"Down with the King" is the first single from Run-DMC's sixth studio album of the same name. It featured

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP '' Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Age As a p ...

with Pete Rock producing the song. After three unsuccessful singles from the group's previous album, "Down with the King" became Run-D.M.C.'s second-biggest hit after "

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

", peaking at No. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and becoming their only single to reach the top spot on

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chart. The music video, which was directed by

Marcus Raboy Marcus Raboy (born November 30, 1965) is an American film director, film and music video director. Since the early 1990s, Raboy has amassed a large number music video credits directing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Dixie Chicks, Rihanna, Lut ...

, received heavy airplay and featured cameos from Eazy-E, Redman,

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, Salt-n-Pepa, KRS-One,

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, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul,

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and Naughty by Nature. The song contains samples of

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's "Where Do I Go" from the original Broadway cast recording of the rock musical '' Hair'' and Run–D.M.C.'s 1988 single "

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". Pete Rock and CL Smooth's verses contain reused lyrics from Run DMC's 1983 single " Sucker M.C.'s". "Down with the King" was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 11, 1993.

Track listing

A-side

#"Down with the King" – 5:00

B-side

#"Down with the King" (instrumental) – 5:18 #"Down with the King" (radio version) – 4:15

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1992 songs 1993 singles Run-DMC songs Music videos directed by Marcus Raboy Song recordings produced by Pete Rock Songs written by Pete Rock Songs written by Joseph Simmons Songs written by Darryl McDaniels Posse cuts Songs written by CL Smooth {{1990s-hiphop-song-stub