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To mark SPIN Magazine’s 25th anniversary, they’ve put together and issue that features a special interactive cover: A close-up of a black leather biker jacket with a ‘perforated’ zipper, which, when opened, reveals a second cover image underneath. It’s the first time this format has been used on a major magazine cover.  Inside, SPIN welcomes an impressive slate of guest contributors, including founder Bob Guccione Jr., writing for the first time since he sold the magazine in 1997, and reveals the top ‘100 Moments That Rocked Our World’ since the magazine’s birth in 1985.

Russell Simmons was recognized in one of the ‘100 Moments’ for his role in the invention of rap/rock with the creation of Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s ‘Walk This Way.’ We all know Russell is the ‘CEO of Hip-Hop.’  Being mentioned in the ‘100 Moments That Rocked Our World’ is just another example of the legacy he has built for himself.

Check out this excerpt from SPIN writer, Sue Cummings, on the invention of rap/rock…

‘Still, in order to justify a long interview, something needed to happen. What if Aerosmith and Run-DMC were to meet up?  Maybe they could work together.  What better way to bag a scoop, I thought, than to stage one myself.’

‘When I met up with the band, I proposed the collaboration. Aerosmith had never heard of Run-DMC when I handed them that cassette, but they were willing to take the risk of working with a new artist. Several weeks later, the two groups met up in a Manhattan studio, and I got to watch the session unfold. Run-DMC’s album, Raising Hell, went on to launch Rick’s [Rubin] career, revive Aerosmith’s, and make hip-hop, as Russell Simmons predicted, mainstream.  For my part, I had the rare privilege of arranging an event that would go on to become a part of music history. Guess I got the scoop.’

Thanks to spin.com!