Rap's First Album to Go Platinum Turns 40 & It Had the Greatest Rock/Rap Collab Ever
Picture it. The year was 1986, and hip-hop was still in the relatively early stages, but growing in popularity. Then one day, one legendary group dropped a hit album that proved hip-hop was a genre here to stay, and not simply a fad. Additionally, the album's most successful single helped propel the group to make history and break several barriers, along with proving that rock and rap can pair very nicely with one another. So what's the album and who is the group behind the hit?
‘Raising Hell' Was Released on May 15, 1986
Run-DMC is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rap group that certainly earned their spot in music history. Members Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell have sold over 6 million albums in the US, received a couple of Grammy nominations and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, had almost the entire country wanting to mimic their style in Adidas, and they greatly showed the mass appeal of hip-hop culture.
On May 15, 1986, the group released their third and most popular album, Raising Hell. Upon its release, it topped Billboard's R&B/Hip Hop Album Chart, peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, and sold over 3 million copies. And with those album sales, it earned the distinct honor of being, as Rolling Stone puts it, "the first rap LP to go platinum and the first to enter the Top Ten on Billboard‘s pop chart."
Now, what made Raising Hell such an incredible and important album was the tracklist. There are some amazing songs on the projects, including the greatest rock/rap collaboration of all time.
Run-DMC and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" Is in a League of Its Own
Raising Hell boasted hit songs like "My Adidas" and "It's Tricky," but without question, the biggest song on the album was Run-DMC's cover of "Walk This Way," featuring the originators of the song, Aerosmith. It was a track that was not even guaranteed to be on the Raising Hell album, let alone released as the second official single.
The song was an instant hit and climbed the charts. In fact, it made history again for Run-DMC as it became the first rap song to land within the Billboard 100's Top 10 (peaking at the #4 spot). Rolling Stone also placed the single at 293 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. From a cultural impact standpoint, the single helped demonstrate that hip-hop has wide appeal among the masses, and it paved the way for future rap/rock hits to come. One future hit that comes to mind is Jay-Z and Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore". Check out the "Walk This Way" video below.
Related: 20 Years Ago Today, DC Aired the Last Episode of the Greatest Superhero Cartoon Ever
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 6:01 AM.