DMC: Checks Thugs and Rock 'N Roll (RomenMpire/Warner Music Group).

Checks is the second solo CD released this year by a member of legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC (the first being Rev. Run's Distortion). While Run chose to continue the religious meditations and life-in-the-music-biz ditties he began recording in the mid-1990s, DMC is focused on his relevance and potential contribution as living icon and connection to a kinder, gentler era of hip-hop. Covering everything from the current political climate and engaging everything from the commercialization of thuggism (and the death of group member DJ Jam Master Jay in 2002) to the recent revelation of his adoption and Dominican heritage, DMC creates some ambitious message music without descending into maudlin antics or high-handed pronouncements of moral superiority. Grounded in the rock stylings that first brought international fame to Run-DMC 23 years ago (including inspired appearances by Kid Rock, Gary Dourdan and Sarah McLachlan), Checks serves as a space of artistic reflection and recreation that's taken seriously because the old man in the game remembered he was supposed to have fun.

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me-dmc.com

romenmpire.com