Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC

by Bill Adler

Jon Caramanica, Rolling Stone "Might well be the most comprehensive biography ever written about a pop act while it was still in its prime." Harry Allen, Village Voice A definitive, insightful text.David Mills, WASHINGTON TIMES "Enlightening" Source Magazine Adler's reissued classic details Run-DMC's rise to stardom and the cultivation of a whole genre.Brian Coleman, Urb An essential time capsule, Adler is the ultimate tour guide.Jeff Chang, cantstopwontstop "It remains one of the unsung classics of early hip-hop books...Bill gives you incredible you-were-there descriptions." hhn.com, issue #84 "A must-have for any serious hip-hop fan." Simon McKenzie, University of Melbourne (Australia) website "Vividly recreates the atmosphere of the years during Run-DMC's prime...when their music was at its most vibrant." Miles Marshall Lewis, Blender Magazine "...Short on 'Behind the Music' squabbles, but it's a trove of great moments." Toph One, XLR8R "Fascinating look at the beginnings of NYC hip-hop and the early career of that Hollis crew....Thoroughly enjoyable." Book Description 'Tougher Than Leather' tells the inside story of Run-DMC's astonishing rise to fame from the obscurity of Hollis. Queens to the kleig-lit heights of pop music fame. It is a story that has inspired important music makers for the last 15 years, including the Beastie Boys, Will Smith, Public Enemy, NWA, Master P, Jay-z, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit and Eminem-all of whom know who opened the door for them. And now it can inspire you. 'Tougher Than Leather' was originally published in 1987 and is reissued here in a new edition, a must have for any serious music fan and authored by Run DMC publicist Bill Adler.Although the individual members of Run-DMC and their manager Russell Simmons have all published books about their lives in recent years, there is only book devoted solely to the career of Run-DMC. Tougher Than Leather tells the inside story of Run-DMC's astonishing rise from the obscurity of Hollis, Queens to the heights of pop music fame.When the trio first teamed up in the spring of 1983, rap music was scarcely more than a weird little blip on the pop culture radar screen. Three-and-a-half years later -- thanks largely to the blazing nonstop success of Run-DMC -- rap music and hiphop culture were on arena tours from coast to coast in America. In England, Europe, and Japan. On radio and MTV. On the cover of Rolling Stone. And in the movies. Nothing slowed them down, not the refusal of radio to play their records, the outbursts of violence at their concerts, or the condemnation of their music by the Parents Music Resource Center.Hailed as "the Beatles of rap," Run-DMC paved the way for the Def Jam label and toured with such future stars as the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

Genres: Music, Hip Hop, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1987

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Bill Adler is an American music journalist and critic who specializes in hip-hop. Since the early 1980s he has promoted hip-hop in a variety of capacities, including as a publicist, biographer, record label executive, documentary filmmaker, museum consultant, art gallerist and curator, and archivist. He may be best known for his tenure as director of publicity at Def Jam Recordings (1984–1990).

Reviews

[Rushay Booysen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A autobiography on the rise of Run DMC.Bill did a good job documenting the life of this important group,.I think a copy would be worthy for every hip hop follower to journey back to the roots of the music.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bet the Brooklyn public libs has this, kidz

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved This Historical Perspective!