Run-D.M.C.

Run-D.M.C. was a hip hop group founded by Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell that included Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels. The

Run-D.M.C. was a hip hop group founded by Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell that included Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels. The group had an enormous impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980s and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. The three members of Run-D.M.C. grew up in Hollis, Queens, New York, USA.

'Run' Simmons is the brother of hip hop legend Russell Simmons, and entered the hip-hop scene by DJing for his brother's first big act, Kurtis Blow. He shared his experiences on stage with Darryl McDaniels, one of his best childhood friends. The pair began performing at an underage club in Hollis, and remained in contact as they went off to college - Run to LaGuardia Community College and Darryl to St. John's University. They soon brought in a third member, Jam Master Jay, and in 1983 released their first single, "It's Like That".