Week 40: 50 Albums That Changed Music

[Swish]

Gee, only 10 more weeks to go before finishing out this series of posts that has usually fodder for some debate and plenty of ridicule. Does the fun never end? Here's another obvious choice, although it's from a genre that has never done anything for me, or let's say very little for me. And the selection is Run DMC - Run DMC (1984)

Before them came block-rocking DJ Grandmaster Flash and the Godfather, Afrika Bambaataa, but it was Run DMS who carved the prototype for today's hip hop MCs. Their self-titled debut - the first rap album to go gold - was rough around the edges and catchy as hell. As Rev Sun spat, 'Unemployment at a record high/People coming, people going, people born to die', the way was paved for conscious and political rap. Without this...no Public Enemy, Roots and Nas.

Go for it.

Swish

[DariusNYC]

Swish, these threads have been really great in my book. Some fun and often intelligent discussions.

I don't have much to argue about with this week's selection, and despite being one of the biggest rap fans that regularly posts on this board, I am not much of a rap historian and so can't intelligently quibble with the particular choice. But I will note two things (i) I expect certain singles were more important than albums in the trenches of early rap influence and (ii) their Raising Hell album was also wildly influential it seems, with its Rick Rubin production and its rock elements, including its huger than huge Aerosmith collaboration on "Walk this Way".

[kexodusc]

Run DMC was wicked awesome. Yeah, I remember crappy groups like M.A.A.R.S, Bell Biv Devoe, De La Soul and others piggy backing on their success.

Stuff sounds kinda dated now, but Run DMC deserves to be in this list.

I forget, were the Beastie Boys in this list earlier?

[Resident Loser]

...wake me up when we get to around to Talking Heads and Fairport Convention...

jimHJJ(...the above message was self-indulgent and gratuitous sarcasm...)

[Swish]

Run DMC was wicked awesome. Yeah, I remember crappy groups like M.A.A.R.S, Bell Biv Devoe, De La Soul and others piggy backing on their success.

Stuff sounds kinda dated now, but Run DMC deserves to be in this list.

I forget, were the Beastie Boys in this list earlier?

...list, and I won't spill the beans and tell you if they will be by the time I get to 50. You can research it and find out if you like, but everyone (save Resident Loser) has steered clear of mentioning the bands that are coming up.

Swish

[Stone]

Yeah, I remember crappy groups like ... De La Soul and others piggy backing on their success.

I can see you thinking the others were "crappy" but De La Soul? Seriously? Have you heard Three Feet High and Rising?

[3-LockBox]

(i) I expect certain singles were more important than albums in the trenches of early rap influence and (ii) their Raising Hell album was also wildly influential it seems, with its Rick Rubin production and its rock elements, including its huger than huge Aerosmith collaboration on "Walk this Way".

(i) that seems to be true of all new genres, whether we're talking Rock or Country or Blues. Entire albums as artistic statement didn't happen until jazz of the mid to late 50s

(ii) I think the Raising Hell was way more influencial, important, and groundbreaking. Although I never liked rap anyway, I was in a place and time where you could not escape hearing the Raising Hell album. Before The Beastie Boys, this was America's first popular rap album in white suburbia. Perhaps their pairing with Aerosmith wasn't as necessary for Run DMC as it was for Aerosmith, it was still a marketing masterstroke that showed corporate music that rap was not only here for the long haul, but it could be mega profitable.

Good pick on the group for this often bewildering article, but once again, wrong album.

BTW: Good to see you posting again Darius...I see the honeymoon has finally wore off

[nobody]

Great choice, although they are kinda overlooking the first Kurtis Blow album if they want a roots of rap first full length kinda thing. And, you could toss in LL Cool J's Radio album as well. But, yeah, RUN DMC was a great album that pointed out just how creative and interesting and message driven rap could be.

I can see the argument for Tougher than Leather as it's rock fusion got the mainstream's attention more, but ultimately rap music has been more than able to stand on it's own two feet, so I don't see bringing the heavy rock element into the fold as being of greater significance than just making a great, monumental rap album.

[Dusty Chalk]

I don't know crap about rap.

[Troy]

Eeeew.