Greatest Hits

1	King of Rock 5:13
2	It's Tricky 3:03
3	Beats to the Rhyme 2:41
4	Can You Rock It Like This 4:29
5	Walk This Way 5:10
6	Run's House 3:44
7	Rock Box 5:30
8	Peter Piper 3:23
9	Mary, Mary 3:14
10	Hard Times 3:52
11	You Be Illin' 3:26
12	It's Like That 4:49
13	My Adidas 2:48
14	Sucker M.C.'s Krush-Groove 1 3:08
15	You Talk Too Much 6:01
16	Jam-Master Jay 3:10
17	Down With the King 5:02
18	Christmas in Hollis 2:58

Barnes & Noble

As they proclaimed on an early single, Run-D.M.C. -- Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniel, and DJ Jam Master Jay -- are the kings of rock. Well, at least the Hollis, Queens rap trio -- who were discovered by Simmons' hip-hop mogul brother, Russell -- are the kings of the rap-rock hybrid they popularized on guitar-infused classics such as "King of Rock," "Mary Mary," and their groundbreaking collaboration with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way," a crossover MTV hit that opened up the pop charts for other rappers. This comprehensive Greatest Hits collects 18 of Run-D.M.C.'s best jams, from their debut single, 1983's "It's like That," through 1999's "Down with the King." The group's career came to a halt in 2002, when Jam Master Jay was shot to death at a recording studio in Queens, New York. Still, the black-and-proud trio's irreverent and positive musical legacy lives on. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

Supplanting the 1991 collection Together Forever, BMG Heritage's 2002 Greatest Hits also runs 18 tracks and shares ten of the same songs -- namely, all the big hits and usual suspects. Of the eight tracks left behind, there are some big ones -- no "Peter Piper" or "My Adidas" -- and the sequencing, while flowing much better than its predecessor, is still non-chronological, which robs the narrative of some power even if the music retains all of it. So, that means we're still waiting for the perfect Run-D.M.C. collection, but until that arrives, this is still an excellent listen and works well as both a summary and introduction to one of the greatest bands of the '80s. Stephen Thomas Erlewine