Hottest 25 Women In Music - Fergie

Fergie - #19

Run DMC

More than any other hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C. are responsible for the sound and style of the music. As the first hardcore rap outfit, the trio set the sound and style for the next decade of rap. With their spare beats and excursions into heavy metal samples, the trio were tougher and more menacing than their predecessors Grandmaster Flash and Whodini. In the process, they opened the door for both the politicized rap of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, as well as the hedonistic gangsta fantasies of N.W.A. At the same time, Run-D.M.C. helped move rap from a singles-oriented genre to an album-oriented one — they were the first hip-hop artist to construct full-fledged albums, not just collections with two singles and a bunch of filler. By the end of the ’80s, Run-D.M.C. had been overtaken by the groups they had spawned, but they continued to perform to a dedicated following well into the ’90s.

All three members of Run-D.M.C. were natives of the middle-class New York borough Hollis, Queens. Run (born Joseph Simmons, November 14, 1964) was the brother of Russell Simmons, who formed the hip-hop management company Rush Productions in the early ’80s; by the mid-’80s, Russell had formed the pioneering record label Def Jam with Rick Rubin. Russell encouraged his brother Joey and his friend Darryl McDaniels (born May 31, 1964) to form a rap duo. The pair of friends did just that, adopting the names Run and D.M.C., respectively. After they graduated from high school in 1982, the pair enlisted their friend Jason Mizell (born January 21, 1965) to scratch turntables; Mizell adopted the stage name Jam Master Jay.

In 1983, Run-D.M.C. released their first single, “It’s Like That”/”Sucker M.C.’s,” on Profile Records. The single sounded like no other rap at the time — it was spare, blunt, and skillful, with hard beats and powerful, literate, daring vocals, where Run and D.M.C.’s vocals overlapped, as they finished each other’s lines. It was the first “new school” hip-hop recording. “It’s Like That” became a Top 20 R&B hit, as did the group’s second single, “Hard Times”/”Jam Master Jay.” Two other hit R&B singles followed in early 1984 — “Rock Box” and “30 Days” — before the group’s eponymous debut appeared.

By the time of their second album, 1985’s King of Rock, Run-D.M.C. had become the most popular and influential rappers in America, already spawning a number of imitators. As the King of Rock title suggests, the group were breaking down the barriers between rock & roll and rap, rapping over heavy metal records and thick, dense drum loops. Besides releasing the King of Rock album and scoring the R&B hits “King of Rock,” “You Talk Too Much,” and “Can You Rock It Like This” in 1985, the group also appeared in the rap movie Krush Groove, which also featured Kurtis Blow, the Beastie Boys, and the Fat Boys.

Run-D.M.C.’s fusion of rock and rap broke into the mainstream with their third album, 1986’s Raising Hell. The album was preceded by the Top Ten R&B single “My Adidas,” which set the stage for the group’s biggest hit single, a cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” Recorded with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, “Walk This Way” was the first hip-hop record to appeal to both rockers and rappers, as evidenced by its peak position of number four on the pop charts. In the wake of the success of “Walk This Way,” Raising Hell became the first rap album to reach number one on the R&B charts, to chart in the pop Top Ten, and to go platinum, and Run-D.M.C. were the first rap act to received airplay on MTV — they were the first rappers to cross over into the pop mainstream. Raising Hell also spawned the hit singles “You Be Illin’” and “It’s Tricky.”

Run-D.M.C. spent most of 1987 recording Tougher Than Leather, their follow-up to Raising Hell. Tougher Than Leather was accompanied by a movie of the same name. Starring Run-D.M.C., the film was an affectionate parody of ’70s blaxploitation films. Although Run-D.M.C. had been at the height of their popularity when they were recording and filming Tougher Than Leather, by the time the project was released, the rap world had changed. Most of the hip-hop audience wanted to hear hardcore political rappers like Public Enemy, not crossover artists like Run-D.M.C. Consequently, the film bombed and the album only went platinum, failing to spawn any significant hit singles.

Two years after Tougher Than Leather, Run-D.M.C. returned with Back From Hell, which became their first album not to go platinum. Following its release, both Run and D.M.C. suffered personal problems as McDaniels suffered a bout of alcoholism and Simmons was accused of rape. After McDaniels sobered up and the charges against Simmons were dismissed, both of the rappers became born-again Christians, touting their religious conversion on the 1993 album Down With the King. Featuring guest appearances and production assistance from artists as diverse as Public Enemy, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Neneh Cherry, Pete Rock, and KRS-One, Down With the King became the comeback Run-D.M.C. needed. The title track became a Top Ten R&B hit and the album went gold, peaking at number 21. Although they were no longer hip-hop innovators, the success of Down With the King proved that Run-D.M.C. were still respected pioneers.

After a long studio hiatus, the trio returned in early 2000 with Crown Royal. The album did little to add to their ailing record sales, but the following promotional efforts saw them join Aerosmith and Kid Rock for a blockbuster performance on MTV. By 2002, the release of two greatest-hits albums prompted a tour with Aerosmith that saw them travel the U.S., always performing “Walk This Way” to transition between their sets. Sadly, only weeks after the end of the tour, Jam Master Jay was senselessly murdered in a studio session in Queens. Only 37 years old, the news of his passing spread quick and hip-hop luminaries like Big Daddy Kane and Funkmaster Flex took the time to pay tribute to him on New York radio stations. Possibly the most visible DJ in the history of hip-hop, his death was truly the end of an era and unfortunately perpetuated the cycle of violence that has haunted the genre since the late ’80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy

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Guns N Roses – Chinese Democracy

“Grunge. Techno. Boy bands. Both President Bushes. These are just a few of the things Guns N’ Roses has improbably outlasted in the 17 (!) years since its last album of original music. Almost ever since, lone original member Axl Rose has been working on “Chinese Democracy,” which reached mythic status as the album many thought would never materialize. Lo and behold, here it is (as a Best Buy exclusive, no less).

Apparently to make up for lost time, the set is frontloaded with huge-sounding, heavily produced rockers coated in an ultra-modern sheen that contrasts starkly with the stripped-down, freewheeling material of GNR’s glory days. Tracks like “Riad N’ the Bedouins” have “Appetite for Destruction” bones but exoskeletons dipped in chrome. Rose eventually backs off and lets the songs breathe, with promising results. “Scraped” is a riffy monster in the vein of “Mr. Brownstone”; “Catcher in the Rye” is pure, major-key classic rock; and “This I Love” is a grandiose ballad you can picture Rose playing with a candelabra on the piano lid.

The artist is in fine, ever-changing voice throughout, and there’s certainly a ton of musical food for thought here, requiring several listens before the nuances are revealed. Worth the wait? Maybe. Worth a few hours of your time? Definitely. — Jonathan Cohen”

Trace Adkins - X

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Trace Adkins - X

“There’s a reason Trace Adkins is still alive and well on his 10th album: he is the sincere, God-fearing, pickup truck-driving, sometime-screwup everyman that his songs appeal to. Not known as a songwriter, Adkins has an innate ability to make a song his own, as is the case with the seemingly autobiographical “Happy to Be Here” and the family-first “All I Ask for Anymore.” Adkins’ sense of humor is on display on “Marry for Money,” a hilarious take on a male gold digger, and on the self-deprecating “Hillbilly Rich.” While the baritone channels his inner Barry White on “Let’s Do That Again,” he shows his vulnerable side on “I Can’t Outrun You.” “Til the Last Shot’s Fired,” with its poignant prologue, and bluesy single “Muddy Water,” which speaks of spiritual rebirth, are the album’s two best cuts. —Ken Tucker”

Hottest 25 Women In Music - Julianne Hough

Julianne Hough - #20

Alan Jackson

After Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson was the most popular male country singer of the ’90s. An heir to the new traditionalist movement of the ’80s, Jackson’s approach was rooted in classic honky tonk yet remained comfortably within the contemporary mainstream. Jackson’s hallmark was consistency — he wrote many of his own hits, and his way with a hook was part of the reason he never really hit a commercial dry spell, even into the new millennium. He also projected a modest, wholesome, down-to-earth image that made him one of the best-liked stars of his era even apart from his music. The total package resulted in an astounding 20 number one singles and 20 more Top Ten hits, all in the first 12 years of his career.

Jackson was born in the small town of Newnan, GA, on October 17, 1958. He grew up singing gospel music, both in church and at home with his family, and as a teenager performed locally as part of a country duo. He left school to work and married his high school sweetheart, Denise, who worked as an airline stewardess. During the early ’80s, Jackson held down a series of odd jobs — car salesman, construction worker, forklift operator at K-Mart — while playing the local club circuit with his band, Dixie Steel, and working on his songwriting. He caught his big break when Denise found country-pop star Glen Campbell waiting for a flight and gave him a copy of her husband’s demo tape; Campbell in turn gave her contact information for his music publishing company, and the Jacksons picked up and moved to Nashville shortly thereafter. Campbell’s company suggested that Alan take a year and hone his songwriting even further, and so he worked more odd jobs — including the mail room at The Nashville Network, plus some session singing — before finally signing on as a staff writer. By night, he performed in Nashville clubs and recorded an updated demo with songwriter/producer Keith Stegall. In 1989, Jackson became the first artist signed to Arista’s new country division.

Jackson’s debut album, Here in the Real World, was issued in 1990 and became a platinum-selling hit on the strength of four Top Five hits: the title cut, “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Wanted,” and the first of many chart-toppers, “I’d Love You All Over Again.” He shot to full-fledged superstardom with the follow-up, 1991’s Don’t Rock the Jukebox, whose title track was an inescapable number one smash that year. The record produced three more number ones (”Someday,” “Dallas,” “Love’s Got a Hold on You”) and also contained one of Jackson’s signature songs, the Top Five “Midnight in Montgomery,” which told the story of a visit to Hank Williams’ grave. Also in 1991, Jackson co-wrote several songs with Randy Travis for Travis’ High Lonesome album. With 1992’s A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ‘Bout Love), Jackson took his place as not only one of the most popular stars of his time, but also one of the best. The number one smash “Chattahoochee” became another signature tune, and Jackson also topped the charts with “She’s Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues),” while scoring three more Top Five hits from the album — which became his first to top the country LP charts.

In late 1993, Jackson released the stopgap holiday album Honky Tonk Christmas, which actually avoided standards in favor of lesser-known material. He returned in 1994 with Who I Am, his second straight number one country album, which gave him a staggering four number one singles: a cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” the music-biz satire “Gone Country” (a dig at executives hopping on the commercial country bandwagon), “Livin’ on Love,” and “I Don’t Even Know Your Name.” In only his fifth year on the scene, Jackson was able to issue The Greatest Hits Collection in 1995 and scored hits with three newly minted songs: a cover of George Jones’ “Tall Tall Trees,” “I’ll Try” (both number one), and “Home.” It took The Greatest Hits Collection only a year to sell over three million copies. And, of course, Jackson was far from done. 1996’s Everything I Love became his fourth straight release to top the country album charts, and it gave him five Top Ten hits, including the number ones “Little Bitty” (a Tom T. Hall cover) and “There Goes.” The 1998 follow-up, High Mileage, also hit number one and became Jackson’s highest-charting album on the pop side, reaching number four; it contained four more Top Tens, including the chart-topping “Right on the Money.”

Jackson paid tribute to his favorite country singers of the past on the easygoing 1999 covers album Under the Influence, which featured material by Jones, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Jimmy Buffett, Hank Williams, Jr., Don Williams (the chart-topping “It Must Be Love”), and Jim Ed Brown (the Top Ten “Pop a Top”), among others. Although Under the Influence just missed hitting number one, 2000’s When Somebody Loves You returned Jackson to the top of the album charts and gave him another number one in “Where I Come From.” That year, he also teamed up with George Strait for the duet “Murder on Music Row,” a strident defense of traditional country in the face of a new wave of crossover stars.

The year 2001 brought an enormous hit in “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” a poignant attempt to make sense of the aftermath of September 11; rush-released after an awards-show premiere, the song rocketed to the top of the country charts and also became his first single to crack the pop Top 30. It was followed by the full-length Drive in 2002, which spawned another number one in “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” a tribute to Jackson’s late father. The album was Jackson’s seventh to top the country charts, and it also became his first to top the pop charts. His second greatest-hits collection appeared in 2003 and featured the crossover hit “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” a duet with Jimmy Buffett. A year later the well-received What I Do became the purest country album from Jackson in years. Precious Memories, released in 2006, was a collection of 15 hymns originally recorded as a Christmas gift for his mother. Later that same year, Jackson released Like Red on a Rose, a mellow Alison Krauss production. Live at Texas Stadium, a concert set with George Strait and Jimmy Buffett, followed in 2007. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Paul Van Dyk - Hands On In Between

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Paul Van Dyk - Hands On In Between

“If a track that didn’t make too much noise in the first place gets remixed, does anyone hear it drop? Paul van Dyk seems to be in that trance—no pun intended—into which European DJs who are massive all over the world, but less so in America, have a tendency to lapse: He thinks everyone is champing at the bit for more material from him. “Hands On In Between” is two discs worth of other producers’ remixes of tracks from last year’s coolly received “In Between.” For mainstream music buyers, it’s a confusion-causing addition to the already daunting landscape of dance music retail. And for dance fans, it’s more of the same. Everything here is lush, throbbing and epic—just like van Dyk’s originals. There isn’t an adventurous little electro-bleep remix, downtempo reimagining or sparse acoustic attempt. In fact, each track seems to start with the same kick drum wallop. These mixes should have gone to bloggers for free. —Kerri Mason”

The Fireman - Electric Arguments

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The Fireman - Electric Arguments

“Paul McCartney and producer Youth have now long been identified as the brains behind once-anonymous electronica duo the Fireman, but even if they hadn’t, the project’s third release would be an instant giveaway, as it’s the first Fireman album to include McCartney’s vocals. And with his voice on “Electric Arguments” comes a much more diverse, song-based, pop/rock-oriented approach to the Fireman’s experimental slant. Opener “Nothing Too Much Just out of Sight” is a growling, fiery blues jam, followed by the sunny, acoustic, “Blackbird”-descendent “Two Magpies.” New age, psychedelia and gospel take turns with more straightforward, at times derivative classic rock, until world-infused ambient tracks find their way back to the Fireman’s focus with “Lovers in a Dream” and “Universal Here, Everlasting Now.” The set closes with the Zeppelin-esque “Don’t Stop Running”—and it’s clear from the sheer range and energy on this album that McCartney is heeding his own advice.—Evie Nagy”

Hottest 25 Women In Music - Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson - #21

Mandy Moore

Teen dance-pop singer Mandy Moore was born in Nashua, NH, on April 10, 1984, but raised in Orlando, FL; determined to be an entertainer from the age of six onward, she was later known throughout the Orlando area as the “National Anthem Girl” for her regular performances of “The Star Spangled Banner” at local sporting events. Breaking into the recording industry via voiceovers and commercials, in 1999 Moore became the latest Orlando teen to sign a record contract after landing at Sony; her debut album, So Real, appeared late that year. The album spawned a hit with “Candy,” a remix of which also appeared on her 2000 release I Wanna Be with You, which was basically a slightly altered version of her debut. The title cut broke into the Top 40 that year, and a self-titled proper sophomore effort appeared in summer 2001. The following year, she starred in the film version of Nicholas Sparks’ popular book A Walk to Remember, playing the love interest to actor Shane West’s character. Moore made the leap to musical maturity with a 2003 covers record, Coverage, which included songs by Carole King, Joe Jackson, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. More successful film roles followed, including 2005’s Saved and 2006’s American Dreamz, before Moore returned to the music world in May 2007 with Wild Hope. Released via The Firm, it was the first album that Moore insisted on writing her own material, and she did so by collaborating with various musicians like Lori McKenna, Rachael Yamagata, and Chantal Kreviazuk. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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