RUN-D.M.C.

Bedecked in gold chains and rapping to a heavy drum machine beat, the hip-hop style of Run-DMC belies the solid middle-class upbringing of its three founders. Queens, NY friends and college students Run [Joseph Simmons] and DMC [Darryl McDaniels] were joined by Jam Master Jay [Jason Mizel] in 1983 and immediately produced their first hard-core rap single and national hit, "It's Like That." Their first album, "Run-DMC" in 1984, went gold and the group hit the road in "Fresh Fests," one of the first cross-country rap tours. Platinum and multi-platinum albums followed, as did MTV and movie roles. Unfortunately, Run-DMC's work became associated with violence, and an ugly, well publicized gang-related altercation at their 1987 Long Beach Arena appearance cemented the association. After a few years of personal and musical adjustments, Run-DMC consistently topped the charts after '93. The group's seventh album, "Crown Royal," surfaced in 2001 and was followed by two greatest-hits albums and a U.S. tour. Rap violence hit home, however, just two weeks after the tour closed, when Jam Master Jay was murdered in a studio session in Queens.