Run-DMC

Band

Photo: Not credited · Public domain
Active 1981-2002
Origin Hollis, New York
Albums 7
Tracks 85
Most frequent collaborator Russell Simmons · 31 tracks
Genres East Coast Hip HopRap RockHardcore Hip Hop
Collaborator
52%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 44 of 85 tracks

Did Run-DMC write their own songs?

Yes, where the credits exist. Darryl McDaniels is on 29 of the 85 album tracks, Joseph Simmons on 26 and Jason Mizell on 23, usually together. Two albums, Back from Hell and Down with the King, publish no per-track writing credits anywhere, which leaves 31 tracks with nobody recorded.

By the Numbers

7
Studio Albums
85
Tracks Credited
52%
Self-Written
21
Years Active
85
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 44 / 85 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 85 tracks: how many Run-DMC wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Run-DMC has a writing credit52%
12%
40%
48%
Sole author10tracks12%
Co-written34tracks40%
Outside writers41tracks48%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Run-DMC's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 85 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)52%
Composer (music)52%
Producer59%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 85 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Run 1981-2002
40%
40%
4%
0%
DMC 1981-2002
45%
45%
0%
0%
Jam Master Jay 1981-2002
29%
29%
45%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Run-DMC's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 52%
67%
56%
92%
92%
0%
0%
92%
1984Run-D.M.C.
1985King of Rock
1986Raising Hell
1988Tougher Than Leather
1990Back from Hell
1993Down with the King
2001Crown Royal
Early · 73% written
Mid · 92% written
Late · 92% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

79%
1980s
Run-D.M.C., King of Rock +2 more
0%
1990s
Back from Hell, Down with the King
92%
2000s
Crown Royal

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Run-DMC sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Run-DMC
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Celine Dion1%
Selena13%
Ricky Martin25%
Cyndi Lauper60%
Janet Jackson72%
Everlast91%
LL Cool J99%
52%Run-DMC
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Walk This Way
Raising Hell
Written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry
Outside writers
You Be Illin'
Raising Hell
Written by Run, DMC, Jam Master Jay, Raymond White, Joseph Ward Simmons, Darryl Matthews McDaniels, Jason William Mizell
Co-wrote
It's Tricky
Raising Hell
Written by Run, DMC, Jam Master Jay, Rick Rubin, Joseph Ward Simmons, Darryl Matthews McDaniels, Jason William Mizell, Frederick Jay Rubin
Co-wrote
Mary, Mary
Tougher Than Leather
Written by Michael Nesmith
Outside writers

Discography 7 albums

All seven studio albums. The live records, remix sets and compilations sit outside this catalogue. Back from Hell and Down with the King publish no per-track writing credits anywhere, which is recorded on those albums.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of Run-DMCRun-DMC85 tracks
Photo of Russell Simmons31Russell Simmons, 31 tracks Photo of Rick Rubin25Rick Rubin, 25 tracks LS21Larry Smith, 21 tracks DS16Daniel Shulman, 16 tracks Photo of Pete Rock15Pete Rock, 15 tracks Q15Q-Tip, 15 tracks E15EPMD, 15 tracks K15KayGee, 15 tracks TB15The Bomb Squad, 15 tracks DD12Davy D, 12 tracks CD11Chris Davis, 11 tracks RA6Randy Allen, 6 tracks FJ5Frederick Jay Rubin, 5 tracks R3Run-D.M.C., 3 tracks JM2JB Moore, 2 tracks DH2Daniel Hayden, 2 tracks DS2Daniel Simmons, 2 tracks JD2Jermaine Dupri, 2 tracks L"2LaMarquis "ReMarqable" Jefferson, 2 tracks JB1Jimmy Bralower, 1 track WW1Will Waring, 1 track NS1Nathaniel S. Hardy Jr., 1 track Y1Yellowman, 1 track LC1LL Cool J, 1 track JS1James Smith, 1 track AL1Antonio Lucien Herrera, 1 track ST1Steven Tyler, 1 track on Aerosmith's page JP1Joe Perry, 1 track on Aerosmith's page A1Aerosmith, 1 track SS1Sam Sever, 1 track RW1Raymond White, 1 track AB1Andre Brown, 1 track MN1Michael Nesmith, 1 track DS1Dwayne Simon, 1 track LJ1LaMarquis Jefferson, 1 track CC1Carmine Coppola, 1 track NJ1Nasir Jones, 1 track P1Prodigy, 1 track MJ1Mary J. Blige, 1 track SB1Samuel Barnes, 1 track P1Poke, 1 track LB1LaTonya Blige, 1 track DP1DJ Premier, 1 track J1Jay-Z, 1 track JO1Jean-Claude Olivier, 1 track CM1Chris Martin, 1 track on Coldplay's page SC1Shawn Carter, 1 track TW1Tadone Wilson, 1 track MR1Mike Rapley, 1 track N1Nas, 1 track CB1Charles Boone, 1 track EG1Ernest Gold, 1 track FD1Fred Durst, 1 track on Limp Bizkit's page DL1DJ Lethal, 1 track on Limp Bizkit's page KR1Kid Rock, 1 track CS1Carlos Santana, 1 track DM1David Margen, 1 track DL1Dennis Lambert, 1 track BP1Brian Potter, 1 track GW1Greg Walker, 1 track RR1Robert Ritchie, 1 track SM1Steve Miller, 1 track DR1Dante Ross, 1 track JG1John Gamble, 1 track E1Everlast, 1 track SJ1Stephan Jenkins, 1 track on Third Eye Blind's page RG1Robert Ginyard, 1 track JC1Jason Carmer, 1 track DH1DJ Homicide, 1 track CB1Craig Bullock, 1 track SR1Sugar Ray, 1 track AG1Al Green, 1 track AJ1Al Jackson Jr., 1 track WM1Willie Mitchell, 1 track JE1Jagged Edge, 1 track RJ1Rodney Jones, 1 track FJ1Fat Joe, 1 track SF1Sherm Feller, 1 track MM1Method Man, 1 track on Wu-Tang Clan's page KJ1Kenneth James Cook, 1 track MR1Mike Ransom, 1 track JS1Jamel Simmons, 1 track CS1Clifford Smith, 1 track on Wu-Tang Clan's page

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. LS Larry Smith · DS Daniel Shulman · Q Q-Tip

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

On the records where credits exist, the three of them write together and the producers write with them. Darryl McDaniels has 29, Joseph Simmons 26 and Jason Mizell 23, with Larry Smith and Russell Simmons on the early albums and Rick Rubin on Raising Hell. The problem is the middle: Back from Hell and Down with the King run to 31 tracks between them and no source publishes a writer for any of them.

Quick Facts

  • DMC leadsDarryl McDaniels on 29 of the 85 album tracks
  • Close behindRun on 26, Jam Master Jay on 23
  • The producersLarry Smith 16, Russell Simmons 13
  • Missing credits31 tracks across two albums publish no writers
  • First to platinumKing of Rock was the first platinum hip-hop record
  • Hall of FameInducted in 2009, the second hip-hop group

Creative Fingerprint

Three names sharing almost every credit, with a documented hole where two albums should be.

The Story

DMC is on 29 of the 85 album tracks, Run on 26 and Jam Master Jay on 23. Two whole albums publish no writing credits at all, which is a hole nothing fills.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2009
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2016)

Frequently Asked Questions Run-DMC

Did Run-DMC write their own songs?
Yes, where the credits exist. Darryl McDaniels is on 29 of the 85 album tracks, Joseph Simmons on 26 and Jason Mizell on 23, usually together. Two albums, Back from Hell and Down with the King, publish no per-track writing credits anywhere, which leaves 31 tracks with nobody recorded.
Who wrote "Walk This Way"?
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, in 1975. Run-DMC's version with Aerosmith reached number 4 on the Hot 100 in 1986.
Who wrote "My Adidas"?
Darryl McDaniels and Joseph Simmons with Rick Rubin.
Why do two albums have no writers listed?
The Wikipedia articles for Back from Hell and Down with the King publish track listings with samples and producers but no writers, and neither the Discogs releases nor MusicBrainz carry per-track writers for them. Both are marked unverified with a note rather than filled in from guesswork.
Who else wrote with them?
Larry Smith on 16 tracks and Russell Simmons on 13, both on the first two albums, and Rick Rubin across Raising Hell.
How many albums did they make?
Seven studio albums between 1984 and 2001. The live records, remix sets and compilations sit outside this catalogue.
Which single did best in America?
"Walk This Way" reached number 4 on the Hot 100, "Down with the King" number 21 and "You Be Illin'" number 29.
What were the firsts?
First hip-hop group to go gold, first to go platinum, first multi-platinum hip-hop record, and the first hip-hop act on MTV, American Bandstand, the cover of Rolling Stone and Live Aid.
Are they in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2009, the second hip-hop group after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. They received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
What happened to Jam Master Jay?
Jason Mizell was killed in October 2002, and the group stopped after his death.

Sources

Wikipedia: Run-DMC Wikipedia: Run-DMC discography Wikipedia: Joseph Simmons Wikipedia: Darryl McDaniels Wikipedia: Jam Master Jay File:Run-DMC in 1986.jpg - Wikimedia Commons