In a recent series of interviews promoting their upcoming Peacock documentary Kings From Queens, Run-DMC discussed the influence of several first generation MC's on the group. "I remember listening to Spoonie Gee's, Spoonin' Rap, and "It's Us" by The Cold Crush Brothers. We listened to those songs, dreaming about making our own stuff," Run shared in a clip from the the documentary during an interview with Today.

"There were no rap records yet," Run recalled. "We would get tapes from Manhattan with the Cold Crush versus the Fantastic 5 with Grandwizzard Theodore and Grandmaster Caz. Those were our heroes." DMC shared similar sentiments with New York Live where he talked about the responsibility to uphold the legacy that was built by the MC's that predated them. 

"With Run-DMC, it wasn't just about us. It was about everyone who bought a record and came to a show," DMC said. "More importantly when we stepped on the stage and grabbed that mic, we had to live up to the expectations of the real pioneers who who created Hip-Hop - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, Cold Crush 4, Treacherous Three, Jazzy 5 MC's, Fantastic 5, The Crash Crew, Funky 4 + 1, and Busy Bee Starski. We had a responsibility to represent this culture the right way."

"People call us old school, but there was an older school. We were just [more successful] on wax," Run said on Today. "People tell me that they look up to me, but you gotta know about Caz and the Cold Crush 4. It reminds me of how young some of the fans are, because when you tell me that you love me, I can see how you feel that way, because I felt that way about Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc. I can accept it, because I geek out when I see Melle Mel."

Check out DMC's New York Live interview above.