Product Description

"Raising Hell" chronicles Run-D.M.C.'s epic story through candid original interviews and true and exclusive details about their extraordinary rise to the top. Readers will learn about their early feuds with jealous peers such as L.L. Cool J, their mentoring of legendary groups like The Beastle Boys and Public Enemy, their battles with producers, record executives, and each other; never before revealed details about Jam Master Jay's murder, and the legendary Russell Simmons' role in both the group's astounding success and their ultimate demise; and through it all how Run-D.M.C. changed everything about popular culture and American race relations by dragging rap from the streets into the corporate boardroom.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2566099 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Run-D.M.C. is synonymous with hip-hop, and, appropriately, Ro's look at the pioneering, influential band's history plays like a history of the genre. Drawing on interviews with many of rap's biggest names, Ro (Have Gun Will Travel) charts the rise and fall of Run (Joe Simmons, younger brother of impresario and Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons), D.M.C (Darryl McDaniels) and Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell). Hailing from middle-class Hollis, Queens, Run-D.M.C were the first to blend rock and rap, a formula that took them to the top of the pop music charts in the mid-1980s and early '90s. The book's supporting cast includes L.L. Cool J (who had an intense rivalry with Run), the Beastie Boys, Def Jam co-founder and producer Rick Rubin, and Aerosmith, who embraced Run-D.M.C and their 1986 remake of the chart-topping single "Walk This Way." Success, however, was fleeting, owing to bad record deals, lawsuits, alcoholism, meandering film projects and a rape charge pinned on Run (he later found God, to the skepticism of some close friends). Tragedy reigns, however, as the story opens and closes with the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay in his Queens studio in 2002.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"A revelatory (and titillating) page-turner for fans and the uninitiated alike." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"A spicy, provocative, beautifully written take on one of hip-hop’s most storied groups. " -- --Michael Eric Dyson, author of Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur

"As gory as a car wreck that we are unable to turn away from." -- Washington Post on Have Gun Will Travel

"Brilliant reporting...Hip-hop fans of all ages will delight in this gripping tale of sex, drugs, and rock n’rap." -- Smooth Magazine

"If Bob Woodward had street cred and could write about hip hop, his name would be Ronin Ro!" -- --Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black Rich and Famous and The New H.N.I.C. He is Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinema-Television --Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black Rich and Famous and The New H.N.I.C. He is Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinema-Television --Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black Rich and Famous and The New H.N.I.C. He is Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinema-Television

"Mesmerizing and provocative account of the lives of Run-D.M.C and Jam Master Jay..." -- --Raquel Z. Rivera, author of New York Ricans and the Hip Hop Zone

"Ro’s look at the pioneering, influential band’s history plays like a history of the genre." -- Publishers Weekly

"The read of the year." -- Chicago Tribune on Have Gun Will Travel

"Will enthrall both pop sociologists and armchair thrill seekers." -- Entertainment Weekly on Have Gun Will Travel

Review
"Brilliant reporting...Hip-hop fans of all ages will delight in this gripping tale of sex, drugs, and rock n'rap." (Smooth Magazine )

"If Bob Woodward had street cred and could write about hip hop, his name would be Ronin Ro!" (--Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black Rich and Famous and The New H.N.I.C. He is Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinema-Television--Dr. Todd Boyd, aka The Notorious Ph.D., is the author of Young Black )

"Will enthrall both pop sociologists and armchair thrill seekers." (Entertainment Weekly on Have Gun Will Travel )

"A revelatory (and titillating) page-turner for fans and the uninitiated alike." (San Francisco Chronicle )

"Will enthrall both pop sociologists and armchair thrill seekers." (Entertainment Weekly )

"In Raising Hell, one of hip-hop's most important stories meets one of its most compelling storytellers." (--Bakari Kitwana, author of Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop: Wankstas, Wiggers, Wannabes and the New Reality of Race in America )

"The read of the year." (Chicago Tribune on Have Gun Will Travel )

"A spicy, provocative, beautifully written take on one of hip-hop's most storied groups. " (--Michael Eric Dyson, author of Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur )

"Mesmerizing and provocative account of the lives of Run-D.M.C and Jam Master Jay..." (--Raquel Z. Rivera, author of New York Ricans and the Hip Hop Zone )

"As gory as a car wreck that we are unable to turn away from." (Washington Post on Have Gun Will Travel )

"[Ro] pulls no punches in a work of nonfiction that reads like a novel." (Miami Herald on Have Gun Will Travel )

"A definitive book." (New York Times on Have Gun Will Travel )

Customer Reviews

the best rap group..... still !!
my 1st love was rap music back in the late 80`s early 90`.rap was new, and
ground breaking.on day a friend of mine came at my house with a new album he had baught.... raising hell from run dmc.this is one of my best album still today.this book explaines every thing, from russel simmons to rick rubin and from beastie boy to ll cool j (all of them was signed by or produce by def jam) i read this book in 2 days and when i finished, i almost cried.1st because i realised that im 34 years old and that all
this music was going on at the same time i was groing up (i feel i was part of something) 2nd is that i realised (again) that rap today has nothing to do with run dmc public enemy etc etc. i still weir my addidas shell toes with pride.

Exhiliarating, Interesting, thought-provoking, and sad even
I'm pretty perceptive when it comes to scoping out the right books to read (i.e. whether or not it's actually worth the time & money).

This one was another great page-turner!

Particularly for fans of hip hop music, those who came of age before the genre crossed over to the mainstream, and also for music fans who've probably heard countless great tales from the industry that are starting to come off like a broken record.

"Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin and Redemption of Run DMC" is a book title that could very easily read "Raising Hell: The Reign & Ruin of Run DMC."

I said that because for as much as I loved this group growing up and still love what they achieved circa-1985 and their place in moving the genre forward, the book did a lot to burst my bubble (so to speak) on what remains an iconic group.

Without giving away the juicy details of the book, Run DMC should be credited for their historic, innovative stylings.

Coming off the more glossy hip hop infancy of blinged out artists like Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five, it was Run DMC who made it cool to "just be yourself" without all the celebrity, wearing-your-wealth-on-your-sleeves images.

It was Run DMC who (at the time) came with a more deviantly hardcore hip hop sound (read: not your commercially-friendly, R&B-type rap music).

And it was Run DMC who helped the hip hop culture grow the most in the mid-80s by experimenting with a slight rock&roll flavor that became their signature sound while expanding hip hop's fanbase.

Where this book may surprise you is hearing all the behind the scenes tales of (now Rev.) Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay -- at least it all surprised me b/c they weren't always true to their music images.

Jam Master Jay (may he rest in peace) is presented as the cool, laid back brotha who stayed runnin' in the streets. You won't find out anything more than theories about who his killer might be, but just finding out he at least ran with more than his share of greasy cats even into his 30s will make you wonder if that didn't play some small part in his demise (i.e. He didn't deserve to die but this wasn't just some random act of violence as the media initially tried to portray it).

Perhaps a little less surprising is the book's portrayal of Run (the group's leader) as this egotistical, control freak who refused to compromise and even as a born again Christian remains a shady, alcohol-overconsuming man of the world posing as a disciple of the Lord.

DMC, my personal favorite of the group, comes off as perhaps the group member with the most issues.

The book paints him as this slightly introverted pushover who stomached Run's ego trips back in the day during the group's run at the top and one who didn't grow a backbone until their best days had passed them by (thus all the tales of the turmoil, hatred and conflict that defined Run DMC's circa-2000 comeback).

And yet with all of the aforementioned flaws (we all have some!), the most disgusting part of these behind the scenes tales all involve the way Run and DMC reacted to JMJ's murder.

The only specific detail of this book I will divulge is that Run and DMC came off as spiritually unchanged by their best friend's death and more concerned with how to exploit it for money in the same vein TuPac and Biggie's deaths were milked for cash.

Great read but depending on what perspective you're coming from and what image you have of this group, this may or may not be recommended material.

By the end of "Raising Hell," I can't say I lost any respect for them as a whole.

But I guess it's a lot easier to keep their immense accomplishments in context while also acknowledging their utter human qualities and inevitable sameness with most who survive to tell about their music industry experiences (i.e. drugs, sex, some good times & lots of shady dealings).

Interesting Facts; Mediocre Writing
If you love old school rap, you'll enjoy reading the interesting facts that Ro presents in this comprehensive presentation about the Kings of Rock, RUN DMC. However, I wouldn't exactly call Ronin Ro a story teller. I thought his writing lacked a compelling story line, so if you're not a RUN DMC/old school fan you'll have a hard time getting through the book. It's more like a chronological presentation of facts. The little nuggets about the relationships of the old school players and the songs they mastered is what will get you through it (for example, why LL Cool J's song "Rock the Bells" does not have bells in it). The book did change my view of RUN DMC, especially Reverend Run and Russel Simmons, although not necessarily for the better.