Stop what you’re doing and read this Washington Post piece: The inside story of when Run-DMC met Aerosmith and changed music forever by Geoff Edgers. It’s as amazing as you could hope for. Even if you don’t have time to read the whole thing right now, at least watch 4-minute collection of unreleased MTV News footage from the recording studio on that day.

I love the fact that DMC’s first reaction to listening to the lyrics was: “Hell no, this ain’t going to happen. This is hillbilly gibberish, country-bumpkin bullshit.” Glad he changed his mind!

I remember loving the video as a kid, and then one day I was at my cousin’s house watching MTV. He was three years older and by 1986 was a heavy metal stoner. His reaction to the video surprised me. “They ruined a perfectly good song.” I had never heard the original. When I finally did, I was let down. The Run-DMC version is way better.

Video: Run-DMC – “Walk This Way” ft. Aerosmith

Audio: Aerosmith – “Walk This Way”