To mark the 40th anniversary of their landmark album Raising Hell, RUN DMC members Rev Run and DMC have reflected on the record's lasting influence in an exclusive Billboard video. The pair discuss how the 1986 release reshaped hip-hop and crossed into the wider mainstream, with DMC describing it as "the Sgt. Pepper's of hip-hop" and the blueprint that every subsequent artist had to measure up to.

Building on earlier successes such as "Rock Box" and "King of Rock", the duo explain how the album pushed rap further into rock territory, most notably through their collaboration with Aerosmith and the hit "My Adidas", which led to a pioneering sneaker endorsement deal. Both also pay tribute to Jam Master Jay, crediting him as the driving creative force behind the record's beats, scratching and production.