Last Sunday night, Run DMC shook Bailey Hall with their unique, bombastic hybrid of old-school hip-hop and rock. These self-proclaimed “Kings of Rock,” decked out in their classic Adidas garb and black hats, quickly got the mid-sized crowd waving their hands in a frenzied hip-hop party, started off by opening act Biz Markie. Run DMC delivered a performance complete with call and response jams, flashy MC rhymes, and DJ showmanship, as they cycled through their most well-known rap-rock hits for the Cornell audience.
Biz Markie certainly started the show off on the right foot by literally “tearing the roof off of the sucka,” when a chunk of the Bailey Hall ceiling came crashing down stage-left as a result of the earthshaking bass of the Biz’s mix — which included everything from the Beastie Boys, T.V. show themes, and Bob Marley, to his own vocal stylings.
Some time after the giant frame of Biz Markie disappeared off stage, DJ Jam Master Jay started up the hip-hop-rock beats, and DMC (Daryl McDaniels) ran on stage to prime the audience for Run’s (Joe Simmons) appearance.