By 1988, Run-D.M.C. was the biggest rap group that had ever existed. Its multi-platinum third album, Raising Hell, had conquered the rap world upon its release in 1986, and propelled Run-D.M.C. to the cover of Rolling Stone, as well as to the stage of American Bandstand. The group followed up that success with Tougher Than Leather, an album that finds Run-D.M.C. getting louder, heavier, and more ferocious than ever before. The album's pummeling drum-machine bombast—produced by the group, alongside Davy D. and Rick Rubin—and vintage shout-rap was out of step with the lithe, breakbeat-driven funk of newer groups like Public Enemy, EPMD, and Eric B. & Rakim. But Tougher Than Leather was nonetheless another hit for Run-D.M.C., with the album serving as an apotheosis of the group's hard-rocking boom-and-pound sound. It's easily the most head-bangingest record of the group's career. The blistering opening track "Run's House," built from a classic chant at the group's live shows, asserts Run-D.M.C.'s dominance from the get-go. Meanwhile, "Beats to the Rhyme"—which was described by DMC as a "hardcore, futuristic, throwback hip-hop performance"—notices the new school coming for the crowns of the kings. But instead of trying to rap like competitor Slick Rick, they simply bust "these routines like 1983," complete with a symphonic array of Jam Master Jay cuts. But Tougher Than Leather is, in many ways, Run-D.M.C.'s rock record—and not just because the single "Mary, Mary" updates a beloved breakbeat from The Monkees. The album's title track is the group's prime metal moment, an assault of all-roaring vocals and distorted guitar. "Miss Elaine," meanwhile, is a "Hot For Teacher"-style hair-whipper complete with live drums and a ripping guitar solo. And "Soul To Rock And Roll" rides a riff redolent of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." Tougher Than Leather didn't fit in with the direction of circa-1988 rap. But by doubling down on Run-D.M.C.'s most hard-rocking instincts, the album remains a platinum-selling classic in the band's discography. But don't just take our word on it: "Tougher Than Leather was like coming back to score 97 points in a losing playoff game," said Public Enemy's Chuck D, "a spectacular performance against all odds and expectations."