Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Ronin Ro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

The year is 1978. Saturday Night Fever is breaking box office records. All over America kids are racing home to watch Dance Fever, Michael Jackson is poised to become the next major pop star, and in Hollis, Queens, fourteen-year-old Darryl McDaniels—who will one day go by the name D.M.C.—busts his first rhyme: "Apple to peach, cherry to plum. Don't stop rocking till you all get some." Darryl's friend Joseph Simmons—now known as Reverend Run—thinks Darryl's rhyme is pretty good, and he becomes inspired. Soon the two join forces with a DJ—Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell—and form Run-D.M.C. Managed by Run's brother, Russell Simmons, the trio, donning leather suits, Adidas sneakers, and gold chains, become the defiant creators of the world's most celebrated and enduring hip-hop albums—and in the process drag rap music from urban streets into the corporate boardroom, profoundly changing everything about popular culture and American race relations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Run-D.M.C. is synonymous with hip-hop, and, appropriately, Ro's look at the pioneering, influential band's history plays like a history of the genre. Drawing on interviews with many of rap's biggest names, Ro (Have Gun Will Travel) charts the rise and fall of Run (Joe Simmons, younger brother of impresario and Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons), D.M.C (Darryl McDaniels) and Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell). Hailing from middle-class Hollis, Queens, Run-D.M.C were the first to blend rock and rap, a formula that took them to the top of the pop music charts in the mid-1980s and early '90s. The book's supporting cast includes L.L. Cool J (who had an intense rivalry with Run), the Beastie Boys, Def Jam co-founder and producer Rick Rubin, and Aerosmith, who embraced Run-D.M.C and their 1986 remake of the chart-topping single "Walk This Way." Success, however, was fleeting, owing to bad record deals, lawsuits, alcoholism, meandering film projects and a rape charge pinned on Run (he later found God, to the skepticism of some close friends). Tragedy reigns, however, as the story opens and closes with the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay in his Queens studio in 2002.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“The read of the year.” (Chicago Tribune on Have Gun Will Travel )

“Will enthrall both pop sociologists and armchair thrill seekers.” (Entertainment Weekly on Have Gun Will Travel )

“A definitive book.” (New York Times on Have Gun Will Travel )

“[Ro] pulls no punches in a work of nonfiction that reads like a novel.” (Miami Herald on Have Gun Will Travel )

“In Raising Hell, one of hip-hop’s most important stories meets one of its most compelling storytellers.” (--Bakari Kitwana, author of Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop: Wankstas, Wiggers, Wannabes and the New Reality of Race in America )

“If Bob Woodward had street cred and could write about hip hop, his name would be Ronin Ro!” (--Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black Rich and Famous and The New H.N.I.C. He is Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinema-Television--Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black )

“Brilliant reporting...Hip-hop fans of all ages will delight in this gripping tale of sex, drugs, and rock n’rap.” (Smooth Magazine )

“A revelatory (and titillating) page-turner for fans and the uninitiated alike.” (San Francisco Chronicle )

“Will enthrall both pop sociologists and armchair thrill seekers.” (Entertainment Weekly )

“As gory as a car wreck that we are unable to turn away from.” (Washington Post on Have Gun Will Travel )

“A spicy, provocative, beautifully written take on one of hip-hop’s most storied groups. ” (--Michael Eric Dyson, author of Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur )

“Mesmerizing and provocative account of the lives of Run-D.M.C and Jam Master Jay...” (--Raquel Z. Rivera, author of New York Ricans and the Hip Hop Zone ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• ISBN-10: 0060781955
• ASIN: B000HWZ19G
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,869,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After penning a column for Dance Music Report magazine, Ronin Ro began a groundbreaking run in The Source. From here, Ro contributed to SPIN, Rolling Stone, VIBE, Rap Pages, XXL, Vanity Fair, Playboy, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, and more. To date, Ro has authored eight Books, including the classic Have Gun Will Travel, the definitive Jack Kirby bio Tales to Astonish, Raising Hell (containing original interviews with Run-D.M.C. and others), Dr. Dre: The Biography, the controversial novella Street Sweeper (whose hero, Jerome Usher, reputedly inspired a similar hero in the motion picture Man on Fire) and the upcoming Prince: Inside the Music and the Masks. Currently in New York City, known for epic, classically-structured works, the influential Author is currently at work on two nonfiction projects.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhiliarating, Interesting, thought-provoking, and sad even, March 3, 2007

By 

stevey wundar (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay (Hardcover)

I'm pretty perceptive when it comes to scoping out the right books to read (i.e. whether or not it's actually worth the time & money).

This one was another great page-turner!

Particularly for fans of hip hop music, those who came of age before the genre crossed over to the mainstream, and also for music fans who've probably heard countless great tales from the industry that are starting to come off like a broken record.

"Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin and Redemption of Run DMC" is a book title that could very easily read "Raising Hell: The Reign & Ruin of Run DMC."

I said that because for as much as I loved this group growing up and still love what they achieved circa-1985 and their place in moving the genre forward, the book did a lot to burst my bubble (so to speak) on what remains an iconic group.

Without giving away the juicy details of the book, Run DMC should be credited for their historic, innovative stylings.

Coming off the more glossy hip hop infancy of blinged out artists like Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five, it was Run DMC who made it cool to "just be yourself" without all the celebrity, wearing-your-wealth-on-your-sleeves images.

It was Run DMC who (at the time) came with a more deviantly hardcore hip hop sound (read: not your commercially-friendly, R&B-type rap music).

And it was Run DMC who helped the hip hop culture grow the most in the mid-80s by experimenting with a slight rock&roll flavor that became their signature sound while expanding hip hop's fanbase.

Where this book may surprise you is hearing all the behind the scenes tales of (now Rev.) Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay -- at least it all surprised me b/c they weren't always true to their music images.

Jam Master Jay (may he rest in peace) is presented as the cool, laid back brotha who stayed runnin' in the streets. You won't find out anything more than theories about who his killer might be, but just finding out he at least ran with more than his share of greasy cats even into his 30s will make you wonder if that didn't play some small part in his demise (i.e. He didn't deserve to die but this wasn't just some random act of violence as the media initially tried to portray it).

Perhaps a little less surprising is the book's portrayal of Run (the group's leader) as this egotistical, control freak who refused to compromise and even as a born again Christian remains a shady, alcohol-overconsuming man of the world posing as a disciple of the Lord.

DMC, my personal favorite of the group, comes off as perhaps the group member with the most issues.

The book paints him as this slightly introverted pushover who stomached Run's ego trips back in the day during the group's run at the top and one who didn't grow a backbone until their best days had passed them by (thus all the tales of the turmoil, hatred and conflict that defined Run DMC's circa-2000 comeback).

And yet with all of the aforementioned flaws (we all have some!), the most disgusting part of these behind the scenes tales all involve the way Run and DMC reacted to JMJ's murder.

The only specific detail of this book I will divulge is that Run and DMC came off as spiritually unchanged by their best friend's death and more concerned with how to exploit it for money in the same vein TuPac and Biggie's deaths were milked for cash.

Great read but depending on what perspective you're coming from and what image you have of this group, this may or may not be recommended material.

By the end of "Raising Hell," I can't say I lost any respect for them as a whole.

But I guess it's a lot easier to keep their immense accomplishments in context while also acknowledging their utter human qualities and inevitable sameness with most who survive to tell about their music industry experiences (i.e. drugs, sex, some good times & lots of shady dealings).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Facts; Mediocre Writing, February 1, 2006

By 

Marc A. Baldwin (Catonsville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay (Hardcover)

If you love old school rap, you'll enjoy reading the interesting facts that Ro presents in this comprehensive presentation about the Kings of Rock, RUN DMC. However, I wouldn't exactly call Ronin Ro a story teller. I thought his writing lacked a compelling story line, so if you're not a RUN DMC/old school fan you'll have a hard time getting through the book. It's more like a chronological presentation of facts. The little nuggets about the relationships of the old school players and the songs they mastered is what will get you through it (for example, why LL Cool J's song "Rock the Bells" does not have bells in it). The book did change my view of RUN DMC, especially Reverend Run and Russel Simmons, although not necessarily for the better.

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for TRUE Rap, Hip Hop and Run-DMC fans, October 4, 2010

By 

Tyrone D - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay (Paperback)

If you are a TRUE Run-DMC FAN as opposed to a listener;
if you are a TRUE student of Rap's beginnings;
if you are a TRUE student of HIP-HOP;
THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE IN YOUR LIBRARY. Id go as far to say the lessons learned in regards to the music industry, and its treatment of rising or new artist could serve as a knowledge foundation for those aspiring to be in the music industry.
WALK THIS WAY and GET THIS BOOK