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Throughout the new Peacock docuseries Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story, there are a slew of hip-hop living legends who speak highly of Run DMC, like LL Cool J, Jermaine Dupri, Ice Cube and Eminem.
During conversations with press ahead of the premiere of the three-part series, Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels tell ABC Audio that it never gets old to hear other rap greats give them props.
“I think the reason why that happens is because when people saw Run DMC, they saw how dynamic we were, they saw the greatness, all the achievements,” DMC said. “When they saw Run, D and [Jam Master J], they saw us and we were bad, don’t get it twisted … but they saw themselves.”
DMC believes the group’s trailblazing rap style, as well as being their unapologetic selves, inspired others.
“When we did ‘Sucker M.C.’s’ … that gave everybody permission to go, ‘Oh, whoa, we don’t have to follow any rules.'”
Rev Run, who started out as DJ Run back when the group was coming up in the ’80s, says he’s “very grateful for any props that anybody gives us.”
He understands what it’s like to be looked at as an icon because “I had heroes, too,” he said.
Pioneers like the Cold Crush Brothers and Grandmaster Flash influenced Rev Run to take what they started in hip-hop and put it to record.
“So when someone says to me, who’s a little bit younger than me, that I’m that person, only thing I can think of is ‘I know exactly how you feel.'”
The impact and legacy of Run DMC is explored in Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story, which premieres on Peacock Thursday.
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