Kings from Queens from Queens come Kings.

A landmark album was released today in 1986 from the seminal band Run DMC, comprised of Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniel, and Jason Mizell. "Raising Hell" was perhaps THE album that put hip hop on the map, rising to #3 on the main album chart and #1 on the hip hop/R&B chart. Featuring rock and roll riffs, solid beats and, for the time, cutting edge lyrical skills, this album was a monster. If you don't believe me, go look in the Library of Congress and you'll find this record.

Hip hop was still trying to gain mainstream legitimacy in 1986 and the genre found it with the collaboration between Aerosmith and Run DMC. DMC remade the classic "Walk This Way" and instantly became legitimate in the minds of many rockers. That Aerosmith participated in the remake, rather than simply being sampled, signaled to many rock fans that hip hop was an art form to be taken seriously.

But that song wasn't the only jammie on that record. "My Adidas", "It's Tricky", and "You Be Illin'" were also released as singles and songs like "Peter Piper" had young suburban kids testing their she sells seashells skills in a new way. Produced by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, the album is a masterstroke in crossover genius. Rock and roll was dominant at the time and "Raising Hell" liberally used rock riffs to attract a new audience.

It's not hyperbole to say that rap music absolutely blew up after this album. Tips of the cap to those that came before and propers are due to those that came after, but this is the moment that popular music culture shifted. Rock and rap were oil and water before this record. After, they were chocolate and peanut butter - two great tastes that go great together.