Run-DMC's Rev Run Says He Still Rocks Adidas — But With 'Loosely Fitting' Laces Because He's '59' (Exclusive)

Run-DMC released their hit song "My Adidas" in 1986

Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons attends Peacock's "Kings From Queens: The Run DMC Story" New York premiere at The Times Center on January 27, 2024 in New York City. Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons attends Peacock's "Kings From Queens: The Run DMC Story" New York premiere at The Times Center on January 27, 2024 in New York City.
Rev Run. Photo:

Roy Rochlin/Getty

In the mid-1980s, Adidas was the shoe to rock thanks to Run-DMC.

And back then, Run-DMC had a signature sneaker look: no laces. Now, Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels agree that their Adidas will never go out of style — but the laces are necessary.

"I'm wearing Adidas right now. They're loosely fitting, but they do have laces," Rev Run tells PEOPLE. "I'm 59 years old."

He adds, "I'm wearing a full Adidas suit and a pair of Adidas right now. Now they're not laced up tight, but I do need these laces."

Thursday marked the premiere of their Peacock docuseries Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story. In the second episode, they discuss how their hit song "My Adidas" took the trio, which also included the late Jam Master Jay, to new heights in the music and fashion world.

DMC, 59, tells PEOPLE Adidas are "all I can wear" and recalls how "happy" he was when he got his first pair. When Run-DMC scored a deal with the brand — he realized that their relationship was about more than just a sneaker. It was about bringing people together.

"It's what those sneakers mean. They represent positivity, creativity, something good. No division — bringing White, Black, Puerto Rican, bringing rock and hip hop together," he says. "There's so many important values that by Run-DMC wearing and repping those sneakers, people want to be part of."

Run DMC during Run DMC at Footlocker Store Opening on Oxford Street 2000 at Footlocker Store on Oxford Street 2000 in London, Great Britain. Run DMC during Run DMC at Footlocker Store Opening on Oxford Street 2000 at Footlocker Store on Oxford Street 2000 in London, Great Britain.
Run-DMC.

Fred Duval/FilmMagic

"When you put those sneakers on, it's not about the product itself," he continues. "It's about the person with those sneakers on, hip-hop has given us the confidence to be enthusiastic about who you are."

Run-DMC released "My Adidas" in 1986. In the documentary, Russell Simmons, a record executive and older brother to Rev Run, revealed that he wrote the lyrics to the song when he was high on "angel dust."

"I just had a wet bag of angel dust," Simmons recalled in the doc. "Like yo, 'We need to do something about them sneakers.' And I gave them a few of the lyrics."

Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story is out now.

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