"I'm the king of Rock, there is none higher" screamed Run DMC's Darryl McDaniels in 1985. Seven years after their last studio album they're as keen as ever to live up to that title, enlisting Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Third Eye Blind's Stephen Jenkins and Sugar Ray to give them that cool nu-metal makeover and keep them firmly placed at the vanguard of the rock rap cross breed. It doesn't quite work.
'Here We Go 2001' is just that -more or less a remix of their original classic with Sugar Ray grinding in the background- and 'Rock Show' is just a mess. Continuing the theme 'Take The Money And Run' sheepishly follows Everlast's recently developed 'Eat At Whitey's' country rhythm and blues style. Apparently tracks with ODB and Q Tip were dropped for not 'fitting in'.
Originally scheduled for release in October 1999 (!) Run DMC want to have their cake and eat it. The 'street' is covered with jams featuring Method Man, Jermaine Dupris and Nas who virtually commands 'Queen's Day' with one of his best recent performances. The Method Man featuring on 'Simmons Incorporated' is the most up-to-date hip hop track of all, with Run even hitting Nelly style lyricism.
The Jennifer Lopez like 'Ay Papi' (guest star Fat Joe) covers the Latin market and is probably their best chance of a hit, though 'Ahhh' featuring Chris Davis gives it a close run. And it goes on, each track geared to a particular demographic.
Really this isn't really a Run DMC album, they're just guests on it. In fact DMC is hardly even present, apparently sidelined by voice problems, which can be a difficulty for a rapper. And while Run DMC have aligned themselves with new artists they can't let go of their past. Virtually every track samples or cites one of their Eighties hits and they never stop reminding us they're the original pioneers "the reason you started rhyming, the reason rap sales keep climbing". Only the title track, which acclaims their born again faith as Christians in magnificently baroque glory shows us something of their original majesty.
