Take the title of Run-D.M.C.'s King of Rock somewhat literally. True, the trailblazing rap crew hardly abandoned hip-hop, they did follow through on the blueprint of their debut, emphasizing the rock leanings that formed the subtext of Run-D.M.C.
By their third album, Run-D.M.C. were primed for a breakthrough into the mainstream, but nobody was prepared for a blockbuster on the level of Raising Hell.
Bruce Springsteen’s The River is a contemporary, New Jersey version of The Grapes of Wrath, with the Tom Joad/Henry Fonda figure – nowadays no longer able to draw upon the solidarity of family.