Day 19: How The Unlikely Pairing ofAerosmith & Run-DMC Made a Musical Masterpiece
In 1986, I was sitting in my desk at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, NY. I was having a chat with my classmate Frank, an avid Aerosmith fan, about the fresh-ness that was Run-DMC.
You see, the remix of Walk This Way was all over MTV and it was safe to say, breaking new ground. For me, a DJ-in-the-making, growing up in New York was all about early hip hop and breakdancing (more watching and appreciating than actual windmills). Those were my earliest musical influences. What little exposure I had to rock and roll was courtesy of my brother's record collection.
So it was amazingly cool to see these hip hop pioneers blow up on the world stage. It's such and unlikely pairing and was such a huge cultural moment at the time that Geoff Edgers wrote a book about it, Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever.
Producer Rick Rubin, an Aerosmith fan, approached Run-DMC with an idea. He wanted to take Aerosmith's classic hit "Walk This Way" and give it a fresh twist by incorporating elements of hip-hop. At first, Run-DMC was skeptical. They had never tried anything like this before and weren't sure if it would work. But the more they thought about it, the more excited they became about the possibilities.
The new version was unlike anything anyone had ever heard before. The hit became one of the most played videos on MTV. The collaboration also led to a historic performance on the stage of the Live Aid concert, where the two bands performed together, an unlikely combination that was a huge success.
It's a great reminder that music knows no boundaries and that every once in a while, it's the most unlikely combinations that can lead to something truly iconic.
Learn more about the Ship30for30 Program: https://fullcast.co/ship30for30/
Follow my journey on your preferred social platform!
Listen to my other shows:
Conversations with my fellow podcasting community since 2014
Interviews with fascinating CEOs & Founders of the leading vertical farming companies from around the world.