosmith was a genius move by Rick Rubin
It's an iconic album if nothing else: an opening four track run of Peter Piper, It's Tricky, My Adidas and Walk This Way practically lays the blueprint for the next ten years of hip hop. Some of the production isn't quite to my taste and it's somewhat eclipsed by the exciting stuff that would follow shortly after, but it still holds up great. High 3.
A strong first half, let down by a drop in quality towards the end with a few asinine tracks. Run DMC were undoubtedly pushing the envelope and breaking new ground in hip hop at release, but with the advances in the genre over the ensuing decade, this all felt a bit mild in its bite. But this is overall solid - occasionally very good. I could totally see myself getting into the groove at live performances. These guys have charisma in spades to sell some of the more milquetoast bars. ✨
That opening four track run is probably the strongest in their discography. Everything after is simply fine
Normalmente no me gusta el rap pero ese album fue muy tolerable jaja. Entertaining
hip hop before the golden age was weird. a completely different game, really. this is probably the best example of the pre-Eric B & Rakim era (they aren't represented on this list for whatever reason). some bangers like It's Tricky, and a lot of this sounds rudimentary in the 2020s, but it’s super foundational and worth listening to for that alone. just not my favorite. deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely
Some good some bad
Lo he disfrutado bastante
Old skool
Very influential with a couple of great singles. I did find the second half drag a bit though
Sounds like Dad's hip-hop to today's ears. A fun album.
This album has fantastic production and rap that has an actual flow to it (not a given for the time). It’s not “cool music” but it is a big blast of fun and energy. It’s Tricky comes out on top for me. Its hip hop that’s trying to show people a great time and start the party! They get plenty of credit for setting the template for so much hip hop / rap rock, paving the way for acts to come, like the Beastie Boys. Also - my perfect amount of Aerosmith is one chorus of one song - it’s a successful collaboration!
Cerramos la semana con otro disco de Run-D.M.C. en éste reto. El álbum empieza arriba y se mantiene, atravesado por varios de los hits de la banda (más allá de "Walk this way" de Aerosmith". Gran álbum, que marida bien con una mañana de oficina. Hasta el lunes, gente
Honestly better than I had expected and a good length and no complaints!
What happened to Hip Hop? This is so cool, having guitar riffs in hip hop is awesome. However, I’m not sure I’ll ever give a hip hop album more than 4/5 stars. So 3 stars it is.
as lame and goofy 80's rap can be, this was pretty fun. Lots of staying power with some of these tracks, Tricky, Walk This Way and even My Adidas. Outside the hits though it kinda drags.
Not bad! Felt more mature and less corny than the other Run DMC album we got on here. Walk This Way would have been mind blowing back in the day and it’s still not too bad now.
Minus one star for being exhausting to listen to for any length of time. But plus one star to recognise its contribution to basically creating a new genre of music.
There’s a few stinkers here but on the whole a good album with a few cracking tracks to balance it out
If I were going to listen to rap, this would be who I would listen to. It's fun, no foul language, smart lyrics, good beats.
Held up better than I would have guessed. Innovative. Main takeaway is that they should have pulled the samples etc from Walk This Way masters and not re-recorded. New riff sounds like shit compared to original. Also, realizing Aerosmith did this 10 years after Toys in the Attic is kinda sad. Feels like a desperate move from an aging rock band, but it worked out.
I wasnt around for it, but its really clear that this was a landmark album for all of hip hop. Some of the tracks slap (Adidas, Its Tricky) even though theyve aged significantly compared to the rest of this genre. I personally hope some other group rejoins the rock n roll/hip hop mash up scene that the beastie boys and DMC had
favs: - peter piper - it’s tricky - walk this way
Dad- 4 Mom- 8 Mike- 7 Lori- 6.5 Michael- 6 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 6.3
This was a fun album.
Not one for Deb Sian - liked it, brought back memories
The first four tracks on this album are incredible but then they take the foot off the gas and the rest is less immediate, more underwhelming. It’s a shame because this is such an influential slice of hip hop. If Run DMC had kept the energy levels up this could have been untouchable. As it is, this album fires into action, then undulates its way to the end. Still it’s a great sound that I didn’t appreciate when it first came out.
I was working so not really giving it my full attention. I've got the trainers though :-)
Fun, classic hip hop.
Fun throwback to good times and memories
Solid record which you can hear the influence on everything else it had. Sounds dated now but that’s due to everything else ripping it off
I enjoy 80s rap. There is a musicality to it that seems to be lost in more contemporary artists work.
No es un album que yo elegiría escuchar por mi misma, pero esta gracioso
Respect the influence, the cheesy 80's beats are difficult for me though.
6/10 This album quite obviously exists in a very specific time and place, and that does make it a little harder on the ears than it would have been at the time, but I can totally see why this was one that broke through. It’s got rock style beats in places, it’s pretty easy to understand the lyrics, and it isn’t really offensive in any significant way. The call and response vocals have aged, as has the vocal delivery, which is very samey for the duration. There’s also the old school ‘rhyme all lines, regardless of how silly the lyrics end up sounding’ rather than any use of deeply considered lyrics, but if anything that probably helped them at the time. It’s silly, relatively inoffensive and also feels like something kids could easily rap along with. I think there’s an element of fatigue to the sound because of the tech they were using at the time. Drum machines were pretty new and didn’t offer much in the way of dynamic adjustment, compared to what we’re used to these days, so some of the snare fills in particular are pretty hard to listen to. It would also take a while before people became experts at working with the limitations of the time to pull something more interesting out of these machines. Despite its flaws, however, I did quite enjoy bits and pieces of this. It sounds like they’re having a lot of fun making it and I did find that infectious as I bopped along. I probably won’t be coming back to it as a full album, but would certainly dig hearing a song or two here and there in a playlist. And I don’t think its importance to the direction of music that would follow can be overestimated. Peter Piper - Some of the production on this immediately ages it, of course, but it’s a good opener. It’s undeniably silly, but they lean into it in such a way that it works. It’s nothing special by today’s standards, but it’s got a good groove and is great fun. It’s Tricky - Now this is a stone-cold classic. A catchy as hell chorus, solid beats and some fun rapping. Yeah, it’s very much of its time, but it’s also great fun. My Adidas - That orchestra hit scratching so clearly places this in a time in history. This one is less hooky and the drum programming is about as subtle as a brick to the face. Less interesting, but still not bad. Walk This Way - The first rap/rock crossover track? This is another classic. The production has still aged somewhat, but the guitar playing probably saves it a bit from being quite so ‘of it’s time’. It hangs around a bit too long in the outro, but it’s still good. Is It Live - More of the same as we heard from My Adidas really. Nothing too exciting these days, but a solid beat and some more silly lyrics. Perfection - This one drags and that ‘chorus’ is just incredibly low effort. Big old meh. Hit It Run - I don’t know if that’s supposed to be beatboxing or what, but it’s bad. This is a bit more upbeat, but things are starting to feel a bit tired now. The rhythms to the rapping are so samey from track to track that it’s all starting to run together a bit. Raising Hell - Back to some rock guitars, but we’re still on a similar vocal flow. Again, it’s ok, but the drums in particular have aged poorly and it’s just not that interesting of a tune. You Be Illin’ - This one’s got more swing to it. Good track, with a simple but funky chorus. It’s a bit too repetitive, although there is an attempt to inject a bit of variety here and there. I think I’d enjoy this one even more if I wasn’t 9 tracks in. Dumb Girl - This one’s just not that exciting. The ‘dumb’ sample is bad and it’s just a bit of a boring track in general. Son Of Byford - More bad beatboxing. And that’s about that. Proud to Be Black - It’s a bit too pedestrian. If they’d have cranked this up by 5-10bpm it could really pop. I’m glad a song like this ended up on one of the first big mainstream breakthrough hip-hop albums though. Something like this getting in the ears of black kids was probably empowering. And getting it into the ears of white kids could have been a bit of a barrier breaker.
Good album, not their best but good.
I know the album is very important in the development of Hip Hop as a genre but today it sounds super cheesy and dated.
It's tricky and Walk this way are highlights.
I didn’t realize how many of these that I knew. Some of the guitar parts are so good. Gives me Beastie Boys vibes. I know it was around the same time, but I didn’t get a chance to listen to Run DMC.
Old school hip hop. Decent but as usual, not my type of music. Obviously very iconic and I recognize it is well made music
7/7/25. Classic. Crazy to see how far rap has come, but Run DMC lay out the foundation.
Enjoyable if a bit dated. Walk This Way still an absolute banger.
Good in parts dates in others. For every walk this way there is a Hit it Run. Understandable it's inclusion here all the same 3*
very dated. fun and classic.
Some good tracks here, surely some of Run DMC's best. But still quite a lot of samey tracks that follow a very obvious formula and lack interesting instrumentation or diverse flows to keep the album interesting. Fave Tracks: Peter Piper, It's Tricky, Walk This Way, Raising Hell 3.5/5
This is definitely not an album lacking in bangers, Walk This Way, It's Tricky, Hit it Run but at the same time not every tracks save worthy and some I was just waiting for the track to finish 3/5 - MTW I really do fuck with this album so heavily. 80's hip hop was 80's hip hopping. Peter Piper is the epitome of opening with a bang, you can deffo still hear some of their influence in more modern H-Hip. Not every single song a banger but a solid 80%. Big fan 3.8/5 - HF x The good thing about formative hip hop is that so many lyrics and bars hadn’t been used yet. It’s the poetic equivalent of when roots rock ‘n’ roll musicians got to fuck about with chord progressions before there were thousands of tunes using E-A-D in thousands of different ways. Also fascinating to hear black men with a platform and how they are using it in the 1980s, when even though the civil rights movement had succeeded 2 decades prior, it was still the United States of America which still has endless work to do 30+ years later. This also makes me wish I was named after Jam Master Jay, and not Jamie Lee Curtis (no disrespect to JLC). And Reverend Run is still probably the most iconic voice in hip hop with Eazy E and Nas. The record as a whole though serves more as good head-bopping background music than a masterpiece of music production that you’re going to strap in for, given the progression of hip hop since. Also it makes me want to skateboard and I cannot skateboard. 3/5 - JF
Classic, non offensive hip hop. A fun album.
This one is pretty fun, I like it for what it is! Nothing I’ll put in a regular rotation but it’s a cool vibe. 3 of five is good for me, I can see where it’s influential to a lot of the newer music. Loved the hits.
Fun album, really enjoyed it. still mostly remember tricky and walk this way. but it was overall enjoyable!
Un poco repetitivo, pero ahora entiendo de donde sacaron los Beastie Boys su personalidad. No soy muy fan de este hip hop sampleoso y vacío de melodía Veamos... 2.9
Like my first exposure to old school rap I guess. Impressed. Peter Piper and Walk This Way are nice. Solid listen
Run DMC 'Raising Hell' 1986 Exciting... never heard this before, and I really should have - it's my era. I've not got 'My Adidas' on right now, because it's Converse day 7/10
Track 1: The first track caught my attention Track 2: OMG I HEARD THIS SONG, ONE OF MY FAV Track 3: The production is "chef kiss" Track 4: Damnn the "WALKK THIS WAYYY", OMG AEROSMITH Track 5: Good track, but kinda falling down Track 6: now it's going down again Track 7: okay going up (a little) Track 8: Falling down again, the guitar riffs is dope tho Track 9: At this point it going down all along Track 10: meh Track 11: eh, an interlude Track 12: ngl this is fire, redeem it all the way on the last track (6/10 might give it a 7)
Inflection point for rap. And WTW is iconic, without that song and video on high repeat with MTV, rap would not have broken through then. Maybe never.
Standard old school rap. 3/5
I liked hearing all the parts that have been sampled
This is the best Run DMC album by a long shot. It’s chock full of hits from them and it’s got all their best songs except tougher than leather. Honestly this is basically a greatest hits album for them. But that’s also kinda the problem. It’s super dated rap music so it’s very “80s”. I enjoy the beginning of the album but it starts to fall of into filler near the end of the album. Honestly it’s their best album but it’s still alittle underwhelming.
Some fun songs early in the album. Started to fade near the end. The beat-boxing was just uncomfortable. But, overall, the hits make this album.
Loved the rap-rock anthems but otherwise I thought it was just alright, which is kind of sad bc I know how important this album was for mainstream rap but the beats were too basic and stripped down for my liking
Yeah this is alright, some bangers in the top half but the bottom half becomes a bit of a snooze. Some great performances but feels more like mainstream appeal rap than actually bringing anything to the genre. That said we get the precursor to Nu-Metal here so can't trash it too bad. Solid show of things to come for rap but lacking in the beats for my taste. Favourites - Peter Piper, It's Tricky, My Adidas, Walk This Way (though I am loathe to fucking say it, heard that song enough times for one lifetime)
So unbelievably cheesy that you can’t help but smile. Also were they sponsored by Big Fast Food or something? Peter Piper (7/10) It’s Tricky (9/10) My Adidas (7/10) Walk this Way (8/10) Is it Live (7/10) Perfection (3/10) Hit it Run (4/10) Raising Hell (7/10) You Be Illin (5/10) Dumb Girl (4/10) Son of Byford (N/A) Proud to be Black (8/10) 6.3/10
Who says rock n roll guys and hip hop guys can't get along? "Sucka M.C." is a great insult that should make a comeback.
This sounds dated in a way that many earlier albums the generator has given me don't... but as long as you can get past all the casual misogyny (it was the 80s *shrug*) it's just fun. Personal lyrical favourites include: "Like Martin Luther King, I will do my thing I'll say it in a rap 'cause I do not sing" and "It's McDaniels, not McDonald's These rhymes are Darryl's, the burgers are (Ronald's)" Again bemoaning the lack of a half mark so I'm settling for: 3/5
Og hip hop
this album had some pretty good beats to it and i enjoyed it the blend of rap and rock, some of the songs had really cool guitar on them. wouldn’t normally listen to this but it definitely had some songs i would listen to again. (wanted to rate this 3.5)
Very fun. Explicit in some areas, which isn’t my preference. Made me feel weird bopping along to very black, very 80’s hip hop, but I felt relatively cool listening.
It is like if rap and rock had a baby. Very similar to the Beastie Boys. This is a lot of fun. "Raising Hell" is great! Some head bobbing beats and some rocking songs as well! A solid listen. An actual rating of a 3.5. Liked Songs: "It's Tricky" , "My Adidas" , "Walk This Way (feat. Aerosmith)" , "Perfection" , "Raising Hell" , "You Be Illin' " , "Proud to Be Black"
Damn, 80s hip hop really has aged poorly ... text wise and flow wise. And "My Adidas" is a bad song. Just a commercial song. From the same era, LL Cool J sounds better now. 6/10 fav songs : Proud to be Black & You'll be Illin
A little dated, like all early hip hop, but full of jams. This must have been so exciting when it first came out.
Some fun songs but not really something I will listen to again except for 2 songs
Likes: propulsive drum tracks and rhythm; high energy and hype; makes Aerosmith palatable; some truly iconic tracks that transcend genre Dislikes: a little droning in some tracks if you don’t dig the groove; made Aerosmith cool again Overall not my cup of tea, but you can absolutely hear why this was so groundbreaking. Some of it sounds rudimentary because it’s foundational for everything that comes after
This is a fun and innovative album. I ran out of steam after a while.
Pretty good. 3.5/5
для любителей рэпа .
Some bangers and love the original walk this way with Aerosmith. Revolutionary collaboration
Not a big rap or hip hop guy but I’d prefer the old school stuff over the the current stuff. Obviously this is one of the most classic albums for old school hip hop. Not exactly something I enjoy listening to much but still really album
Not bad just not my taste in music. I did enjoy a few songs that I recognized
This is a fun album. Nothing special but it held my attention and had my head bopping mostly throughout the hole thing. Very much not a fan of the rap rock songs though. I could listen to the drums to Perfection all day. Highlights: Perfection You Be Illin Dumb Girl
Reminds me of my friend, coincidentally named Darryl. Certain songs I can't listen to without a smile on my face. Not a huge fan of old school hip-hop, but it does take me back.
Not really my genre, but I dug this. The raw, honest-to-god acoustic drums on a few of these tracks were really unexpected and nice to hear. Run DMC is a respected pioneer in the rap/hiphop community for a reason -- this was good, but yeah, I didn't love it personally. That said, three stars.
A breakthough album, I enjoyed it right out of my comfort zone
Meinasin ensimmäisen kappaleen kohdalla jo lopettaa koko levyn, mutta sehän kävi ihan kuunneltavaksi. Rap ei kelpaa, mutta tässä oli seassa jopa laulua ja melodiaa. Toimii.
Hyviä ja omaperäisiä soundeja. Silti käy itselle pitkäksi parin kappaleen jälkeen. Silti ansaitsee 3.
Osa biiseistä toisti itseään ja osa taas ihan loistavaa kamaa. Ei ihan se omin juttu kuitenkaan.
OLD HEAD AF
very good, just not much into rap. i liked that they had aerosmith on the cover of walk this way.
🎧This thing’s got great DMC songs like It’s Tricky and My Adidas. It’s also got duds like You Be Illin’ and Dumb Girl.
Een van de belangrijkste en meest invloedrijke hiphopalbums aller tijden, aldus de wiki. En dit herbergt wel een aantal nummers die ik ken ook. Hiphop uit de jaren '80 kan ik meestal beter hebben dan het kinderachtige narcisme dat hierna kwam. Al zijn deze mannen ook al begonnen met het verheerlijken van hun sneakers, wat natuurlijk uitermate treurig is. Je hebt geen cent te makken, maar je ontleent wel status aan het merk van je schoenen. Hou toch op. Maar goed, we zullen het over de muziek hebben. Er zit een fijn tempo in, goeie scratches en breakbeatjes. En zelfs gitaren zoals bij It's Tricky ("It's hard to rock and rhyme in time", nice haha). Dat de fusion met rock niet ver weg is bij Run DMC laat Walk This Way zien. Het maakt dit album misschien niet uniek (er zullen vast andere acts zijn die dat ook of eerder gedaan hebben), maar het laat wel zien dat ze over hun eigen hokjes heen kijken. En dat valt toch zeker te prijzen. Ik ben wel blij dat het album uiteindelijk maar 40 minuutjes duurt en niet teveel van die nutteloze skits er tussendoor heeft. Want dan heb je het allemaal wel gezien en gehoord. De meeste van hun rijmpjes zijn alsnog kinderachtig, zoals Dumb Girl. Het zal ongetwijfeld invloedrijk zijn geweest, maar uiteindelijk is ook dit niet meer dan een 3 waard.
Not really my thing, but a pretty good album
I love run DMC with all my heart but to me there are no standout tracks on this album. I understand that it made them crossover stars, but it is not my favorite.
My familiarity with 'Walk This Way' compels me to separate that from the rest of this review. 'Walk This Way' is a great track. I love me a good mashup, and it's one of the best. On the other hand, I found myself pretty underwhelmed by the rest of this album, unfortunately. Coming hot off of their debut album, I'm able to recognize that they've fleshing out the production and their overall sound, but it feels like this album has even LESS variation than their first. Maybe not a full step backwards, but certainly no better than a step sideways, I'd say. Feels like a 2, but I'll give it a 3 to stay consistent with their debut.
This was better than the first DMC album. Other than the songs I already knew, I didn’t take anything new away from this album. Overall I enjoyed the vibe of this one better, and want to give it a higher score. It’s not a 4 though.
Klassisk hip-hop, mye er velsig likt. Walk this way med Aerosmith er et høydepunkt i dette albumet.
Oh, another Rap and Hippity-Hop album. Yeah, it's iconic. Yeah, it has Walk This Way No, it doesn't thrill or entertain me.
Def a 3 or a 4 for me.
Walk This Way blijft echt een ongelooflijk wijs nummer. De rest is niet echt m'n ding. It's Tricky is wel iconisch, maar niet echt iets wat ik zou opleggen. 2.5
Sikkert et viktig album for rapens kommersielle gjennomslag, men det er ikke voldsomt variert i lydbilde eller flow. Walk this way er høydepunktet, både kommersielt og musikalsk.
the heavy metal samples were pretty fun. Definitely ahead of their but very ok otherwise
Song: Tricky i love this song it is so good i listen to this song but my dad does not like it that much Song: walk this way this song is good i never heard of it but it is really good Song: raising hell this song is good never heard of it the big song i like a lot is Tricky that is the song i heard and it is GREAT
I like this album because the songs are good quality and you can tell they tried their best when creating the songs. I like Walk This Way because I enjoy listening to Aerosmith lol.
I like the song "Its Tricky" because I hear it in a lot of good movies, and I'm used to hearing it but in general it is a good song. I wouldnt usally listen to the song "Walk This Way" but it is a good song. I don't really like the song "Raising Hell" and I don't reccommend this song. The only song I would recommend listening to is "Its Tricky" but personally I wouldn't listen to the other songs.
Pretty good, I guess this is actually the earliest rap album I've ever heard. I'm not too sure the climate of rap in the mid 80s, but this sounds pretty developed. The beats are much more drum machine based, which is ok sometimes, but the samples are sometimes really weird and clicky. Rapping is good and the rock fusion ones work sometimes (not the Aerosmith one in my opinion). Also that tyler the creator sample. I'd say my opinion which I had before I even listened is still true, that its just a little bit more cheesy than some of the late 80s stuff. Favourite songs: Peter Piper, it's tricky, hit it run, proud to be black. Overall around 6/10 (close to 7 though)
Pure nostalgia!
Det virker for gammelt for mig. Stakato, og let irriterende. Ikke kedeligt, bare for lidt noget til mig.
Like Joey Valence and Brae but kinda worse, i see how its influential, but not my thing.
I loved the music, the beat, a couple of solid bangers like is it live and walk this way, but some of the lyrics are just too cheese.
I feel the same about this one as I do the other Run DMC we did - it’s very important but also feels very dated, and like it’s been surpassed by a lot that has come out since.
Hard to argue with a greatest hits comp from one of the ogs of pop rap.
Not my jam... but maybe ok actually
Quite fun, i have not listened to a lot of hip hop hence it was quite refreshing. The songs got a bit repetitive after some time
Don't love the style but see why it was big at the time. Beats and flow are mid.
Pretty dated but I see why it's here.
About as rappy as I get
Generic, inoffensive and all around average. Basically the Coldplay of hip hop.
Listened on Spotify. So today it is a hip hop album. Not one of my favorite genres. The first track is a play on nursery rhymes and it's about bragging. Not really to my taste. "It's Tricky" is a fun and catchy track and so is "Walk This Way". I see this as an album about pride. It's about pride of where you're coming from and pride in what you have achieved and your talents, but most importantly about black pride. Favorites: - It's Tricky - Walk This Way - Raising Hell My rating: 6/10
TRICKY!! I think I'll save this to my rotation, and give it a full go when I have time next.
Incredibly impactful album. Still holds up.
First four songs are amazing. Then the hit. Then the enjoyment diminishes.
Hasn’t aged super well but when you’re an iconic landmark album I guess you don’t have to
This is so 80s, I’m not crazy for it but it is fun
I liked it ! It's Tricky & Walk This Way still rule. Some of the other songs are pretty goofy -- like that "classic" style of hip-hop that's very satire-able (the alternating words lol) but overall it's still cool
The first song is so dumb. Very funny band because they brag about not doing drugs or anything and then the next line is like “I will stomp out a pimp”
fun! not as locked in as i should be but just like fun 80s hiphop lol
the girl is dumb
When I think of rap, this is what I think of? Not my favorite, but kinda fun to listen to.
Had all the hits, still corny, still fun. Not gonna listen to it all the time, but there's a definite mood it satisfies
Listens: 2 Stand out tracks: Raising Hell, Proud To Be Black This album has so many famous tracks. The "Walk This Way" collab with Aerosmith was, I think, unprecedented at the time. Lots of guitar riffs paired with rap lyrics are also unique.
From ground breaking to kinda goofy in only 40 years, not their best but still important. The disparity between the hard beats and soft rhymes really stand out now.
A fun album to listen to. After listening to a T.I podcast yesterday it was interesting to reflect on this era of hip hop vs some modern day rap. I like that there's little to no violence, no overt sexualization of women etc (some women can be dumb y'know). I'd like to think these guys are a great intro to hip hop for younger people. Towards the end of the album I found myself wanting to listen to Beastie Boys and was pleased that Intergalactic Planetary popped up next on album radio.
Not a huge fan of run-D.M.C, I understand the groundbreaking history behind the music, but it feels like I’m getting yelled at. I like higher production value, so far as sound quality.
The production is funky and interesting. The rhymes themselves are very basic - crazy to see how complex rhyme schemes and MC-ing has gotten since the 80s!
Some hip hop heritage in this but just a bit too repetitive. Laid the ground work for a lot
A few jams that still hold up, and you can hear the influence on more recent hip hop, but overall it's not gonna make the rotation today.
Not bad, seems like something I would have reaaallllly liked at 13
I can see how others would like it - good lyrics and times but just not my style :) thx!
The rapping is a bit stiff and some beats are too skeletal for my liking but when it hits, it kind of hits hard, ngl.
Fun to see the evolution of hip-hop.
Had this record as a kid
Нот бэд конечно, и хиты есть вечные. Но оч сильно состарился данный рэпась
Contains one of the great collaborations of modern music. Walk this way stands out as a unique piece in an otherwise okay album. 2.5
Interesting mix of hip hop and rock. Better than expected.
I liked this one. It's a very cool take on hip-hop with great beats and good rapping. It includes the huge hit Aerosmith crossover "Walk This Way", which, for better or worse, is responsible for the entire rap-rock genre, and subsequently all of nu-metal. Make of that information what you will. Key tracks: Peter Piper It's Tricky Walk This Way
my head was bobbing
Not quite as corny as I expected for a mid 80s rap record. Didn't do a ton of interesting things besides implementing rock instrumentals, but it was still a pretty fun listen
I expected this to sound incredibly dated, and it does, but I'd much rather listen to this than any modern-day hip hop.
Run-DMC are important as hell to the history of rap and pop culture at large. They were also one of my first favorite groups period. There are some undeniable classics here (“Peter Piper”, “It’s Tricky”) but just a year or two later hip hop evolved in terms of flow, lyricism and beat-making to something so beyond this that it makes this sound like it’s of another century. It makes this sound dated and hard to take as seriously in 2025.
This is way better than their self-titled debut album. Besides the classics, the rest is still quite good, although not of the same quality.
This rap doesn’t age well to me. Walk this way was creative but overall just feels sooooo basic. Innovators for sure but can’t get pumped up from a run dmc song these days.
A fun, punchy reminder of the early days of American hip hop 3.5/5
I will rate this as a 3 in recognition of Run D.M.C.'s place in Music history. Still, rap/hip hop is something I struggle to listen to. Their version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" is iconic!
I hoped this didn’t have the Aerosmith song on it. It did. That’s a shame. Some decent moments, but a bit too shouty for me really.
Fun album. Always cool to hear Guitars in rap music
Meh, not too into it, even walk this way was meh. Raising hell bit better, slightly groovy good beat n solo 3/5
This one's really hard. So many of these are stone cold bangers but every track on here INCLUDING those are mired in some of the most dated production and vocal delivery I've heard in a long time. If you're into that, fine, and this is a decent historical document, but I won't be coming back to most of this unless someone puts it on at a party in which case I will go absolutely crazy. 3*
Whereas Run-D.M.C.’s debut album sounded dated to the point of being hard to take seriously now, this sounds dated in a more respectable, old-school-cool kinda way, so that’s progress. I still find the purely percussive tracks a bit simplistic and wearisome but thankfully there are several tracks with more musical grooves that I can certainly get behind. Plus, I hadn’t realised just how monumental this album was for rap in general. No question it deserves its place on the list.
I did not use a private session for Spotify. A complaint about this album is that it resurrected the rotten corpse of Aerosmith and they went on to write some of the blandest, cheesy rock songs of the 80s a clear departure from their heavy seventies classics. Back to this album, it's got some hip hop classics, I am sure it's an essential part of the hip hop genre and it catchy; however not my genre.
3.0
Almost 2 years ago I got Run-D.M.C.'s debut album as my 14th album on the generator. I feel basically the same, in that I really want to like this but I just can't quite get all the way there. Here's the good. First, I do think this album is better than the debut. They really lean into the rap-rock thing on a few songs here which I think was pretty innovative at the time, mostly notably on the Aerosmith "Walk This Way" cover. I guess I didn't realize that this version came out 10 years after the original, so they did Aerosmith some favors bringing back their relevance too. This album also has "It's Tricky" which is just so damn catchy, probably one of my favorite pre-2000s rap songs. Like the debut, the album is also just generally pretty hilarious. The very first line on the album is "Now Peter Piper picked peppers but Run rocked rhymes", and the whole song is just totally goofy. They also love to rap about how they don't do drugs, there's a whole song about "My Adidas". Great fun across the board. The bad is mostly still that the call-and-response rap style has just aged very poorly to me. The pace is just a bit plodding throughout and beyond the couple of songs that I mentioned there's quite a bit of filler. I can't see myself ever playing this start-to-finish again, but I can definitely see why they were some impactful. I've probably overrated a few early rap albums on here and I might be underrating this one, but it's like a 3.5 to me. Favorite song: It's Tricky Other: Peter Piper, My Adidas, Walk This Way, Raising Hell, Proud to Be Black 3/3/25
Hip-Hop making it to the mainstream. Lots of history in this one. Also learnt that Run is a practising religious minister. Some hits, but somewhat naturally, as pioneers, their sound now feels a bit dated. Absolute respect for what they did for hip-hop in general, and the foundations they laid, but better was to follow. Found it interesting to contrast the subject matter of the lyrics to what hip-hop became after. This - in a refreshing way - was quite tame. 5* to respect its influence, 3* listening experience.
A couple of great tracks but too samey for me
Alot of songs I grew up on, overall its not all too interesting, fun though.
Some belting tracks.
Neat but a bit boring
Usually like them but a lot of these songs weren’t great, not a bad record tho
Felt a little let down by this album. It’s been hugely influential, but if we’re just talking abt listenability here I’ve gotta give it a three. It’s Tricky and Walk this Way are BANGERS, but I don’t love the shouting style of delivery that they use. For being as old as it is I was actually a big fan of the beats and production side of things. Unfortunately just not enough from the other songs in the way of lyrics/flow to bump this up to 4. 3.4/5 Fav song: It’s Tricky
Why are they yelling all the time
Some bangers but a bit repetitive
3.5 there’s definitely some hits on the album but all these old hip hop albums sound very repetitive. It’s the same beat over and over.
3.5/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. Maybe my expectations were too high given the legendary status of It’s Tricky and Walk this Way, but feels like nothing else quite reached the level of those two.
-Grabs attention immediately -Catchy rhythms and beats
ho sempre pensato che “it’s tricky” fosse una disney song 💀
I get the significance of this album, though I wonder how it is viewed by true lovers of HipHop, as opposed to ‘rock’ critics. Not one for me. Top track = Peter Piper
was kinda boring but there were some good samples. nice feature by aerosmith
Je m'attendais à quelque chose du genre des Beastie Boys mais en encore plus répétitif. Le genre d'album dont on aime quelques morceaux mais qui lasse dans son intégralité. C'était bien dans la veine des Beastie. Mais c'était pas répétitif. J'ai passé un bon moment dans le berceau du rap (je me serais probablement passée de Dumb girls cela dit).
3/5. It's a classic album and has a few old school bangers. Run D.M.C. are definitely due credit for their influence on hip hop early on. My preferable taste comes on in the next few years after this album's release.
3.5
Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell Album Review I get why Raising Hell is considered a landmark album, but listening to it now, it just feels... fine. Not bad, not great, just there. The production is stripped down to the essentials—big, booming beats, simple but effective rock guitar riffs, and that signature Run-D.M.C. back-and-forth delivery. Tracks like It’s Tricky and My Adidas still have that undeniable energy, and Walk This Way is, well, Walk This Way—a crossover moment that’s been talked about to death. It’s all solid, but nothing about it really grabs me beyond its historical significance. The problem is, once you get past the big moments, there’s not much keeping me engaged. The flows feel stiff compared to what came after, the production—while influential—sounds a little too bare at times, and some tracks just blur together. I respect what Run-D.M.C. did here, blending hip-hop and rock in a way that changed the genre forever, but I can’t say I love listening to it. It’s loud, brash, and confident, but also kind of repetitive, like they found one gear and stuck with it for the whole album. That said, I don’t dislike Raising Hell—it just doesn’t excite me. It’s the kind of album I can nod along to but not something I’d actively put on. I respect its place in history, and I get why people love it, but for me, it’s just okay. Not a game-changer, not a skip-all-the-way-through situation, just… meh.
The album soon gets into its rhythm with the mammoth sound of 'It's Tricky'. A rap-rock tour de force. And all the rap/rock fusion numbers yield glorious results (Walk This Way, It's Tricky, Raising Hell). Without detracting from its historic importance, outside of the rap-rock, it can sound dated. The minimalist beats with the early rap-style offers little light and shade, and doesn't feel like it's moved on too much from Grandmaster Flash. However, it remains pretty entertaining and doesn't take itself too seriously. Like the Beasties, Run-DMC has a consistent style, theme, it's entertaining, and the rap rock is great.