Tunes Du Jour Presents Run-D.M.C.

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If you’re looking for a playlist that captures the raw energy and cultural impact of Run-D.M.C., this is a great place to start.  This iconic rap group from Queens, New York, was a major force in bringing hip-hop to a wider audience in the 1980s. Their music wasn’t just catchy; it broke down barriers and redefined what popular music could sound like.

Tracks like “Rock Box” and “It’s Tricky” showcase Run-D.M.C.’s signature sound: hard-hitting beats, clever rhymes, and a streetwise swagger. They weren’t afraid to tackle social issues either. “Proud to Be Black” is a celebration of identity, while “Sun City” protests apartheid with the help of Artists United Against Apartheid.

But Run-D.M.C.’s influence goes beyond rap. Their collaboration with Aerosmith on “Walk This Way” became a massive hit, blending hip-hop and rock in a way that had never been heard so widely before. This genre-bending approach paved the way for future collaborations and helped both genres reach new fans.

The accolades tell the story of Run-D.M.C.’s lasting impact. They were the first rap act to be nominated for a Grammy, appear on MTV, and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their influence continues to be felt today, with countless rappers citing them as inspiration.

So, crank up the volume and dive into this playlist. You’ll hear the sound of a legendary group that not only dominated the music scene, but also helped change the cultural landscape.  

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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-8-22

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Today’s playlist celebrates the October 8 birthdays of Ramones’ Johnny Ramone and C.J. Ramone, Kool & the Gang’s Robert “Kool” Bell, The Stylistics’ Airrion Love, Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart, BLACKstreet’s Teddy Riley, C.L. Smooth, Bruno Mars, Pigbag’s James Johnstone, and Saturday Night Live‘s Chevy Chase; and the October 9 birthdays of The Beatles’ John Lennon, The Who’s John Entwistle, PJ Harvey, Jackson Browne, Labelle’s Nona Hendryx, Men Without Hats’s Ivan Doroschuk, Heatwave’s Rod Temperton, Ini Kamoze, and Phantom Planet’s Alex Greenwald.

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Throwback Thursday: 1992

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It’s Throwback Thursday, and on today’s playlist we go back to 1992. Compiling this list made me notice (or remember) what a kickass year for music 1992 was. The success of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a top ten pop hit around the world months after it was sent to alternative radio, came as a complete surprise to the band’s record label and management, and seemed to kick open the doors for weirdos and freaks (I use those terms affectionately) to find their place in the sun and on the charts.

The left field entries weren’t solely from the guitar rock field. Shakespear’s Sister’s “Stay” was a song (or two songs) that stood out from the pack and was not something one would have expected from a former member of Bananarama and someone who co-wrote and sang backup on Eric Clapton’s hit “Lay Down Sally.” And Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” endures all these years later.

To me this era was a golden age for hip hop. Arrested Development, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Kris Kross, Das EFX, Sir Mix-A-Lot and House of Pain hit creative peaks, while rap duo P.M. Dawn hit number three with “I’d Die Without You,” an unexpected ballad with nary a hint of the hip or hop.

Nineteen ninety-two was the year we met Mary J. Blige and Billy Ray Cyrus. It was the year many more people got to know Red Hot Chili Peppers, k.d. lang and En Vogue. And while new names were dotting the Hot 100, there was still room for more hits from Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston and U2.

Here are thirty musical highlights from 1992, a year that most definitely was not wiggida wiggida wiggida wack.

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Winston + Nirvana

Throwback Thursday – 1992

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Prior to Nirvana, alternative music was consigned to specialty sections of record stores, and major labels considered it to be, at the very most, a tax write-off. After the band’s second album, 1991’s Nevermind, nothing was ever quite the same, for better and for worse. Nirvana popularized punk, post-punk, and indie rock, unintentionally bringing them into the American mainstream like no other band to date.
– AllMusic

It’s the Song that Broke Punk, the incantation about self-despising entertainment that turned a dead-end Aberdeen kid into a supernova, the very last rock song everyone could rally around.
– Pitchfork

Winston + Nirvana
The song that changed everything, “Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” was released as a single in September 1991. It reached #6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in January of the following year, and kicks off this week’s Throwback Thursday playlist focusing on 1992.


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