Run DMC

By marrying the emerging rap sound to a distorted electric guitar, "Rock Box" made the connection between rap and rock, and launched Run-DMC on the road to stardom. Their middle class backgrounds differed from the ghetto roots of rap, yet they took rap to the top of the charts within a few years.

The sparse backing tracks made the declamatory vocal style of Run and DMC jump off the album, and their love of rock sounds gave them hooks that made the white audience notice. Joseph "Run" Simmons' effortless style brought much respect in the rap community, and the groups' "look" (matching Adidas sweatsuits and footwear) added to the impact of their arrival.

RUN-DMC is a collection of the group's early singles, some of which were hits on the R&B charts ("It's Like That," "Hard Times" and "Rock Box").