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Down with the King (album)

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Down with the King

| type = studio

| artist = Run-D.M.C.

| cover = Downwiththekingrundmc.jpg

| border = yes

| alt =

| released = May 4, 1993

| recorded = 1992

| studio =

| genre = * East Coast hip hop

| length = 49:27

| label = Profile

| producer = {{hlist|Run-D.M.C.|Pete Rock|Q-Tip|EPMD|KayGee|Jam Master Jay|the Bomb Squad|Daniel Shulman|Chyskills|Jermaine Dupri|Clifton "Specialist" Dillon}}

| prev_title = Back from Hell

| prev_year = 1990

| next_title = Crown Royal

| next_year = 2001

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Down with the King

| type = Album

| single1 = Down with the King

| single1date = March 2, 1993

| single2 = Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do

| single2date = June 1993

}}

}}

Down with the King is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on May 4, 1993, by Profile Records. The album was produced by Run-D.M.C., Pete Rock, Q-Tip, EPMD, KayGee of Naughty by Nature, Jam Master Jay, the Bomb Squad, Daniel Shulman, Chyskills, Jermaine Dupri and Clifton "Specialist" Dillon.

Showcasing their evolving style, this innovative album boasted invited guests, including reggae star Mad Cobra and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The album features guest appearances from rappers Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Q-Tip, EPMD and Onyx. Down with the King was generally received more favorably by fans and critics than the group's previous album, Back from Hell.

Thanks to the title track, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA after only two months, July 20, 1993. Down with the King peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

The album features three Billboard singles: "Down with the King", "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do" and "Can I Get It, Yo". The title track also hit the UK Singles Chart.{{cite web| url= https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/down-with-the-king/|title=Official Singles Chart - Run-D.M.C.| website=officialcharts.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

The album was reissued by Arista Records in 1999 and 2003.

Background

With the release of the new album, Run-D.M.C. created a new look: All black Walker Wear outfits, black Timberlands and bald heads. DMC replaced traditional glasses with contact lenses and began to wear around his neck a large black wooden cross. Run started wearing sunglasses. Jay began to wear a designer ski hat by April Walker to cover his own bald head.{{cite web| url= https://ifihavent.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/rundmc_source2935.jpg|title=Born Again : Run DMC in The Source (1993) by Reginald C. Dennis - page 46| website=ifihavent.files.wordpress.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

The album was recorded and mixed at 9 studios in New York City and at 1 studio in Atlanta ("Can I Get A Witness").

Critical response

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r168550|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]

| rev2 = Calgary Herald

| rev2score = B+Tremblay, Mark (May 16, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.

| rev3 = Christgau's Consumer Guide

| rev3score = B+[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1195&name=Run-D.M.C. Robert Christgau review]

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = B{{cite web |title=Down with the King |website=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127081517/https://ew.com/article/1993/05/07/down-king/ |archive-date=2021-01-27 |url-status=live |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/05/07/down-king/}}

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

| rev5score = {{rating|3|4}}{{cite web |last1=Siegmund |first1=Heidi |title=ALBUM REVIEW |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-02-ca-30030-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=19 October 2022 |date=2 May 1993}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = 6/10[https://www.fishpond.com.au/Music/Down-with-King-Run-DMC/0078221641227 NME review]

| rev7 = Q

| rev7score = {{Rating|3|5}}[https://www.fishpond.com.au/Music/Down-with-King-Run-DMC/0078221641227 Q review]

| rev8 = RapReviews

| rev8score = 7/10[http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_rundownwiththeking.html Rap Reviews review]

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |title=Down With The King |date=1993-06-24 |website=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414091127/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/down-with-the-king-249898/ |archive-date=2021-04-14 |url-status=live |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/down-with-the-king-249898/}}

| rev10 = Select

| rev10score = 3/5[http://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/?p=7726 Select review]

| rev11 = The Source

| rev11score = 3.5/5[http://hiphop-thegoldenera.blogspot.com/2014/10/album-review-run-dmc-down-with-king-1993.html The Source review]

}}

The album received positive reviews. Jason Lymangrover from AllMusic said "The new sound is decidedly more fashionable, and their fedoras and Adidas are abandoned here for bald heads and baggy black hoodies to match their new gangsta musical direction; which takes an obvious cue from Onyx (signed to Jam Master Jay's label), whose "Slam" was a platinum hit earlier in 1993."{{cite web| url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/down-with-the-king-mw0000096424|title=Run-D.M.C. - Down with the King. AllMusic Review by Jason Lymangrover| website=allmusic.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

Rolling Stone gave Down with the King three and a half stars out of five, saying "...straight-faced and ultraconfident, funky and forthright...[the album has] the same infectious enthusiasm and the same in-your-face attitude as Run-D.M.C.'s raw earlier classics..."{{cite web| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/down-with-the-king-249898/|title=Run-D.M.C. - Down With The King - Album review|first=Mark|last=Coleman|date=June 24, 1993|page=83|website=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

Entertainment Weekly gave the album "B", saying "...they still manage to sound young, lean, and hungry after 10 years in the rap game...."{{cite web| url= https://ew.com/article/1993/05/07/down-king/|title=Run-D.M.C. - Down With The King - Album review |first=James|last=Bernard|date=May 7, 1993|page=56| website=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

Gil Griffin from The Washington Post praised the album by saying:

{{Blockquote|text=On "In the House", Run and D.M.C. rap references to their old hits, including "My Adidas", while the rock guitar-powered "Big Willie" makes one long for the power chords and tag-team shouts of 1985's classic cut "King of Rock". But looking forward and taking a cue from Naughty by Nature, Run often raps in a style and speed similar to that group's Treach, with D.M.C. joining him to shout the choruses of "Come On Everybody" and "Can I Get It, Yo", something young hip-hoppers from Das EFX to Fu-Schnickens are doing. And the tempo and chorus of "3 in the Head" make it a dead ringer for the Cypress Hill song "Hand on the Pump". Be it mimicry or tribute to the current hip-hop styles, "Down With the King" boasts expert production, and its consistently up-tempo pace makes it the perfect soundtrack for summer parties".{{cite web| url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/05/12/recordings/0ba2150c-e586-411e-b62b-4f141503b19c/?noredirect=on|title=RECORDINGS: Run-D.M.C. - Down with the King |first=Gil |last=Griffin |date=May 12, 1993|website=The Washington Post |access-date=May 1, 2019}}}}

Videos

Two video clips were released on songs from the album: "Down with the King" and "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do". The video on the title track, which was directed by Marcus Raboy, many other rappers made cameos, including Eazy-E, Redman, Kris Kross, Jermaine Dupri, Onyx, Salt-N-Pepa, KRS-One, EPMD, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, MC Lyte, Kid Capri, Das EFX, P.M. Dawn and Naughty by Nature. Onyx also appeared in the video for the song "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do". The video was produced by Drew Stone.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Track listing

class="wikitable"
#

!Title

!Featuring

!Producer(s)

!Samples

!Length

1

|"Down with the King"

|Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

|Pete Rock

|{{smalldiv|

  • The Original Broadway Cast of Hair (James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot) – "Where Do I Go?" (1968)
  • Run-D.M.C. – "Run's House" (1988)
  • Run-D.M.C. – "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush Groove 1)" (1983)

}}

|align="center"|5:00

2

|"Come On Everybody"

|Q-Tip

|Q-Tip

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|align="center"|4:30

3

|"Can I Get It, Yo"

|EPMD

|EPMD
Mr. Bozack (co-producer)

|{{smalldiv|

  • Manzel – "Midnight Theme" (1979)
  • Kurtis Blow – "AJ Scratch" (1984)
  • Run-D.M.C. – "Hit It Run" (1986)

}}

|align="center"|3:30

4

|"Hit 'Em Hard"

|

|KayGee

|{{smalldiv|

  • Billy Squier – "The Big Beat" (1980)
  • Naughty by Nature – "Uptown Anthem" (1991)
  • Run-D.M.C. – "Rock Box" (1984)

}}

|align="center"|2:52

5

|"To the Maker"

|

|Jam Master Jay

|

|align="center"|0:24

6

|"3 in the Head"

|

|The Bomb Squad

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|align="center"|3:29

7

|"Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do"

|

|The Bomb Squad

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|align="center"|3:06

8

|"Big Willie"

|Tom Morello

|Daniel Shulman and Run-D.M.C.

|{{smalldiv|

  • A Tribe Called Quest – "Check the Rhime" (1991)
  • Blood, Sweat & Tears – "Spinning Wheel" (1968)

}}

|align="center"|4:28

9

|"Three Little Indians"

|

|Jam Master Jay, Randy Allen, and Chyskills

|{{smalldiv|

  • Run-D.M.C. – "Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse)" (1985)
  • Kurtis Blow – "AJ Scratch" (1984)
  • Public Enemy – "Public Enemy No. 1" (1987)
  • Run-D.M.C. – "Jam Master Jay" (1984)

}}

|align="center"|3:07

10

|"In the House"

|

|Pete Rock

|{{smalldiv|

}}

|align="center"|3:37

11

|"Can I Get a Witness"

|

|Jermaine Dupri

|{{smalldiv|

  • LL Cool J – "Going Back to Cali" (1987)
  • Slick Rick – "Lick the Balls" (1988)
  • Manzel – "Midnight Theme" (1979)
  • Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s – "Blow Your Head" (1974)
  • A Tribe Called Quest – "Can I Kick It?" (1990)
  • Run-D.M.C. – "My Adidas" (1986)

}}

|align="center"|3:36

12

|"Get Open"

|Onyx

|Jam Master Jay and Chyskills

|

  • Lonnie Smith – "Turning Point" (1969)

|align="center"|3:52

13

|"What's Next"

|Mad Cobra

|Clifton "Specialist" Dillon

|

|align="center"|4:03

14

|"Wreck Shop"

|

|Pete Rock

|{{smalldiv|

  • Tenor Saw – "Ring the Alarm" (1985)
  • Reggie Stepper – "Drum Pan Sound" (1990)
  • Lou Donaldson – "Who's Making Love" (1969)
  • Melvin Bliss – "Synthetic Substitution" (1973)

}}

|align="center"|3:14

15

|"For 10 Years"

|

|Jam Master Jay

|

  • Lonnie Smith – "Spinning Wheel" (1970)

|align="center"|0:39

Charts

= Weekly charts =

class="wikitable"

!Chart (1993)

!Peak
position

{{album chart|Billboard200|7|artist=Run-DMC|accessdate=May 1, 2019|refname="US200"}}
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Run-DMC|accessdate=May 1, 2019|refname="USR&BAl"}}
UK Albums Chart{{cite web| url= https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/down-with-the-king/|title=Official Albums Chart - Run-D.M.C. - Down with the King| website=officialcharts.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

|align="center"| 44

Canadian RPM Albums Chart{{cite web|title=RPM Weekly Searchable Database|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-100.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=November 19, 2010}}

|align="center"| 29

=Singles=

class="wikitable"
rowspan="2"|Year

!rowspan="2"|Single

!colspan="7"|Chart positions

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US
{{cite web| url= https://www.billboard.com/artist/run-dmc/chart-history/hsi/|title=Billboard Hot 100| website=billboard.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US R&B
{{cite web| url= https://www.billboard.com/artist/run-dmc/chart-history/bsi/|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs| website=billboard.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Rap
{{cite web| url= https://www.billboard.com/artist/run-dmc/chart-history/rap/|title=Hot Rap Songs| website=billboard.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Dance Sales
{{cite web| url= https://www.billboard.com/artist/run-dmc/chart-history/dsi/|title=Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales|website=billboard.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US R-mic
{{cite web| url= https://www.billboard.com/artist/run-dmc/chart-history/tfc/|title=Rhythmic Songs|website=billboard.com |access-date=February 9, 2019}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| CAN
{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5&q1=run+dmc&q2=Top+Singles&interval=20 |title=Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |publisher=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |accessdate=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020093110/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=sp19smnjn4io5g2nmhli5tdfo5&q1=run+dmc&q2=Top+Singles&interval=20 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| UK
{{cite web| url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/22400/run-d-m-c|title=Official Singles Chart - Run-D.M.C.| website=officialcharts.com |access-date=May 1, 2019}}

style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|1993

|align="left"|"Down with the King"

| style="text-align:center;"|21

| style="text-align:center;"|9

| style="text-align:center;"|1

| style="text-align:center;"|12

| style="text-align:center;"|33

| style="text-align:center;"|80

| style="text-align:center;"|69

align="left"|"Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do"

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|78

| style="text-align:center;"|21

| style="text-align:center;"|31

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|–

align="left"|"Can I Get It, Yo"

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|23

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|–

| style="text-align:center;"|–

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1993|artist=Run-D.M.C.|type=album|title=Down with the King}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1993|artist=Run-D.M.C.|type=album|title=Down with the King}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

See also

  • List of number-one R&B albums of 1993 (U.S.)
  • [https://ifihavent.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/born-again-run-dmc-in-the-source-1993 Run-D.M.C. - Born Again: Interview in The Source (February 1993)]
  • [http://hiphop-thegoldenera.blogspot.com/2014/10/run-dmc-dont-call-it-comeback.html Run-D.M.C. - Don't Call It a Comeback: Interview in Hip-Hop Connection Magazine (April 1993)]
  • [http://hiphop-thegoldenera.blogspot.com/2017/07/run-dmc-in-rap-sheet-1993.html Run-D.M.C. - A Day In The Studio with Run-D.M.C.: Interview in Rap Sheet Magazine (June 1993)]
  • [https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/02/guru-and-run-dmc-interview Making a Difference: Run-D.M.C. and Guru of Gang Starr in Conversation (October 1993)]
  • [https://www.treblezine.com/10-essential-bomb-squad-productions/ Treblezine article on "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do"]
  • [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/20/archives/pop-music-the-grand-old-men-of-rap-strike-back.html NY Times article saying this album got "raving" reviews]

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.discogs.com/Run-DMC-Down-With-The-King/master/97690 Down with the King at Discogs]
  • [https://genius.com/albums/Run-dmc/Down-with-the-king Down with the King at RapGenius]

{{Run-D.M.C.}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1993 albums

Category:Albums produced by Erick Sermon

Category:Albums produced by Jermaine Dupri

Category:Albums produced by KayGee

Category:Albums produced by Pete Rock

Category:Albums produced by Q-Tip (musician)

Category:Albums recorded at Unique Recording Studios

Category:Profile Records albums

Category:Run-DMC albums

Category:Albums produced by Jam Master Jay