Dinked Records Presents: Run-D.M.C. "Down with The King" Feat. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth 7-inch Re-issue (Artwork Designed By: Ricky Also)
Dinked Records (@dinkedrecords) was established as recently as 2015 and according to Discogs, "aims to put out high-quality 7-inch records with big holes (dinked centres) all 100% officially licensed and re-mastered for vinyl." Around 2016, Dinked launched a sister/sub-label called Random Rap Records to fittingly release "random rap records," such as Souls of Mischief, Boogie Down Productions, and KRS-One. Dinked Records is actively re-issuing and releasing top-notch 7-inches and are currently working on launching The Dinked 45 Club. For their latest archival release, for the first time ever on 45, Dink Records have re-released Run-D.M.C.'s 1993 single, "Down with The King" featuring Rev Run, D.M.C. & Jam Master Jay, as well as Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. First and foremost, Dinked Records' "Down with The King" 45 re-issue cover art was designed by acclaimed graffiti artist and graphic designer Ricky Also from Paintshop Studio. It's great to see "Down with The King" get a proper re-release for a whole new generation, nearly 25 years after its original release.
Ricky Also used Google Street View, some detective work, and a little luck to locate what he believes is the same exact church on Jamaica Ave. Hollis, Queens, New York from the cover of Run-D.M.C.'s 1993 single, "Down with The King." Ricky Also's cover re-design features Rev Run & D.M.C. in front of the same Jamaica Ave. church as the original Profile Records single and Jam Master Jay peering down from a cloud up in Heaven with a ghettoblaster in hand and his Shell Toe Adidas. Dinked Records' 45 re-issue of Run-D.M.C.'s "Down with The King" Feat. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth is currently available for pre-order on their Bandcamp page and I'm quite sure Bobbito Garcia isn't the only one who's "amped to play this!" Dinked Records pre-orders are expected to ship on or around October 30th, which is coincidentally, the 16th anniversary of Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell's untimely passing.
"I love record sleeves that have a bit of a story behind them. I used to spend hours checking out every detail on every vinyl I brought and you could always tell which covers were created with love; they would have that extra level of detail and story behind them. "Down with The King" is such a dope release, it still sounds as fresh as it did when it was first came out in the early 90's. I wanted to create a cover design that looked as fresh as the record sounds, but also, had that nod back to its past and the original sleeve design. The original sleeve shows Run, [Jam Master Jay] & D.M.C. sat on a fenced wall in front of a graveyard and church. After a fair amount of research, a few educated guesses, and a lot of routing through Street View maps, I found the same church on Jamaica Ave. Hollis, Queens, New York. I was then, able to create a broader view of the scene and show JMJ floating above the graveyard and Run & D.M.C. still in the same position on the fence. It felt like a nice story to be able to tell. It reflects the history and roots of the group and almost gives the song a new perspective, now that the legend, Jam Master Jay is no longer with us."
- Ricky Also (Paintshop Studio)