Tougher than Leather (June 1987) Picture thanks to: W. Shane Stoner

This book, published in the spring of '87, tracks the career of the "Kings from Queens" from their youths in New York City through the peak of their career following the release of "Raising Hell" in the spring of '86 and of the riotous Raising Hell Tour later that summer. Story includes portraits of the early lives and families of Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, with particular attention paid to the deep study they made of rap, of their breakthrough into the music business, and of their astonishing success with a music that seemed very odd indeed (at least to the world outside of young black New York) at the time of its introduction. Written with a lot of affection for the principals, and for their manager Russell Simmons and his partner, the producer Rick Rubin, and for such early associates of Run-DMC as the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. Provides a behind-the-scenes account of the birth of Def Jam Recordings, which quickly established itself as the pre-eminent rap record label. Eyewitness accounts of Run-DMC's performance at LiveAid, of the filming of "Krush Groove," of their collaboration with Aerosmith on the groundbreaking rock-rap re-recording of "Walk This Way," and of their anti-apartheid efforts. Finally, the book is imbued with a deep appreciation of Run-DMC's work ethic, their sense of humor, their creativity, and their devotion of the culture of hip-hop.