Butcher Brown Reimagines Run-D.M.C. Classic “Down With the King”

Acclaimed jazz/hip-hop collective Butcher Brown has released a dynamic rendition of Run-DMC’s 1993 classic, “Down With the King,” in collaboration with ACC Network, ESPN’s 24/7 national network dedicated to Atlantic Coast Conference sports. You can check it out here.

The Virginia-bred group’s modern take on the hip-hop classic will air in promotional spots throughout ACCN’s coverage of the men’s basketball season, which started January 6 when No. 14 Duke visited Notre Dame. In addition to being heard in live event game windows, the anthemic track will also play during the network’s signature studio basketball show, Nothing But Net. ACC Network’s programming includes live game coverage of all 15 member institutions of the ACC, a conference that has captured three of the last eight NCAA Championships.

This marks the second such collaboration between ESPN and Butcher Brown (read our recent interview here), following the successful initiative that saw the group’s modernized single of Little Richard’s “Rip It Up” serve as the pre-kickoff hype song for Monday Night Football’s 50th anniversary season in 2020.

Recorded in Butcher Brown’s hometown of Richmond, the new treatment to “Down With the King” pays respectful tribute to Run-D.M.C.’s groundbreaking original recording while simultaneously pushing the song into new sonic territory.

Butcher Brown keyboardist and renowned producer Devonne “DJ” Harrison said:

“We approached Down With the King with the openness to make it our own. This record is a classic, and we wanted to breathe new life into the sound without losing the spirit of the composition.”

The collection of schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference is as unique as the different genres of music that Butcher Brown likes to work in – hip-hop, jazz, rock, funk, pop and beyond – making the group ideal harbingers of an updated soundtrack for the new season.

Butcher Brown lyricist and horn player Marcus Tennishu said:

“Virginia music is one-of-a-kind, and always has been, just like the ACC. The Richmond aesthetic comes from a place where everyone is really diehard and blue collar – you work for what you get. We wanted this remake to be derivative of the original, but we had to put our own twist on it.”

The new single comes on the heels of Butcher Brown’s critically lauded album, Solar Music. Released in October 2023 via Concord Jazz, the record reached No. 1 on the College Radio Hip Hop Chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200 Contemporary Jazz Chart, garnering praise from national outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, All Music and The Fader.

Butcher Brown “Down With the King” single artwork