LA’s Staples Center is still smoldering from the iconic collaboration between legendary rock band Aerosmith and hip hop pioneers Run DMC. Admist a fiery backdrop, The performance began with Aerosmith delivering their 1993 hit “Living on The Edge”. Soonafter, they were joined onstage by Joseph “Run” Simmons and Daryl “DMC” McDaniels for a rousing performance of their timeless classic “Walk This Way”.
Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from Aerosmith’s 1975 album Toys in the Attic. Peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, “Walk This Way” was part of a string of successful hit singles for the band during the 1970s. It wasn’t until 1986, when the song was covered by Run DMC for their album Raising Hell that the song exploded. Soon after, the song unexpectedly took over the charts gaining heavy airplay on both urban and rock radio. Additionally, its accompanying video became a staple on MTV.
This cover was the beginning of the fusion of hip hop and hip rock, which became known as the now popular subgenre of rap rock . “Walk This Way” became an international hit and won both groups awards for Best Rap Single at the 1987 Soul Train Music Awards. The hip hop version of “Walk This Way” charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than the original version, peaking at number 4. It was also one of the first big hip hop singles in the UK, reaching a peak of number 8. Towards the end of the performance, there was a Los Angeles Lakers jersey with the number 24 raised in honor of the late great Kobe Bryant.
