Mr. COLEMAN: Oh, my primary influences musically are Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, Metallica, Run-DMC, L.L. Cool J, Dwight Yoakam, you know, people along those lines.

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From then on, Solomon received a steady stream of attention from hip-hop heavyweights, collaborating on songs with the likes of DMC (of Run-DMC), Cassidy and Talib Kweli (he also appeared as an honorable mention on our Best Jewish Rappers list, released last Hanukkah).

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The music of RUN DMC was raw and hard-hitting at a time when even heavy metal was sounding kind of tame.

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