| Tougher Than Leather | |
|---|---|
 Studio album by Run-D.M.C. | |
|
Released |
17 May 1988 |
|
Recorded |
1987-1988 at Chung King House of Metal, Unique Recording Studios, Electric Lady Studios, Ian London Studios and Greene Street Recording |
|
Genre |
|
|
Length |
40:26 |
|
Label |
Profile |
|
Producer |
Davy D., Rick Rubin, Run-D.M.C., Russell Simmons (exec.) |
| Run-D.M.C. chronology | |
|---|---|
|
Previous |
Raising Hell (1986) |
|
Next |
Back from Hell (1990) |
Tougher Than Leather is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released in 1988 on Profile Records. The group made a distinct departure from their earlier work with a heavy use of sampling. Despite this, the group do not abandon their formula of combining hip hop beats with hard rock guitar riffs on songs such as "Miss Elaine" and "Soul to Rock and Roll". Run and D.M.C. also made changes in their rapping styles, as they began using techniques such as alliteration, polysyllabic rhyming and internal rhyme, in addition to storytelling.
Tougher Than Leather peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200, and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. While it did not receive the same popularity as its predecessor Raising Hell, it obtained platinum status and spawned the popular singles "Run's House" and "Mary, Mary". Despite receiving a mixed reception at the time of its release, it now hailed as a seminal release in hip hop and many see it as an underrated album.
Track listing[]
All songs performed by Run-D.M.C. All songs produced by Run-D.M.C. and Davy D., except for "Mary, Mary", produced by Run-D.M.C. and Rick Rubin.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Run's House" | McDaniels, Mizell, Reeves, Simmons | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Mary, Mary" | Nesmith | 3:12 |
| 3. | "They Call Us Run-D.M.C." | McDaniels, Mizell, Simmons | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Beats to the Rhyme" | McDaniels, Reeves, Simmons, Simon | 2:41 |
| 5. | "Radio Station" | McDaniels, Mizell, Reeves, Simmons | 2:47 |
| 6. | "Papa Crazy" | McDaniels, Mizell, Simmons | 4:18 |
| 7. | "Tougher Than Leather" | McDaniels, Mizell, Simmons | 4:21 |
| 8. | "I'm Not Going Out Like That" | McDaniels, Mizell, Reeves, Simmons | 4:55 |
| 9. | "How'd Ya Do It Dee" | McDaniels, Mizell, Reeves, Simmons | 3:20 |
| 10. | "Miss Elaine" | McDaniels, Mizell, Simmons | 3:05 |
| 11. | "Soul to Rock and Roll" | McDaniels, Mizell, Simmons | 2:16 |
| 12. | "Ragtime" | McDaniels, Mizell, Simmons | 2:42 |