Sucker M.C.'s

"Sucker M.C.'s" (also known as "Krush-Groove 1" or "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)" and sometimes spelled as "Sucker MCs", "Sucker MC's" or "Sucker M.C.s") is a song by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was first released in 1983 as B-side to "It's Like That". The two-sided release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career as their first single,[1] and it is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an abrasive, minimalist sound that marked them out from their predecessors. Both tracks were collected on the trio's self-titled debut album in 1984. WBAU was the first station to play the two songs.[2]

"Sucker M.C.'s"
12-inch US retail vinyl release
Single by Run-D.M.C.
from the album Run-D.M.C.
A-side"It's Like That"
ReleasedMarch 1983
Recorded1983
GenreHip hop
Length3:09
LabelProfile Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Background

At first considered a meaningless "bonus beat" by Terrance Balfour and Nathaniel S. Hardy Jr. to "It's Like That", the song has become legendary and was included as the first song on their first compilation album, Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991.[3] The song is considered one of the seminal rap music songs,[4][5] making it one of two songs by the group included on the Profile Records anthology album.[4] The song is included in most of Run-D.M.C.'s compilation albums, including Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991, Greatest Hits,[1] Ultimate Run-D.M.C., The Best of Run-DMC, High Profile: The Original Rhymes, and Super Hits. It was also included on the group's first live album, Live at Montreux 2001.

An MC or M.C. is an abbreviation for Master of Ceremonies, a reference to rappers who controlled the microphones. Sucker is a derogatory street term for someone who believes he has skills, but who does not. It is derived from the common slang term sucker, relating to one who is gullible.

For Peter Shapiro, Run-D.M.C.'s 1983 two-song release "It's like That"/"Sucker M.C.'s" "completely changed hip-hop" "rendering everything that preceded it distinctly old school with one fell swoop."[6][7] In a 47-point timeline of hip hop and its antecedents spanning 64 years, Shapiro lists this release as his 43rd point.[7] Reviewing Toop's book in the LA Weekly, Oliver Wang of Soul Sides concurs, hailing Run-D.M.C. as inaugurating the new school of rap.[8] Marley Marl's first production was an "answer song" to "Sucker M.C.'s" in 1983 entitled "Sucker DJ's (I Will Survive)" by Dimples D.

According to the 2010 book Christopher R. Weingarten book It takes a nation of millions to hold us back, the song was an early inspiration to Rick Rubin.[9]

Composition and lyrics

The title Krush-Groove 1 stems from the fact that it is one of four songs (along with "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)," "Darryl & Joe (Krush-Groove 3)," and "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)") by the rap duo that used backing tracks made by Orange Krush to rap over.[10] All of the rhythm tracks aside from the drums of the original Orange Krush recording were removed by Orange Krush member Davy DMX, which inspired the lyric "Dave cut the record down to the bone". The sparse "beat only" track became a catalyst for the future emphasis on the drum beat and a break away from the more elaborate music production rap music was known for at the time. In the case of "Sucker M.C.'s", there was a loud, Oberheim DMX drum machine, a few scratches and nothing else, while the rhymes harangued weak rappers, which the song refers to by name, and contrasted them to the group's success.[11] "It's Like That" and "Sucker M.C.'s" relied completely on synthetic sounds via an Oberheim DMX drum machine programmed by both Nathaniel S. Hardy Jr. and Terrance Balfour, ignoring samples entirely. According to the liner notes for Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991, producer Russell Simmons said "I don't care what you say just mention Orange Krush [co-producer Larry Smith's band] and where you go to school", which they did in the lyrics.[3]

DJ Run mentioned Orange Krush, as well as Smith (see musical sample above) more than once. DMC mentioned St. John's University.[3] Other lyrics included Run's derision of the sucker M.C.'s "who can't get down", making this the claimed first dis rap on record according to the Together Forever liner notes. DMC, boasted of his Hollis, Queens heritage, making him a groundbreaker as a non-Bronx rapper.[3]

Legacy

In Shea Serrano's Rap Year Book, Sucker M.C.'s was selected as the most important rap song of the year 1983, ahead their song "It's Like That", Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" and Too $hort's "Don't Stop Rappin'", as it "marked the beginning of rap's second generation."[12] In 2021, it was listed at No. 406 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".[13]

Covers

Film and television samples

Music samples

Mix tape use

Multi-artist compilations

Interpolations

Other

Credits

The following credits are listed in the Together Forever liner notes:[3]

  • Writers: N.S. Hardy Jr., T. Balfour, L. Smith, J. Simmons and D. McDaniels
  • Producers: R. Simmons and L. Smith for Rush-Groove Productions
  • Assistant Producer: Roddey Hui for Protoons, Inc./Rush-Groove/ASCAP

Additionally, the liner notes cite the following two references:

  • Adler, Bill (2002). Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC. Consafos Press. ISBN 978-0-9656535-6-5.
  • Adler, Bill (1991). Rap!: Portraits and Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-05501-1.

See also

Bibliography
  • Shapiro, Peter. Rough Guide to Hip Hop, 2nd. ed., London: Rough Guides, 2005. ISBN 978-1-84353-263-7

References
  1. "Run-DMC Selects Its 'Greatest'". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  2. "Run DMC Sites". Musictrekker.com. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  3. Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991 (Compact Disc liner). Run-D.M.C. New York, New York: Profile Records. 1991. PCD-1419.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. Gundersen, Edna, Brian Mansfield, Korina Lopez, Steve Jones and Elysa Gardne (February 2, 2012). "Take 5: Madonna, Eddie Vedder, Bon Iver, more". USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Roth, Peter (May 31, 1998). "Live Report: Goodie Mob and the Roots". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  6. Shapiro, p.327
  7. Shapiro, p. 401
  8. Wang, Oliver. "Between the Lines" Archived September 3, 2012, at archive.today, LA Weekly, March 8, 2000. Retrieved on July 2, 2008.
  9. Weingarten, Christopher R. (2010). It takes a nation of millions to hold us back. Continuum Pub Group. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-8264-2913-1. Rubin picked up a copy of "Sucker M.C.'s" and was instantly blown away — and energized to try and top it.
  10. "Orange Krush". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2012. Orange Krush was made up of former Brighter Side of Darkness bass player Larry Smith, one-time Kurtis Blow DJ Davy DMX on guitar and drummer Trevor Gale. The group was a pioneering force in the early history of Russell Simmons' Def Jam Records, recording several songs that would eventually become the backing tracks for Run D.M.C.'s landmark cuts such as "Sucker MC's" and "Hollis Crew."
  11. Christgau, Robert. Consumer Guide, Village Voice, 1984. Retrieved on July 2, 2008.
  12. Serrano, Shea (2015). The Rap Year Book. Abrams Image. p. 36. ISBN 9781419718182.
  13. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
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