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Run-DMC as we know it is over. The iconic rap group plans to formally wrap their careers as artists during an epic send-off concert happening later this year.
During a recent interview with Rock The Bells, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels explained why he and Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons plan to retire from recording new music and touring altogether. The group hasn't been the same since they lost its third beloved member Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell over 20 years ago after he was murdered in his studio in Queens, N.Y. McDaniels said the possibility of the group truly reuniting as a unit is as likely as The Beatles getting back together.
“Run-D.M.C. is over," McDaniels said. "The only way Run-D.M.C. gets back together is if The Beatles get back together. Can that happen?”
“The final show that we are ever going to do is going to be at Madison Square Garden in April,” McDaniels said after a brief pause. “It’s going to be the last episode of the documentary we’re doing. Run-D.M.C.’s last show ever. ‘Cause it’s time for Run to go be Paul McCartney and me to be John Lennon. We done did what we could do.”
In the years since Mizell's death, both McDaniels and Simmons did their best to keep the group's influential brand alive. They released their final album Crown Royal in 2001 just months before Mizell was killed. Over the years, they successfully kept their die-hard fans coming back for more by releasing compilation albums and exclusive merch. Run-DMC isn't officially closing up shop yet. However, they will release their final project together in the form of a documentary, which will feature their last concert at Madison Square Garden in April.
“The show is going to be like The Last Waltz by The Band,” McDaniels explained. “We’re doing that movie idea. You’ll see Ice-T come and do a song with us. You’ll see Wu-Tang come do a song with us. Anybody can buy a ticket to the show. We’re gonna do it with Netflix or to the highest bidder. It’s going to be a live production. Run-D.M.C.’s doing The Last Waltz at Madison Square Garden. Who wants to pay $100 million to own it?”
The concert will go down a few months before Hip-Hop celebrates its 50th anniversary. However, there's no confirmed release date for the documentary.