Customer Reviews

King of Rock

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first tape I ever bought. Recently I dug it up again and it sounded just as good as it did in junior high school when I played it to death. Run DMC took it to the masses and no one can doubt it. I came here looking for the CD (nostalgia?) and unfortunately found that it was out of stock!!! Damn!!

Man this album is dope and I highly suggest it. In my mind it's their best ever because Raising Hell is when they 'sold-out' and they just weren't the same. The best track on here is the last song Darryl & Joe (Krush Groove 3) cause JMJ (RIP) has some mad cuts in there and that's the best they've sound. Another good song is Jam Master Jammin. Both Jam Master Jammin and Darryl and Joe are both underrated songs, but they certainly make your feet tap.

Buy this album, you won't regret. If you like downloading off Kazaa or whatever, go right ahead, just as long as you appreciate what Run DMC did for hip hop music by coming out with this album.

This being released like a year after their self titled it was light years beyond it. This album blew me away when I first heard it and still does. "King Of Rock" and "Can You Rock It Like This" are amazing tracks.

This is classic old school rap without a doubt, and Run DMC were originators. I would very much agree thoughthat my all time favorite cut on this cd is the last track, Darryl and Joe (Krush Groove 3). But I would higly suggest picking up their debut album and listening to Krush Groove 1 & 2 as well, as it put's the whole mix together.

What I always thought was great about Run-DMC was the way they switched lines of their rap back and forth so fast. If you happened to see the movie CB4 with Chris Rock- they were rolliin' down the street trying to rap along- just like my friends and I did back in '85 or so.

"Hey you over there, I know about your kind.... you're like the Independent Network News on Channel 9....."

This CD has it all. RUN-DMC in their prime and with two down leather lids. I played this tape until the words were gone on sides A and B. This is Cd to have in yo collection and if you've got it on vinyal, build a shrine. 4 the KING OF ROCK lives in the heart of men and women. WORD.

Run D.M.C.'s first self titled album was brilliant. It presented a new and refreshing sound in hip hop music. The "King of Rock" continues that sound with a bit more polish yet with rhymes still sounding raw and fresh. There were very few acts that could pull of this sound in the 80's without sounding ridiculous. Acts such as LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, Davy DMX and Kool Moe Dee all shared the spotlight during this time but Run D.M.C. and the Beasties are the two that really stuck with me. With King of Rock, Run D.M.C. proves they still have what it takes to kick out the jams. Here are my thoughts and track ratings;


1. Rock The House 7/10
2. King Of Rock 9/10 (Classic)
3. You Talk Too Much 6/10
4. Jam-Master Jammin' 7/10
5. Roots, Rap, Reggae 5/10
6. Can You Rock It Like This 7/10
7. You're Blind 7/10
8. It's Not Funny 6/10
9. Darryl And Joe (Krush-Groove 3) 7/10


With King of Rock Run D.M.C. only improves with age and experience. While not an entirely perfect album it easily ranks as a classic and helped propel towards mainstream success. In 2009 Run D.M.C. were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'll always have a soft spot for old school hip hop and Run D.M.C. will remain at the top of my list.

A great sophomore effort, though not as important as its predecessor or successor. The title track is a classic example of the group's imaginative fusion of roaring guitars and dance beats - next time someone tries to tell you Korn was original, or any good, point them to this record and tell them the rap-metal thing had been around long before Korn, and was actually good once. And there are more great songs than just that: the funny "You Talk Too Much," which also offers some sweet synths; "Jam-Master Jammin'" is a great showpiece for Jay; a fine reggae experiment ("Roots, Rap, Reggae," one of the first songs to make the connection between the two genres - Yellowman adds a great vocal), and a bunch of songs with great riffs and turntable work: "Can You Rock it Like This?," "Rock the House," "You're Blind." The group's tendency to base an entire song on an obnoxious novelty comes along to hurt the otherwise respectable "It's Not Funny" - in this case, it's a deep, vocodored voice reciting the title track - but there's great rapping throughout ("Darryl and Joe"). Really, there isn't a single bad song on this album, but since there's no real progress here beyond the debut (other than the reggae song), I have to give it a much lower rating. Still good, though.

The unfortunate death of Jam Master Jay inspired me to revisit this still-relevant album from the NY based Run DMC. Growing up as a teen in the 1980s and being swayed by the glory years of old school hip hop, I viewed Run DMC not as great rappers but unsinkable heroes that could do no wrong. They were confident, but not cocky. They were street, but they weren't thugs. They were trendsetters, but they weren't trendy. "King of Rock," the trio's second album, is an influential classic that expertly blended hip hop beats with amped-up rock, and even with a dash of reggae. They add humor to the mix on the still-funny and incisive "You Talk Too Much," feature aggressive guitars on the title track, and make a tongue-in-cheek nod to reggae in the aptly-named "Roots, Rock, Reggae." The beats pulsate, the rhyming is smooth and never forced, and Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay (Joe Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell respectively) never slip or falter on record. As modern hip hop continues to fall deeper into a spinning vortex of mediocrity, we should be fortunate that we have classics like this to see how REAL hip hop is done. Still a winner.

This album was probably the first one that most early real rap fans had in 1984. Every hip hop fan has ALL of the lyrics of ALL of these songs memorized as well as ever scratch, cut, and break. This album has them all, "King of Rock", "Can You Rock It Like This", "Jam Master Jammin'", "You're Blind", "Darryl & Joe" Hell you pick a favorite of your own. YOU KNOW ALL THE CLASSICS! PICK THIS UP!