Raising Hell (album)

Raising Hell
Studio album by Run–D.M.C.
Released United States May 15, 1986
United Kingdom July 14, 1986
Recorded 1985-1986
Genre Hip hop, rap rock
Length 39:46
Label Profile/Arista Records
Producer Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin
Run–D.M.C. chronology

King of Rock
(1985)		 Raising Hell
(1986)		 Tougher Than Leather
(1988)
Singles from Raising Hell
  1. "My Adidas"
    Released: May 29, 1986
  2. "Walk This Way"
    Released: July 4, 1986
  3. "You Be Illin'"
    Released: October 21, 1986
  4. "It's Tricky"
    Released: February 8, 1987
"Walk This Way"
Run-D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way" from Raising Hell
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Raising Hell is the third studio album by hip hop group Run–D.M.C.. The breakthrough album trumped standing perceptions of commercial viability for hip-hop groups, achieving triple-platinum status and receiving critical attention from quarters that had previously ignored hip hop, dismissing it as a fad.[1]

Background

Raising Hell features the well-known cover "Walk This Way" featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. While the song was not the group's first fusion of rock and hip hop (the group's earlier singles "Rock Box" and "King of Rock" was), it was the first such fusion to make a significant impact on the charts, becoming the first rap song to crack the top 5 of The Billboard Hot 100. Raising Hell peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart as the first hip hop/rap album to do so, and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Pitchfork Media (7.7/10)[3]
AllMusic [4]
The Daily Vault (A)[5]
Entertainment Weekly (A)[6]
sputnikmusic [7]
Robert Christgau A−[8]
The Source
Rhapsody (Favourable)[9]
Rolling Stone [10]

It ranked fourth on Chris Rock's list of the Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all time, and the comedian called it "the first great rap album ever".[11]

In 1987, Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap - Single for "Walk This Way" (jointly awarded to both Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith).

In 1998, the album appeared in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. Q magazine (12/99, p. 162) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...the apex of pre-Public Enemy, beatbox-based hip hop, a monument of massive, crisp beats plus the genre-bending 'Walk This Way'." Vibe (12/99, p. 162) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.[12] Uncut (11/03, p. 130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[An album] that forced the music biz to take rap seriously." Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p. 126) - "[T]he pioneering trio took hip-hop into the upper reaches of the pop charts, introducing mainstream to a new urban thunder: rap rock." (It is the earliest hip-hop album to get a 5-star review from Rolling Stone). AllMusic - 5 stars out of 5 - "...the music was fully realized and thoroughly invigorating, rocking harder and better than any of its rock or rap peers in 1986..."

In 2003, the album was ranked number 123 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[13]

In 2006, the album was chosen by Time as one of the 100 greatest albums.[14] Time named it No. 41 of the 100 best albums of the past fifty years and stated that the album was "rap's first masterpiece".[15]

In 2012, Slant Magazine listed the album at No. 65 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".[16]

Public Enemy's Chuck D considers Raising Hell to be the greatest hip-hop album of all-time, and the reason he chose to sign with Def Jam Records.

Track listing

  1. "Peter Piper" – 3:25
    • Samples "Take Me to Mardi Gras" by Bob James
  2. "It's Tricky" – 3:03
  3. "My Adidas" (McDaniels/Rubin) – 2:47
  4. "Walk This Way" – 5:17
    • Features new vocal and guitar parts by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith based on their original 1975 recording, as well as a sample of the original drum intro which is used as the song's breakdown.
  5. "Is It Live" – 3:06
  6. "Perfection" – 2:52
  7. "Hit It Run" – 3:10
    • Samples "Rocket in the Pocket" by Cerrone
  8. "Raising Hell" – 5:31
  9. "You Be Illin'" – 3:26
  10. "Dumb Girl" – 3:31
  11. "Son of Byford" – :27
  12. "Proud to Be Black" – 3:14

Deluxe edition bonus tracks

  1. "My Adidas" (a cappella) – 2:32
  2. "Walk This Way" (demo) – 5:26
  3. "Lord of Lyrics" (demo) – 4:30
  4. "Raising Hell Radio Tour Spot" – 0:53
  5. "Live at the Apollo Raw Vocal Commercial" – 3:28

Chart positions

Album

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[17] 32
New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart[18] 8
UK Albums Chart[19] 41
US Billboard 200[20] 3
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[20] 1

Singles

Year Single Chart positions
US
[20]		 US R&B
[20]		 US Rap
[20]		 US Dance
[20]		 US Dance Sales
[20]		 AUS
[21]		 CAN
[22]		 NZ
[18]		 UK
[23]
1986 "My Adidas" – 5 331 – 10 – – – 62
"Walk This Way" 4 8 – 6 13 9 6 1 8
[24]
"You Be Illin'" 29 122 – 44 – – – – 42
1987 "It's Tricky" 57 21 – 30 47 – – – 16

Notes:

Vinyl sleeves and labeling

References

  1. ↑ The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time: 48) Run-DMC. By Chuck D. Rolling Stone.
  2. ↑ "Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C. at Billboard.com". Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  3. ↑ Pitchfork Media Review
  4. ↑ Allmusic Review
  5. ↑ "The Daily Vault Review". Dailyvault.com. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  6. ↑ "Entertainment Weekly Review". Ew.com. 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  7. ↑ "sputnikmusic Review". Sputnikmusic.com. 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  8. ↑ "Robert Christgau Review". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  9. ↑ Rhapsody Review
  10. ↑ "Rolling Stone Review". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  11. ↑ "Chris Rock's Top 25 Hip Hop Albums". Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  12. ↑ "Run-DMC - Raising Hell CD Album". Cduniverse.com. 1999-06-01. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  13. ↑ "News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  14. ↑ Light, Alan (2006-11-02). "''TIME.com'' - The All-TIME 100 Albums". Time.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  15. ↑ Light, Alan (2006-11-02). "Raising Hell". Time.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  16. ↑ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_4
  17. ↑ "RPM Weekly Searchable Database". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Discography Run DMC". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  19. ↑ "UK Top 40 Searchable Database". everyhit.com. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 "Run-D.M.C. Chart Positions (Allmusic)". Billbord. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Discography Run DMC". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  23. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - Run–D.M.C. discography". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - Run–D.M.C. discography". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.

External links