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Look at the other artists we all agree are influential: Pac, Tribe, OutKast, Kanye, Wu... Do you hear RUN DMC in any of their music? They were of course a culturally influential force, and the first rap superstars, but their influence is different than that of the others. They were instrumental in brining hip-hop into the cultural limelight, and they defined early hip-hop fashion. But so did Grandmaster Flash. Ten years later, hip hop had completely rejected their model, though. They were part of a specific time and place. They belong on a list of the most influential hip-hop artists of all time, certainly, but now that hip-hop has evolved so much, their influence has lessened while the influence of ATCQ, OutKast, 2pac, etc. has only grown greater.
MC Hammer probably belongs on a list of the most influential hip-hop artists too. Like... A top 100 list. And I just believe that Run was too primordial. They're like the Buddy Holly of hip-hop. Influential as hell, but then the Beatles and Dylan came along.
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