In 1987, combining rap and rock was still a novel idea. When Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry joined forces at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards, viewers couldn’t help but be in awe of the juxtaposition between the musicians.
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On top of genre-melding being a novel idea, rap as a form of popular music was still in its infancy at the time. Run-D.M.C. were stewards of the genre. They made their mark even more legendary by covering Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
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The cover was devised by Run-D.M.C.’s producer, Rick Rubin. The famed tastemaker was looking to bridge the gap between the group’s sound and pop radio.
“To people who were not already fans of it, the gap was so far that not only did they not understand it, but they did not understand it to be music,” Rubin once explained. “I was looking for a way to bridge that gap in the story of finding a piece of music that was familiar and already hip-hop-friendly so that on the hip-hop side it would make sense and on the non-hip-hop side you’d see it wasn’t so far away.”
“We had a few reservations about it,” Perry added. “Maybe our fans might not like it. But our love for music and trying new things far surpassed that.”
In the end, Run-D.M.C. breathed new life into the rockers’ 1975 hit. So much so, that they all performed it together at the ’87 VMAs. While comparing the two versions of the song paints two very separate pictures in the listener’s mind, their performance further illustrates their differences.
While Run-D.M.C. donned all-black, sleek outfits and delivered the lyrics in a staccato rhythm, Tyler and Perry are the picture of rock’s heyday in the ’70s. Tyler twirled around the stage in his trademark ostentatious style while Perry made quick work of the guitar line.
Despite the two different styles of music, the performance proved that “Walk This Way” is a timeless classic that can work on a variety of levels.
Check out the ’87 VMA performance below.
(Photo by Oliver Morris/Getty Images)
