Down with the King (album)
1993 studio album by Run-DMC
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Down with the King is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Run-DMC, released on May 4, 1993, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Run-DMC, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, EPMD, KayGee of Naughty by Nature, Jam Master Jay, the Bomb Squad, Daniel Shulman, Chyskills, Jermaine Dupri and Clifton "Specialist" Dillon.
| Down with the King | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 4, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
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| Length | 49:27 | |||
| Label | Profile | |||
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| Run-DMC chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Down with the King | ||||
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Showcasing their evolving style, this innovative album boasted invited guests, including reggae star Mad Cobra and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The album features guest appearances from rappers Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Q-Tip, EPMD and Onyx. Down with the King was generally received more favorably by fans and critics than the group's previous album, Back from Hell.
Thanks to the title track, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA after only two months, July 20, 1993. Down with the King peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
The album features three Billboard singles: "Down with the King", "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do" and "Can I Get It, Yo". The title track also hit the UK Singles Chart.[1]
The album was reissued by Arista Records in 1999 and 2003.
Background
With the release of the new album, Run-DMC created a new look: All black Walker Wear outfits, black Timberlands and bald heads. DMC replaced traditional glasses with contact lenses and began to wear around his neck a large black wooden cross. Run started wearing sunglasses. Jay began to wear a designer ski hat by April Walker to cover his own bald head.[2]
The album was recorded and mixed at 9 studios in New York City and at 1 studio in Atlanta ("Can I Get A Witness").
Critical response
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Calgary Herald | B+[4] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | B+[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| NME | 6/10[8] |
| Q | [9] |
| RapReviews | 7/10[10] |
| Rolling Stone |  [11] |
| Select | 3/5[12] |
| The Source | 3.5/5[13] |
The album received positive reviews. Jason Lymangrover from AllMusic said "The new sound is decidedly more fashionable, and their fedoras and Adidas are abandoned here for bald heads and baggy black hoodies to match their new gangsta musical direction; which takes an obvious cue from Onyx (signed to Jam Master Jay's label), whose "Slam" was a platinum hit earlier in 1993."[14]
Rolling Stone gave Down with the King three and a half stars out of five, saying "...straight-faced and ultraconfident, funky and forthright...[the album has] the same infectious enthusiasm and the same in-your-face attitude as Run-D.M.C.'s raw earlier classics..."[15]
Entertainment Weekly gave the album "B", saying "...they still manage to sound young, lean, and hungry after 10 years in the rap game...."[16]
Gil Griffin from The Washington Post praised the album by saying:
On "In the House", Run and D.M.C. rap references to their old hits, including "My Adidas", while the rock guitar-powered "Big Willie" makes one long for the power chords and tag-team shouts of 1985's classic cut "King of Rock". But looking forward and taking a cue from Naughty by Nature, Run often raps in a style and speed similar to that group's Treach, with D.M.C. joining him to shout the choruses of "Come On Everybody" and "Can I Get It, Yo", something young hip-hoppers from Das EFX to Fu-Schnickens are doing. And the tempo and chorus of "3 in the Head" make it a dead ringer for the Cypress Hill song "Hand on the Pump". Be it mimicry or tribute to the current hip-hop styles, "Down With the King" boasts expert production, and its consistently up-tempo pace makes it the perfect soundtrack for summer parties".[17]
Videos
Two video clips were released on songs from the album: "Down with the King" and "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do". The video on the title track, which was directed by Marcus Raboy, many other rappers made cameos, including Eazy-E, Redman, Kris Kross, Jermaine Dupri, Onyx, Salt-N-Pepa, KRS-One, EPMD, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, MC Lyte, Kid Capri, Das EFX, P.M. Dawn and Naughty by Nature. Onyx also appeared in the video for the song "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do". The video was produced by Drew Stone.[citation needed]
Track listing
| # | Title | Featuring | Producer(s) | Samples | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Down with the King" | Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth | Pete Rock |
|
5:00 |
| 2 | "Come On Everybody" | Q-Tip | Q-Tip |
|
4:30 |
| 3 | "Can I Get It, Yo" | EPMD | EPMD Mr. Bozack (co-producer) |
|
3:30 |
| 4 | "Hit 'Em Hard" | KayGee |
|
2:52 | |
| 5 | "To the Maker" | Jam Master Jay | 0:24 | ||
| 6 | "3 in the Head" | The Bomb Squad |
|
3:29 | |
| 7 | "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do" | The Bomb Squad |
|
3:06 | |
| 8 | "Big Willie" | Tom Morello | Daniel Shulman and Run-D.M.C. |
|
4:28 |
| 9 | "Three Little Indians" | Jam Master Jay, Randy Allen, and Chyskills |
|
3:07 | |
| 10 | "In the House" | Pete Rock |
|
3:37 | |
| 11 | "Can I Get a Witness" | Jermaine Dupri |
|
3:36 | |
| 12 | "Get Open" | Onyx | Jam Master Jay and Chyskills |
|
3:52 |
| 13 | "What's Next" | Mad Cobra | Clifton "Specialist" Dillon | 4:03 | |
| 14 | "Wreck Shop" | Pete Rock |
|
3:14 | |
| 15 | "For 10 Years" | Jam Master Jay |
|
0:39 |
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[18] | 7 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart[20] | 44 |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart[21] | 29 |
Singles
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[29] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[30] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1993 (U.S.)
- Run-D.M.C. - Born Again: Interview in The Source (February 1993)
- Run-D.M.C. - Don't Call It a Comeback: Interview in Hip-Hop Connection Magazine (April 1993)
- Run-D.M.C. - A Day In The Studio with Run-D.M.C.: Interview in Rap Sheet Magazine (June 1993)
- Making a Difference: Run-D.M.C. and Guru of Gang Starr in Conversation (October 1993)
- Treblezine article on "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do"
- NY Times article saying this album got "raving" reviews