Run-DMC "Raising Hell" 40th Year Anniversary by JayQuan
 
Features:
Hardcover
April 28th, 2026
176 Pages
Dimensions: 10.5"x 10.5"x 1.25"
Author JayQuan is the official historian for the National Hip-Hop Museum
 
 
In 1985, Queens, New York-based rap group Run-DMC teamed with heavy metal producer Rick Rubin to record their breakthrough album and one of the most influential songs in rap and rock. The album, Raising Hell, went double platinum and sold over 3 million copies. The song, a collaboration with rock group Aerosmith covering that band's 1975 hit "Walk This Way," is credited with pushing hip-hop into the mainstream and launching the rap-rock genre.
 
In Run DMC and Raising Hell: 40 Years, noted hip-hop historian JayQuan examines every aspect of the release, including:
A look back at the group's career prior to 1986
Track-by-track analyses of each side
Figures associated with the group and the release, such as producer Rick Rubin
The supporting tour and promotional efforts that followed the album's release
The group's career after the LP

JayQuan draws heavily from his interviews with key figures, including surviving group members Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, as well as studio and label personnel. Illustrated with performance and off-stage photography, as well as select memorabilia, this beautiful slipcased hardcover is the ultimate word on a work that had a towering impact on both rap and rock and is an essential addition to the collection of any fan.
 
The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock's most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, The Who & Quadrophenia, Prince and Purple Rain, Queen & A Night at the Opera, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, Rush and 2112, and many more to come.
 
About the Author:
JayQuan is a music historian and lecturer who has been writing about hip-hop, the art of emceeing, and the evolution of rap records since 2000. He also produces, narrates, and edits an acclaimed YouTube series called "The Lessons," described as "video CliffsNotes" about the legendary pioneers of the rap genre. JayQuan serves as The Minister of Information for Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, and is the official historian for the National Hip-Hop Museum in Washington, D.C.