Run-DMC

Run DMC broke barriers in the 1980s as a commercial rap group that maintained street credibility. Consisting of Daryl “DMC” McDaniels, Joseph "Run" Simmons and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, the trio stands atop a long list of firsts: They were the first rappers to be nominated for a Grammy; first rappers to receive RIAA gold, platinum and multi-platinum plaque; first rappers to have a video added to MTV. They have defined rap with four classic releases in the ‘80s, beginning with their 1984 self-titled debut and ending with the 1998 release of Tougher Than Leather.  In 2002, Jam Master Jay was shot and killed in an unsolved murder in Queens. Simmons (now a minister known as Reverend Run) has gone on to reality show fame as the star of the family-focused MTV hit, Run's House.