Bill Adler is perhaps best known as Def Jam’s publicist during the label’s heady rise in the 1980s but he’s been a journalist and curator, a 360 kind of hip-hop renaissance man. I knew of Bill strictly by reputation all throughout the 1990s and got to interview him back in 2000 for a story on the EMP Museum, for whom Bill had helped assemble their hip-hop exhibit.
On this occasion, I wanted to rap with him about the new Profile boxset, Giant Single which I recently reviewed for NPR. Adler talks about Profile’s growth, what Run DMC meant to the hip-hop at the time, and we end with a little bit of personal history behind Run DMC’s greatest holiday song.
The Sidebar #26: Bill Adler
[podcast]http://latinboogaloo.com/sounds/podcasts/bill%20adler.mp3[/podcast]
Music in this episode:
- Run DMC: Sucker MCs (on Giant Single)
- Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde: Genius Rap (on Giant Single)
- Run DMC: Live at the Funhouse (Here We Go)
- Special Ed: I Got It Made (on Giant Single)
- Run DMC: Run’s House
- Run DMC: Christmas In Hollis
chatter