Hip-hop legends RUN-DMC have become the first rap artists to have a city street named after them after they were honoured in their native Queens, New York on Sunday (30Aug09).
The two surviving bandmembers Joseph ‘Rev Run’ Simmons and Daniel ‘DMC’ McDaniels joined council officials and fans as they gathered for the unveiling of the newly-renamed Run-DMC JMJ Way at the intersection of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue.
DJ Simmons told the crowd, “I lived right down that block,” while McDaniels added, “We are who we are because of you people.
“The street sign also pays tribute to the late Jam Master Jay, who was shot down in a Queens recording studio in 2002, and his mother Connie Mizell was overcome with emotion as she represented her slain son.
Wearing a T-shirt bearing Jay’s likeness, she admitted, “This is a proud day for my whole family.
“Run-DMC’s street honour comes just months after the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year (09).