| King of Rock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 21, 1985[1][2] | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Studio | Greene Street Recording,New York City, New York | |||
| Genre | Rap rock | |||
| Length | 43:46 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Run-D.M.C. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from King of Rock | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Pitchfork | 5.7/10[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[9] |
| The Village Voice | B+[10] |
King of Rock is the second studio album by Americanhip hop groupRun-D.M.C., released on January 21, 1985, byProfile Records. The album was produced byRussell Simmons andLarry Smith.King of Rock became the first rap album to be released onCD, and was the third rap album to be certifiedPlatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[11] The album saw the group adopting a morerock-influenced sound, with several tracks prominently featuring heavyguitar riffs. The song "Roots, Rap, Reggae" featuresYellowman, and was one of the first hybrids ofrap anddancehall.
King of Rock peaked at number 52 on theBillboard 200, and number 12 on theTop R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album was given aGold certification on June 3, 1985, before being certified Platinum by the RIAA on February 18, 1987.[12] The album features four singles, all of which appeared on theBillboard Hot 100: "King of Rock", "You Talk Too Much", "Jam-Master Jammin'" and "Can You Rock It Like This". "King of Rock" peaked at number 80 on theUK Singles Chart on March 16, 1985.[13]
King of Rock was ranked at number 44 onNME's list of the "50 Albums Released In 1985 That Still Sound Great Today".[14] "King of Rock" featured a popular music video, which became a fan favorite onMTV. It featuredCalvert DeForest, also known as Larry "Bud" Melman ofNBC'sLate Night with David Letterman fame.[15]King of Rock was reissued byArista Records in 1999 and 2003. An expanded and remastered edition was released in 2005 which contained 4 previously unreleased songs.[16]
On their sophomore album,King of Rock, Run-D.M.C. expanded their musical palette. The album's title itself was equal parts warning, statement of purpose, and legitimate boast. The album signified the group's intentions to pull hip-hop out of the periphery and onto center stage. It was a golden era in the evolution of contemporary music; a time and place in which hip-hop was called "rap", MTV defined "rock", and Run-D.M.C. were kings of both.
The music on the album was created byLarry Smith's group Orange Krush using thedrum machine Oberheim DMX and Jam Master Jay's scratches mixed in a guitar riff. D.M.C. once commented on this fact: "People forget about Larry Smith, but Larry Smith owned hip-hop and rap. He produced our first two albums, and he producedWhodini. The rock-rap sound was Larry Smith's vision, not Rick Rubin's. Rick changed the story, but Larry was there first. Actually, me and Run were against the guitar."[17]
The name for the album came up with Corey Robbins, co-owner ofProfile Records. He said: "I don't take any credit for the song title, but I did come up with the idea of calling the album that, based on the song title, and keeping it singular. It was so outrageous then-that rappers would call themselves kings of rock, instead of kings of rap. That would've been the obvious title, because they were the kings of rap. They certainly weren't considered rock – yet. Which is why it turned out to be such a cool title: it turned out to be true. They did become rock and roll, in a way; they did get played on rock radio. King of Rap or Kings of Rap would have done nothing for them. King Of Rock was outrageous."[18]
"Slow and Low" was recorded as a demo during the sessions for this album,Beastie Boys had the demo on a tape and decided to record a version after learning it wasn't going to be onKing of Rock. Included on theBeastie Boys AlbumLicensed to Ill (1986). Run-D.M.C.'s version was not officially released until 2005, as an inclusion in the Deluxe edition ofKing of Rock.
The song "Can You Rock It Like This" was written by a 16-year-oldLL Cool J.[19]
"King of Rock" featured a popular music video, which became a fan favorite on MTV. It featuredCalvert DeForest, also known as Larry "Bud" Melman ofNBC'sLate Night with David Letterman fame.[15]
Three songs from this album were featured in the 1985Warner Bros. filmKrush Groove: "King of Rock", "Can You Rock It Like This" and "You're Blind".[20]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock the House" | Russell Simmons,Joseph Simmons, Larry Smith | 2:42 |
| 2. | "King of Rock" | J. Simmons,Darryl McDaniels, L. Smith | 5:14 |
| 3. | "You Talk Too Much" | Daniel Hayden, McDaniels,Jason Mizell, J. Simmons, R. Simmons, L. Smith | 5:59 |
| 4. | "Jam-Master Jammin'" | Run-D.M.C. | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Roots, Rap, Reggae" (feat.Yellowman) | Run-D.M.C. | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Can You Rock It Like This" | Rick Rubin,James Smith, L. Smith | 4:30 |
| 2. | "You're Blind" | Antonio Lucien Herrera, McDaniels, R. Simmons, L. Smith | 5:31 |
| 3. | "It's Not Funny" | Run-D.M.C. | 5:35 |
| 4. | "Darryl and Joe (Krush-Groove 3)" | McDaniels, J. Simmons, L. Smith | 6:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Slow and Low (Demo)" | J. Simmons, McDaniels | 4:27 |
| 11. | "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4) (Live)" | McDaniels, J. Simmons | 3:35 |
| 12. | "Jam-Master Jammin' (Remix, Long Version)" | Run-D.M.C. | 6:45 |
| 13. | "King of Rock (Live, fromLive Aid)" | J. Simmons, McDaniels, L. Smith | 7:26 |
The album spent 56 weeks on the U.S.Billboard album charts and reached its peak position of number 52 in early March 1985.[25]
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard 200[26] | 52 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] | 12 |
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs [28] | Hot Dance Club Songs [29] | UK [30] | |||
| 1985 | "King of Rock" | 14 | 40 | 80 | |
| "You Talk Too Much" | 19 | 301 | – | ||
| "Jam-Master Jammin'" | 53 | – | – | ||
| 1986 | "Can You Rock It Like This" | 19 | – | – | |
Notes:
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[31] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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