rap group formed in Queens, N.Y.; members are RUN (Joseph Simmons), D.M.C. (Daryll McDaniels), and deejay Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell); first rap group to gain wide popularity with rock and pop music fans; Raising Hell (1986) was first rap album to go platinum (1 million copies sold) and first to crack Top Ten on Billboard's pop chart; starred in film ‘Tougher Than Leather' (1988); some songs contain anti-drug and anti-gang themes