Looking at their albums from a modern point of view, without worrying about impact and whatnot, this is a big step up for consistency of production with so many more elements to a lot of the songs compared to what came before on albums like 'Raising Hell'. The way 'Beats to the Rhyme' blends in with 'Radio Station' is supreme. Again though, like the aforementioned album, it's front-loaded, and it's not a cohesive album from front to back with 'Miss Elaine' sounding more like a Beastie Boys song, which isn't a good thing. It's not terrible, but it's the weakest thing here with 'Ragtime that sounds they are impersonating Slick Rick, but he didn't drop until late '88 which has me asking questions. The worst are better than the worst stuff on their previous albums, and while the best aren't as great, the consistency is to a higher standard. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Run's House, Mary Mary, Beats to the Rhyme

The first two tracks work well. I don't get the fuss with the inadvertent advertisement that is 'My Adidas'. 'Walk This Way' apparently caused Run to lose some of their core fan-base as it was seen as selling out, but it bangs and is one of the best songs they were involved in. While the first number of songs sound like they were moving the sound ahead of the earlier albums, 'Is It Live', and 'Perfection' to a greater extent, don't offer anything new on the boards, and the remainder of the album doesn't either being a lot of drums and nothing else. Overall, I'd take 'King of Rock' over this. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Track: Peter Piper, It's Tricky, Walk This Way

I just checked out the documentary series, 'Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story', and I realised I hadn't listened to all of Run's discography. As expected for an '85 rap album, this one is a mixed bag. 'Can You Rock It Like This' bangs as does the title track to a lesser degree, with the final electro influenced 'Darryl and Joe (Krush-Groove 3)' being worthy or replays too. However, the opener just feels like an introduction and not a complete song, 'Jam-Master Jammin'' is average, as is the reggae flavoured 'Roots, Rap, Reggae'. 'It's Not Funny' sounds like a sequel to 'It's Like That' only it isn't as good. There is more variety here though which isn't a feature of their debut. Run and D.M.C aren't writing Rakim level raps yet, but they are extremely commanding MCs which was their strength out the gate. I feel like with these early rap albums you have to be a bit kind and imagine yourself in that era when this dropped. I can see it being something fresh back then, and to be fair, some of it has aged better that lots of rap released later into the '80s. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: King of Rock, Can You Rock It Like This, Darryl and Joe (Krush-Groove 3)

The guitar in 'Rock Box' is something else. Without those riffs though, most of the production is too primitive for me to enjoy enough of the songs. 'Hard Times' and 'Wake Up' almost sound like the same song. '30 Days' sounds like it has similar drums too. There isn't a lot of variety on this one. This was an important album (to say the least), but I can't say much will have me going back to it. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Rock Box, It's Like That

The first two tracks are funkalicious and one of the aspects I love most about hip hop. It then gets more mellow before the energy comes back with 'U Don't Have to Take It'. This is just another mid-'90s consistent funky hip hop album. There isn't a g-funk classic here, but the hooks are contagious, and I can play this on repeat enjoying the vibes. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★★ Best Tracks: Drive Me Crazy, Bounce Ta Dis, Raw Deal