Run-D.M.C. was an American hip-hop group formed in Queens, New York, in the early 1980s by Run, D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay. Their music stood out for stripped-down beats, direct and powerful flows and a pioneering fusion of rap and rock that helped bring hip-hop into global popular culture. With albums such as Run-D.M.C., King of Rock and Raising Hell, along with the success of Walk This Way with Aerosmith, Run-D.M.C. became one of the most influential groups in hip-hop history.