Page 30 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
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Run-D.M.C. was the first rap group to
achieve mainstream success. The three
members, Run (Joseph Simmons),
D.M.C. (Darryl McDaniels), and Jam
Master Jay (Jason Mizell), all grew up in a
middle-class neighborhood in the New
York City borough of Queens. Run and
D.M.C. met while rapping at a local club
for teenagers. They stayed in touch while
attending different colleges and later
asked another friend, deejay Jam Master
Jay, to join their act. Their first single, “It’s
Like That,” was released in 1983, and they
had several more hits in the 1980s. Run’s
brother, Russell Simmons, is a famous rap
music producer.
Run-D.M.C.