King of Rock (song)

"King of Rock"
Single by Run–D.M.C.
from the album King of Rock
Released	January 15, 1985
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	1984
Genre	Rap rock
Length	5:14
Label	Profile, 4th & B'way Records
Writer(s)	D. McDaniels, J. Mizel, J. Simmons, L. Smith, R. Simmons
Producer(s)	Larry Smith, Russell Simmons, Roddey Hui
Run–D.M.C. singles chronology
"30 Days" (1984) "King of Rock" (1985) "You Talk Too Much" (1985)

"King of Rock" is a 1985 single by Run–D.M.C. and the title track from their album King of Rock. It was featured on the video games Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, and is a downloadable track on Rock Band 3. The song was sampled for Michael Jackson's song "2 Bad" and was performed by the group at the 1985 Live Aid concert. Eddie Martinez is the song's lead guitarist and appears in the video.

It reached no. 108 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1]

The music video featured Calvert DeForest as a security guard.

Cover versions

In 1996, the song was covered by Institute of Technology for the electro-industrial various artists compilation Operation Beatbox.^[2]

References in popular culture

• "King of Rock" is heard in the 2010 movie Cop Out.
• The Beastie Boys' song "Shame In Your Game" from the album Hello Nasty includes the lyrics "I'm the king of Boggle, there is none higher/I get eleven points from the word quagmire," a reference to the opening lines of "King of Rock."

Track listing

7" - Profile (US)

1. "King of Rock" – 4:38
2. "King of Rock (Instrumental)" – 4:10

12" - Profile (US)

1. "King of Rock" – 6:15
2. "King of Rock (Instrumental)" – 6:34

Chart positions

References