An important early 90s moment for Run DMC – as the set has one of the first big major hip hop acts of the 80s, retuning themselves slightly for the new decade – in part by opening the door to added guests and producers for the record! The core energy that makes the trio so great is still very firmly in place – including inventive work on the turntables from Jam Master Jay – who produces here too, alongside Pete Rock, Jermain Dupri, EPMD, and Q-Tip too. Titles include the great title track, "Down With The King" – plus "Come On Everybody", "Can I Get It Yo", "Hit Em Hard", "Big Willie", "In The House", "Wreck Shop", "Can I Get A Witness", "Get Open", "What's Next", and "3 In The Head". LP, Vinyl record album

Run-DMC's great second album, with rock hard production by Russell Simmons and classic cuts! It's fascinating to listen to this album all these years later, with the knowledge that this hungry hip hop act from Queens was so soon to conquer the world. Great stuff from a legendary crew! This is the record where Run-DMC transitioned from their earlier style that put their own distinctive stamp on early-to-mid 80s east coast rap, to the rap group who fearlessly put rock music on notice that rap was coming to takeover. Amazing! Includes "Jam Master Jammin", "Can You Rock It Like This", "King Of Rock", "Rock The House", "You're Blind", "You Talk Too Much", "It's Not Funny" and "Darryl And Joe (Krush-Groove 3)". LP, Vinyl record album

The massive third album from Run DMC – made at the top of their game – an pivotal effort that brought them to peak popularity and helped break hip hop in a huge way in the pop culture landscape! Part of the album's strength is its guitar-heavy sound on some of the grooves – produced by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons with a classic early Def Jam vibe, in the same manner that helped the Beastie Boys get their records in the hands of folks who'd never buy hip hop otherwise! That sound comes to culmination on the album's hit collaboration with Aerosmith on a remake of "Walk This Way", resulting in the commercial breakthrough, but the real triumph here is the increased complexity in both the lyricism, and the way Jam Master Jay serves up their beats – which makes for a stone classic all the way through, on tracks that include "Peter Piper", "It's Tricky", "My Adidas", "Proud To Be Black", "You Be Illin'", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A set issued relatively early in the history of rap music – yet one that's still maybe one of the greatest-ever Christmas collection of hip hop tracks for the season! The album's from the glory days of Profile Records – from a time when the label was repping the New York scene strongly in the mainstream – thanks to the success of Run DMC, which let the label bring together some other top shelf-talent from the time! The set list here features some less-remembered acts, but all in top-shelf Holiday work – and titles include the classic "Christmas In Hollis" by Run DMC, which uses that perfect Clarence Carter "Back Door Santa" sample behind slice-of-life yet knowingly funny Run-DMC rhymes in their prime – plus other cuts that include Let The Jingle Bells Rock" by Sweet Tee, "Christmas In The City" by King Sun-D Moet, "Chillin With Santa" by Derek B, "He's Santa Claus" by Disco 4, That's What I Want For Christmas" by The Showboys, "Ghetto Santa" by Spyder-D, and "Dana Dan Is Coming To Town" by Dana Dane. The only clunker here might by "A Surf MC New Year" by Surf MCs – but that cut's the last, so you can easily pick up the needle before it starts! (Holiday Music, Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

A real sleeper from the late 90s scene – a set that maybe didn't grab the charts as much as some of its major label hip hop contemporaries, but which has a lot more lasting power overall! There's a sense of variety to the songs here that's great – different themes, different modes, and a sense of production that's focused and to the point – very well-suited to the different lyrical modes throughout! Production is by Ski, rhymes by Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede, and the set features guest appearances from Trugoy, Ish, Jungle Brown, Bones, and Karachi Raw – on titles that include the classics "Luchini AKA This Is It", "Coolie High", and "Black Nostaljack AKA Come On" – plus "Rockin It AKA Spanish Harlem", "Sparkle", "Swing", "B-Side To Hollywood", and "Negro League". LP, Vinyl record album