JayQuan is releasing a new book on Run-D.M.C.’s “Raising Hell”

RUN-DMC AND RAISING HELL: 40 YEARS ∙ JayQuan’s definitive deep dive into the album that changed hip-hop forever.

Forty years ago, Run‐DMC detonated the boundaries between rap, rock, and mainstream culture with Raising Hell – a landmark album that reshaped music history and pushed hip‐hop into the global spotlight. Now, acclaimed hip‐hop historian JayQuan delivers the ultimate tribute with RUN‐DMC AND RAISING HELL: 40 YEARS, a richly illustrated, slipcased celebration of the group’s groundbreaking 1986 release.

Why Raising Hell Still Matters

What makes Raising Hell so enduring – and so worthy of a 40‐year celebration – is the rare balance it struck. The first rap album to go
platinum and multi‐platinum, it became Run‐DMC’s biggest crossover success thanks to tracks like “It’s Tricky,” “You Be Illin’,” “My Adidas,” and the groundbreaking “Walk This Way.” Yet it remained the group’s most revered album among core fans. At a time when hip‐hop audiences were famously unforgiving of crossover moves, Run‐DMC managed to expand their reach without losing credibility, delivering their most energetic, creative, and lyrically sharp work to date.

The album’s influence still resonates. As Public Enemy’s Chuck D reflected in 2025, “Raising Hell is the greatest rap album of all time. If you were too young then you just missed it, because the magnitude is incomparable.”

Inside the Book

In RUN‐DMC AND RAISING HELL: 40 YEARS, JayQuan explores every facet of the album and its era, including:

• The group’s rise from Queens to national prominence
• Track‐by‐track analysis of both sides of Raising Hell
• The creative partnership with producer Rick Rubin
• The supporting tour, promotional push, and cultural explosion that followed
• The group’s evolution after the album’s massive success

Drawing from extensive interviews with key figures – including surviving members Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, as well as studio and label personnel – JayQuan offers an inside look at the making of a record that sold more than 3 million copies and forever altered the trajectory of hip‐hop.

Lavishly illustrated with performance photography, behind‐the‐scenes images, and rare memorabilia, RUN‐DMC AND RAISING HELL: 40 YEARS is the definitive chronicle of a masterpiece that bridged genres, broke barriers, and set the stage for the global dominance of rap.

RUN‐DMC AND RAISING HELL: 40 YEARS publishes April 28, 2026 by Motorbooks, an imprint of The Quarto Group.