"It's Like That" is the debut single of American hip hop group

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

, 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. H ...

. The song was remixed by house DJ

Jason Nevins Jason Nevins (born December 15, 1972) is an American songwriter, record producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop and dance productions, including his multi-platinum, multi-million selling production of " It's Like That" by Ameri ...

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 is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

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 people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

, 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. The song would be named by fans one of Run-D.M.C.'s signature songs. 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), professionally known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record/film producer, b-boy, DJ, public speaker and minister. He is the first commercially successful rapper ...

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

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 The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, keeping their song "

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" from claiming the top spot.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' wrote, "The lines dividing

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

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

are momentarily blurred on this revision of a

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." A writer from Scottish '' Daily Record'' declared this version as "pure brilliant". Matt Diehl from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' 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."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the remix featured male vs. female

breakdance Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

crews battling each other. The video was shot in downtown LA in 1998 after the song became a hit in Europe. Nevins is in the beginning of the video wearing his 'well known yellow tinted glasses' and holding a boombox.

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