Run-D.M.C.
ListenIt’s Like That · 1983
Run-D.M.C. — “It’s Like That,” original twelve-inch recording, 1983.
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1983 · Profile Records
It’s Like That / Sucker M.C.’s (Krush-Groove 1)
Run-D.M.C.’s first single made a small recording budget sound enormous. Larry Smith and Russell Simmons financed the record themselves, with a drum machine doing work Smith would once have given to a live band. “It’s Like That” and “Sucker M.C.’s” made that sparseness a strength. [1]
| Accession | OMMA-0065 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Run-D.M.C. |
| Release | 1983 · United States |
| Label | Profile Records · PRO-7019-DJ |
| Format | 12-inch vinyl single · 33⅓ rpm |
| Issue | U.S. promotional issue |
| Runouts | Not documented |
| Recorded grade | NM |
Release history and significance
Smith had already heard Run deliver the “Sucker M.C.’s” rhymes at a neighbourhood block party. In a 2006 interview, he remembered recording the single with a newly purchased Oberheim DMX, still using its factory settings. He and Simmons made the record with their own money, then sold it to Profile. [1]
For “It’s Like That,” Smith paired the DMX with a Prophet-5 keyboard. He described the track as his response to “Planet Rock,” slowed to a pace that suited him. Those instruments became the foundation of the group’s first album. [1]
The 1983 promotional twelve-inch contains both vocal tracks on side A and their instrumentals on side B. Its labels credit Larry Smith and Russell Simmons as producers, Orange Krush for the music, and Elai Tubo and Kurtis Blow for the mixes. [2]
Market context
Discogs records sales for the PRO-7019-DJ promotional edition from US$5 to US$47.99, with a median of US$15, as listed on 13 September 2026. The latest recorded sale was 21 August 2026. [2]
Physical Description
A Profile PRO-7019-DJ twelve-inch, marked for promotional use and not for sale. Both songs appear in vocal and instrumental versions. [2]
Condition
The disc is graded Near Mint and is housed in a generic company sleeve.
Provenance
Received as a gift on 25 December 2025.
Sources
- Brian Coleman interviews Larry Smith, January 2006; published 22 January 2015. Block-party rhymes, the self-financed single and Smith’s instruments.
- Discogs, Run-D.M.C., release 2605316. PRO-7019-DJ promotional edition, track arrangement, credits and sales history.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.