Run DMC to Rock Hall of Fame

Legendary rap pioneers, Run DMC will be inducted as part of 2009's Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame class. Joining the rap group will be heavy metal rockers, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Bobby Womack, and Little Anthony & the Imperials among several other influential musicians. DMC becomes just the second rap group to be inducted into the Hall. In 2007, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted. Run DMC deserves the honor as they successfully merged genres, putting themselves and rap into the mainstream with the smash hit "Walk this Way", a mix of rock and hip-hop which featured rock group Aerosmith accompanying them. The music video is also still considered a classic on MTV to this day. The group consisted of Daryl "DMC" McDaniels, Joseph "Run" Simmons and their late DJ, Jam Master Jay who was tragically gunned down in 2002. Their induction will not only be a tribute to the hip hop genre that many expected to die out quickly, but also an honor for the man who helmed the wheels of steel throughout their career. Both Simmons and McDaniels embarked on solo careers as well, with Simmons becoming Reverend Run and starring in his own reality show, "Run's House" on MTV. Both rappers included various rock and country musical interpolations in their later works, displaying their fearlessness in continual experimentation with music. Daryl McDaniels discussed his early idols being Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, the Treacherous Three and The Cold Crush Brothers. He also added the following about his love for rock music and the group's induction: And then," he said, "when I really got into rock'n' roll, I was totally inspired by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and Dylan and all the rock'n'roll gods. For me, just to be this little rap dude from Hollis, Queens, that only wanted to be as dope as Afrika Bambaataa and his Zulu Nation, to be going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ... it's inconceivable. I can't even comprehend the reality of that. It's huge." (Source: NJ.com) Of those who failed to make the cut this year, Chic, Iggy Pop & The Stooges and War. Bon Jovi, Kiss, Yes and Chicago were all eligible for the first time ever for the Hall but weren't even nominated. This year's induction ceremony will be the first ever to take place inside the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame's museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The ceremony will televise live on April 4th on FUSE.