Joseph Simmons
As Run of Run-DMC, he helped hip-hop crash into the mainstream, trading rhymes in a black hat, leather jacket, and untied Adidas.
Born 1964 (age 62)·American rapper·Birthday: November 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Joseph 'Run' Simmons didn't just perform hip-hop; he helped architect its rise from a Bronx block party phenomenon to a global cultural force. The younger brother of Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam, Run formed Run-DMC with childhood friend Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels and DJ Jason 'Jam Master Jay' Mizell. With a stripped-down, hard-hitting sound and an iconic look of fedoras, leather, and shell-toe Adidas, they became the first hip-hop group to achieve platinum album sales, star in a major motion picture, and land a video on MTV. Run's assertive, staccato flow was the engine of anthems like 'It's Like That' and the Aerosmith-sampling 'Walk This Way,' which broke racial and musical barriers. Later in life, he reinvented himself as Reverend Run, an ordained minister and reality TV personality, showcasing a personal evolution as dramatic as the musical revolution he pioneered.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Joseph was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Joseph Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Joseph's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Run-DMC, the first hip-hop group to have a gold album ('Run-D.M.C.') and a platinum album ('Raising Hell').
- Helped pioneer the fusion of rock and hip-hop with the groundbreaking collaboration 'Walk This Way' with Aerosmith.
- Became one of the first hip-hop acts to receive consistent airplay on MTV and appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Run-DMC in 2009.
Did You Know?
He was ordained as a Pentecostal minister in the 1990s and is commonly known as Reverend Run.
He starred with his family in the popular MTV reality series 'Run's House' from 2005 to 2009.
He and his Run-DMC bandmates were among the first non-athletes to secure a major sneaker endorsement deal with Adidas.
“We're not entertainers, we're reporters. We report from the streets.”
