Run Dmc Vs. Jay-Z

Run DMC vs. Jay-Z

Run-D.M.C. was a hip hop group during the 1980s founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell. The group had an impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980s and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. Run-D.M.C. is the first rap act to have reached a number of major accomplishments such as #1 R&B charting rap album, top 10 pop charting rap album, RIAA gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, Grammy Award nomination, video appearance on MTV and signed to an athletic product endorsement deal with Adidas. During the time of Run-DMC’s outbreak, their was countless amounts of controversy brought up over the idea of the negative influence from the African-Americans, existing until today. Thus, the group felt torn between their mainstream appeal during the time of negativity in other manifestations of rap music.

Going ahead to a more current era, comes a known hip-hop idol, Jay-Z. Shawn Corey Carter born December 4, 1969, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper and former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. In addition, he co-owns The 40/40 Club and the New Jersey Nets NBA team. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. Jay-Z is one of the most successful examples of the growing power of hip-hop. He has sold over 26 million units in the USA and 50 million copies worldwide. Released on September 11, 2001, the album managed to debut at #1, selling more than 450,000 albums in its first week. The success of the album was overshadowed by the terrorist attacks that same day. The Blueprint was applauded for its production and the balance of "mainstream" and "hardcore" rap, receiving recognition from both audiences. Jay-Z as well, received many negative remarks and criticism based on his rapping lyrics, as was Run-DMC. Although unlike Run-DMC, even after a decade of making music, he neglects to leave the top of the charts for any of his released albums or songs.