"It's Like That" is the debut single of American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released in 1983 by Profile Records. The song was remixed by house DJ Jason Nevins in 1997. His version was originally released in 1997 on 10-inch vinyl in the United States and became a sleeper hit in 1998. It sold around five million copies worldwide, placing it amongst the biggest selling singles of all time. In 2008, it was ranked number 40 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs".[1]
"It's Like That" was first released in 1983 backed with the track "Sucker M.C.'s". The release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career and is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an abrasive, minimalist sound that marked them out from their predecessors. Both tracks were collected on the trio's eponymous debut album in 1984. "It's Like That" is about life in the area where the group lives (unemployment, prices, death, etc.). Despite protesting those social and political problems, the song takes on a hopeful message encouraging listeners to abandon prejudice and to believe in themselves. In 2001, parts of the song was sampled in Jagged Edge's "Let's Get Married (Remix)" featuring Run-D.M.C. The single was an international success.
In the re-release of the album in 2004, a booklet was included, and a reviewer, Angus Batey, wrote the background information about the album. When he wrote about "It's Like That", he stated:
[Larry] Smith had created one particularly stark backing track that would provide a perfect setting for rap. He was aware of Run's prowess as a writer, having previously paid the teenager $100 for a set of lyrics with the intention of [Kurtis] Blow recording them. One evening, in Smith's home studio in Queens, Run and D persuaded Larry and Russell [Simmons] to let them have a chance to make a demo. Russell agreed; taking Run's $100 rap and extensive additional lines penned by the prolific DMC, Russell doled it out line by line between the two vocalists, who sprayed their lyrics over the stark beat onto tape. 'It's Like That' became the band's debut single, stridently announcing that a new era began.
In 1997, a new version of "It's Like That" by American producer Jason Nevins was released. The Nevins version topped the singles charts in 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top for six weeks and became Britain's third biggest-selling single of 1998. In the UK, the Nevins remix gained notoriety for breaking the Spice Girls' run of consecutive number-one hits on the UK Singles Chart, keeping their song "Stop" from claiming the top spot.[5][6]
Critical receptionedit
Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "The lines dividing rap and dance music are momentarily blurred on this revision of a Run-D.M.C. chestnut. Their rhymes are sewn into a forceful, house-inflected groove by underground club dynamo Nevins, who displays a palpable talent for combining hard-edged flavor with ear-grabbing hooks. Club DJs have already turned this into a dancefloor staple, with crossover radio mix-show programmers also banging it like crazy. It won't be long before folks can hear it during morning-drive hours."[7] Scottish Daily Record praised it as "pure brilliant".[8] Matt Diehl from Entertainment Weekly gave it an A, commenting, "The combination of Run-D.M.C.'s old-school braggadocio and Nevins' new-school grooves demonstrates how club sounds constantly revitalize themselves, as well as displaying the historical links between seemingly disparate dance-music styles. Most important, it rocks the house."[9] A reviewer from Music Week gave it five out of five and named it Single of the Week, declaring it as a "pounding house update".[10]James Hyman of Record Mirror wrote, "Reviving 'hip house' for the late Nineties with relentless pounding beats, scratchy squeaks and "check this out" punctuation over Run DMC's classic 1983 rap, NY DJ Jason Nevins has created a pan-European club smash which has already been Top 10 in almost the same number of national charts. When it hits UK release on March 9, that will seal it."[11]
Music videoedit
The accompanying music video for the remix featured male vs. female breakdance crews battling each other. The video was shot in downtown LA in 1998 after the song became a hit in Europe.[12] Nevins is in the beginning of the video wearing his 'well known yellow tinted glasses' and holding a boombox.
^Simmons, Joseph; Taylor, Curtis L. (2000). "Chapter 2: 'Run's House'". It's Like That: A Spiritual Memoir. New York City: St. Martin's Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-312-20467-1. LCCN 00-029685.
^"Run D-M-C Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
^Lorenz, Christian (April 18, 1998). "Epic puts 'hip-house' on the map" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 16. p. 8. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^Myers, Justin (March 16, 2017). "This week in 1998: Stop ends Spice Girls' run of consecutive Number 1s". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
^@BBCSounds (March 15, 2018). "20 years ago today: The Spice Girls' 'Stop' charted at number two on the UK Singles Chart behind "It's Like That" by Run-D.M.C. vs Jason Nevins, ending their streak of consecutive number-one singles. Several fan-lead campaigns to get 'Stop to the top' have as yet failed" (Tweet). Retrieved September 5, 2019 – via Twitter.
^Flick, Larry (September 13, 1997). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 75. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
^"Chart Slot; Top 10 Singles Chart". Daily Record. April 17, 1998.
^Diehl, Matt (January 30, 1998). "The Week: Music". Entertainment Weekly. Issue 416.
^"Reviews: Singles — Single of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. February 28, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
^Hyman, James (February 28, 1998). "Hot Vinyl — Tune of the Week" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 4. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
^"Mix Master Jason Nevins Puts Stamp On RUN D.M.C. Tune". MTV.com. February 18, 1998. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
^It's Like That (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Jason Nevins. Sm:)e Communications. 1997. SM-9069-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Ultratop Dance 15/11/1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
^"Run-D.M.C. Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
^"Run-D.M.C. Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
^"HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on May 24, 1998. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^"Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 10. March 7, 1998. p. 47. ISSN 0006-2510.
^"Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 5. January 31, 1998. p. 66. ISSN 0006-2510.
^"run dmc vs. jason nevins: it's like that" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^ ab"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
^"Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 23. June 6, 1998. p. 16. Retrieved June 8, 2020. See LW column.
^"Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 15. April 11, 1998. p. 12. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
^"Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (2.4. – 9.4. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). April 3, 1998. p. 30. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
^"The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's Like That". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
^"Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 50. December 13, 1997. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That". VG-lista. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins – It's Like That". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^"New Zealand single certifications – Run DMC vs Jason Nevins – It's Like That". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
^"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('It's Like That')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
^Sedghi, Ami (November 4, 2012). "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". Guardian. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
^"British single certifications – Run DMC vs Jason Nevins – It's Like That". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
^"New Releases: Singles". Music Week. March 7, 1998. p. 35.