cdm72's Full Review: Tougher Than Leather [Remaster] by Run-DMC
First off, thanks to Carletta for inviting me to the write-off. I was going to include my next Prince review as part of the deal, but since it's in celebration of Black History Month, I wanted to review something that I think has made an actual contribution to black history. So here it is.
I doubt they knew it at the time, but when RUN-DMC formed in 1982--a mere two years out of high school--they were about to change the future of hip-hop.
Before anyone else did anything in hip hop, RUN-DMC did it first. And while RAISING HELL may have made them stars, it was 1988s TOUGHER THAN LEATHER, I think, that had the real influence. One listen to the title track shows where all this rap metal crap REALLY came from, and how to do it right, not mention 3 guitar solos that would have done any 80s hair band proud and a nice "Shaft"-reminiscent wah pedal outro with some incredibly heavy drums. Limp Bizkit (and a whole slew of others) could spend a little more time at the feet of the masters. Not content to rely on programmed beats and computers, "Tougher Than Leather" is a rap metal song with real instruments and a veritable army of musicians all over the record, including bass and guitar from Davy D., Daniel Shulman, Joe Sierra, and Andreas Straub and drums from Afro and Bob Walker, plus horns by Vincent Hammond, and Uptown Horns.
When I think of rap, I don't look for who's got the best sample or the most guest stars--in fact, all that crap only takes away from the enjoyment for me. What I want are three things, 1) great rhymes, 2) good flow, 3) strong beats. RUN-DMC's TOUGHER THAN LEATHER is full of all three.
You want flow? Check out this bit from "Radio Station":
Radio station
Around the nation
Run, D, and Jason
Made a dedication
To those listening
We're not dissin' 'em
Recording
And rewarding
So we won't be missin' 'em
Keep on playing song
LP playing long
Jay, D, and Joe keep the radion stayin' on
I always say to Joe
"Turn on the radio"
Jam Master Jay will know
That is the way to go
While Jay's DJing
I will be sayin'
Rhymes that are playin'
FM or AM
Hot rotation
A winnin' combination
AM, FM, music modulation
Rappin' on the mic is my occupation
That's what I like
Dear radio station
Forget what you've heard--which is probably limited to the horrible choice for lead single, "Mary, Mary," and look at the real heart of TOUGHER THAN LEATHER. Still high on the incredible success of 1986's RAISING HELL, RUN-DMC took almost a year in the studio to perfect the follow-up (complete with a movie of the same name--anyone remember that one? Probably not, but I did see a trailer for it ONCE in the theater), and you can feel the energy they were putting into this record in every song. Songs like "Beats to the Rhyme", "I'm Not Going Out Like That", and "Soul to Rock and Roll" are gonna be instant hits when compared to ANYTHING being produced today. You can't sit still listening to this record.
"We had a whole lot of superstars on this stage here tonight," Run declares as the record opens. "But I want y'all to know one thing--this is MY HOUSE!" And it is.
Another plus I noticed, RUN-DMC didn't feel the need to bring in 15 producers, each adding their own flavor to the songs; TOUGHER THAN LEATHER was produced by RUN-DMC and Rick Rubin (if you don't know who Rick Rubin is, stop reading music reviews and listen to some damn music once in a while). There was no flash and undue hype, RUN-DMC were and always will be the real deal, and TOUGHER THAN LEATHER will stand forever as a testament, not only to their talent, but as proof that they aren't rap legends because they were in the game so early, but because they pretty much MADE the game. Sure there was Kurtis Blow and Whodini before RUN-DMC, yes Sugar Hill Gang had the first true rap RECORD, but before RUN-DMC, it was just rap, it was just this spoken non-music the "blacks" listened to. RUN-DMC took it away from that, made it into MUSIC. Just listen to the old time rock sound of "Miss Elaine" or the ragtime sounds of "Ragtime" and you realize rap isn't just a simple beat with a few rhymes over the top, it's music in every sense (it's not RUN-DMC's fault the general white public sees rappers as a group of sample-hungry no-talents, these guys wrote music and had real musicians in the studio).
Given all this, can there be any wonder why I picked RUN-DMC as my contribution to the black history month write-off? I mean, really, where would hip hop be today if not for RUN-DMC then? I'd bet just about anything hip hop wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is. But what do I know? I'm the whitest guy you'll ever meet.
________________________
This has been part of Cletta1201 & Madtheory’s 2003 Black History Month Write-Off. The following have also agreed to participate:
speeddemon531, flamepillar, cntaur5, kristinafh, shadesofblue, atchesonate, stairway2drew, divad23, thevoid99, matta75, sparkospunky, paulyoungotti, macresarf1, dedemw, psychovant, lambchops, skbreese, netnut746, pmills1210, aeoakley,officer, jennjoy, roheblius, ez013182, susidee34, aerocat, cdm72, youngchinq, tjolims, megstar, marinermoose22, artbyjude, ekidd911, hierograffiti, brotherman, jo.com, insomniac1587, e-kleptic, sherkarr, waynio, standells, cr01, bigd99999, frostiepekkle, artbyjude, jay1051971, gc_mom, jeff_wilder78, fuche_bu, tdswift99, ed_grover
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