Best Run DMC Albums

The best Run DMC albums are those Run DMC albums that best defined this pioneering rap and hip hop group of the 1980s. While they no longer exist as a cohesive unit--they broke up in 2002 after a 21-year career--their impact on the genre of rap and hip hop is second to none. In 2007, they were even named the greatest hip hop band by MTV, and in 2009, they were awarded the title of greatest hip hop group by VH1. They also have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1. Run D.M.C. Run D.M.C. is the debut album of Run DMC, and that makes it noteworthy enough to award it the top spot on this best Run DMC albums list. At the time of its release, it was a pioneering record in the hop hop genre because it was unanimously viewed as an album that espoused a more ferocious form of hip hop than had ever been attempted before. Compared to all the lighter, more fluffy sounds of rap at the time, this album by Run DMC was a great juxtaposition thanks to its electronic beats and fierce rhymes.
2. King of Rock. The second album by Run DMC is also the second best Run DMC album, primarily because of how eccentric it is. It is still a rap album, but it heavily incorporates heavier rock guitar sounds in its songs. The title track of this album, some two decades later, actually was featured in one of the Guitar Hero video games, allowing a whole new generation of young people to get educated about the legacy involved in Run DMC.
3. Crown Royal. Crown Royal is the last album by Run DMC, mainly because it is the last album they put out right before the homicide of founding member Mizell. Put out in 2001, this album features a lot of guest stars like that highly respected and very much in demand (at the time) lead singer of that wondrous band called Limp Bizkit, Fred Durst. Even though critics were not down with this album, it will be forever enshrined in history as the band's swan song.