Rev Run

Joseph Simmons, born in Queens and long recognized as the “Run” of Run-D.M.C., emerged as a solo artist in the mid-2000s after establishing himself as a leading figure in hip-hop’s golden era. He first entered the scene as Kurtis Blow’s DJ before his brother Russell Simmons launched the management company Rush Productions in the early 1980s. By the middle of that decade Russell had partnered with Rick Rubin to create the landmark label Def Jam. With his brother’s encouragement, Joseph joined forces with Darryl McDaniels to form Run-D.M.C.; Jason Mizell, known as DJ Jam Master Jay, completed the trio in 1982. The group went on to move millions of records, expand opportunities for rap music, and fuse rock elements into its sound through the 1986 hit cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” Jam Master Jay’s murder in 2002 brought the group’s run to an end. Rev Run then teamed with producer Whiteboy to record new material, completing eight tracks that he played for Russell, who was then assembling the imprint Russell Simmons Music Group. Impressed, Russell urged his brother to step forward as a solo performer. The resulting album, titled Distortion for its raw intensity, appeared on RSMG in 2005. Rev Run also maintains a daily spiritual presence by publishing “Rev Run’s Words of Wisdom” on his website. In late 2005 he entered into an agreement with MTV that produced the reality series Run’s House, offering viewers an inside look at his family’s everyday life.