"It's Like That" is a song by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group Run-D.M.C., released in 1983 by

Profile Records Profile Records was one of the earliest hip hop labels. As well as hip-hop they released disco, dance, and electro records. History In 1980, Cory Robbins, who was 23 at the time and had worked briefly for MCA, wanted to start a record label ...

as their debut single. The song was remixed by

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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 the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

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".VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs - Stereogum
Retrieved June 25, 2012.

Run-D.M.C. version

"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 Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...

, 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. The song would be named by fans one of Run-D.M.C.'s

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s. 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: The song was mixed by

Kurtis Blow Kurtis Walker (born August 9, 1959), known professionally by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapping , rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Walker is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major rec ...

and Elai Tubo.

Track listing

All tracks written by Darryl McDaniels, Joe Simmons and Larry Smith. * 12-inch Profile – PRO-7019 (US) # "It's Like That" – 7:25 # "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush Groove 1)" – 3:15 # "It's Like That" (Instrumental) – 7:10 # "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush Groove 1)" (Instrumental) – 3:05

Charts

Jason Nevins version

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

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' run of consecutive number-one hits on the UK Singles Chart, keeping their song " Stop" from claiming the top spot.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "The lines dividing rap and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

are momentarily blurred on this revision of a Run-D.M.C. chestnut. Their rhymes are sewn into a forceful,

-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." Scottish '' Daily Record'' praised it as "pure brilliant". Matt Diehl from ''

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'' 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." A reviewer from ''

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'' gave it five out of five and named it Single of the Week, declaring it as a "pounding house update".

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of ''

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'' wrote, "Reviving '

hip house Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip-hop, which originated in both London and Chicago in the mid-to-late 1980s. A British collaboration between the electronic group Beatm ...

' 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."

Music video

The accompanying music video for the remix featured male vs. female

breakdance Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consists mainly ...

crews battling each other. Nevins is in the beginning of the video wearing his 'well known yellow tinted glasses' and holding a

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Track listings

* US 12-inch single :A1. "It's Like That" (Drop the Break) – 8:20 :A2. "It's Like That" (Battle Beat Dub) – 4:48 :B1. "It's Like That" (Jason's Battle Blaster) – 8:21 :B2. "It's Like That" (Acapella Break) – 1:28 :B3. "It's Like That" (Bonus Beat Break) – 8:20 * CD maxi, Australian CD single # "It's Like That" (Drop the Break – radio edit) – 4:09 # "It's Like That" (Jason's Battle Blaster) – 8:21 # "It's Like That" (Drop the Break) – 8:20

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References