How Run-D.M.C., Rick Rubin, and a reluctant Aerosmith cover turned Raising Hell into hip-hop's first multi-platinum album.
This isn't a crossover novelty story: it's the record where "Walk This Way" cracked mainstream radio, "My Adidas" turned a sneaker into a movement, and "It's Tricky" showed rap could be pop without losing its edge.
The moment hip-hop stopped asking for a seat at the table — and started building its own.
On the legacy of Raising Hell, 1986
Produced by Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons, and Run-D.M.C. on Profile Records, released 1986.
Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and sold 3+ million copies in the US — the first hip-hop album certified multi-platinum.
The Aerosmith collaboration "Walk This Way" became the track that broke rap into mainstream rock radio.
"My Adidas" and "It's Tricky" remain genre staples alongside the title track's rap-rock fusion.
Explore the three pivotal tracks that drove Raising Hell into multi-platinum history.
The historic rap-rock collision with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, built from Rick Rubin's audacious idea to remake the 1975 Aerosmith cut with Run-D.M.C. and turn rock-radio gatekeeping into crossover evidence.
Explore the complete Raising Hell catalogue entry for the full production story, or drop into the Fan Zone to share where this one ranks in your golden-era hip-hop rotation.
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