ALBUM REVIEW

RUN-DMC

“Down With the King”

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Religious fervor appears to be working in the rap group’s favor after 10 years in the business. On the hit single “Down With the King,” between guest appearances by Pete Rock & C. L. Smooth, Darryl McDaniels raps: “Only G-o-d can be a king to me / And if the G-o-d be in me, then the king I be.”

This is a comeback album by the New York kings of old-school hip-hop, who had been cold since the end of the ‘80s. It’s simply good rump-shaking, foot-stomping fun, reminding us why rap revolutionized the music industry in the first place.

All the trio’s hard-core protestations aside, this is mostly a pop album--with any grim rhymes obscured by all the catchy lyrics. If you like pop rap, you’ll be playing this one constantly.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).