Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll
album by Darryl McDaniels
Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll is the debut solo studio album by American musician Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels from hip hop group Run-DMC. It was released on March 14, 2006, through Romen Mpire/Rags 2 Riches Records. He was inspired to put out this album when, at age 35, he found out he was adopted.
Critical reception
AllMusic's David Jeffries felt the record "sounds like the most contrived rock and rap blends that major-label execs declared the future of music back in the mid-'90s, with touches of P.M. Dawn at their most woeful and indulgent", praising tracks like "Lovey Dovey" and "Machine Gun" for allowing DMC and his collaborators to "just hang out and have some fun" but criticized "Watchtower" and "Just Like Me" for its poor sample interpolations and "thin, maudlin lyrics all drowning in excess." He concluded that: "[T]he best thing you can say about this letdown is that DMC's commitment to changing the world and opening eyes is admirable and attractive, but sadly, his skills are blunted and he's not up to the challenge." Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews felt the album paled in comparison to Rev Run's Distortion, criticizing the runtime throughout the track listing, DMC's personality being "replaced by insecurity and self-doubt", and for giving a disappointing performance, concluding that: "Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll is often compelling, but for all the wrong reasons - it's the trainwreck you can't look away from no matter how hard you try.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 31, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3666990. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006.
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