Walk This Way
by Run DMC
“What do you think of when you hear the statement “Walk this way”?”
If you are like me, there is a chance that you think of parents. For me, it was my dad teaching me how to behave on a golf course and navigate myself walking on the green or in the fairway.
Beautiful childhood memories, indeed! But alas, I am not here to talk about golf or my dad (though dad definitely deserves an essay on him).
Now, let's get into what I really mean. First but not necessarily foremost, Aerosmith!
I know what you're thinking: what the hell is this guy talking about that for on a hip hop and electronic music website?
Well, I am sure you know where I am going. Still, the legendary group known as Run DMC! Picture this: it's the mid-80s, and the world of Hip Hop is insanely popular in certain areas, and you had many smaller labels all fighting for the same pie, and not just a piece; they wanted the whole dang pie!
Enter Rick Rubin, co-founder of Def Jam Records. That's right, THEEEE Def Jam Records as a producer for Run DMC. Born in 1963 and having grown up on a lot of "suburban rock music," he ( Rick Rubin) had a brainchild of a song for DMC's 3rd album. He dug out Aerosmith's Toys In The Attic album and decided that Walk This Way was the one!
Rick Rubin faced all the no he could handle as neither group wanted anything to do with the idea, but at the time, Aerosmith was in a huge slump. They had not had a hit since 76 with ironically "Walk This Way," which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the $8000 Rubin offered the band to do the song would eventually pay off in droves.
The rock and rap mashup became not just a crossover hit but a cultural crossover hit of epic proportions. Objectively, it put Run DMC on the map and brought Aerosmith back to the point of relevance and Rubin on the map as a producer again from a hip hop standpoint.
The first 4 seconds of the track were fan and DJ favorites throughout the boroughs of New York. The success of "Walk This Way" cannot be understated. From its release in July of 1986 to winning the best rap single at the 1987 Soul Train Music Awards, the version with Run DMC outperformed Aerosmith's original by peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100!
“Walk This Way” became almost iconic instantly. I am certain everyone remembers when Moe, the loner bartender at Moe's Tavern, "stole the flaming Homer and called it the Flaming Moe, launching himself into stardom and performing "Walk This Way" himself with Aerosmith.
Now, even though Rubin worked on other masterpieces such as Johnny Cash's American Recordings album and Jay-Z's "99 Problems," it is wholeheartedly my opinion that "Walk This Way" is not only one of Run DMC's crowning achievements but most assuredly one of Rubin's and Def Jam's.
If you need more convincing, allow me to end by NOT understating the influence it essentially pioneered in the rap-rock genre that inspired artists like Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and even the Beastie Boys. They owe Def Jam, Rick Rubin, Run DMC, and yes, even Aerosmith a huge thank you and a well-deserved pat on the back.
