It’s no secret we’re from New York City. This is a city whose fabric is woven with the talents and styles likened to that of a DNA strand. So many flavors, customs, looks and sounds. Stars are born and others burn out here. One such group of stars came with their own star icon: Run DMC. Considered by many to be the godfathers of modern hip-hop, the very barriers they broke in the 80s laid the ground work for new sounds, style and urban attitudes. You can buy the shirt here.
Twenty six years ago, Run DMC and rock legends Aerosmith took a chance on crossover success by remaking the latter’s 1970s rifftastic hit “Walk This Way” as a hip hop record. Run DMC’s DJ, Jam Master Jay, had used the riff and drums as a beat for rapping over, and when Run DMC’s album Raising Hell was going to feature a remake, producer Rick Rubin brought in the Toxic Twins themselves to re-record their parts. The subsequent video had its own set of challenges, according to director (and longtime Billy Joel collaborator) Jon Small.
Read more about the racial barriers broken and history made with one of the all time MTV music video greats here.
Watch the classic video here and see where the inspiration for our lates design came from.