linguistic:translation, information:filtering, stylistic:style_transfer, linguistic:voice_change
Later years, Mizell's murder and break-up

Over the next few years, the group did very little recording. Mizell produced and mentored up and coming artists, including Onyx and 50 Cent, whom he eventually signed to the JMJ label. Simmons got divorced, remarried, and began to focus on his spiritual and philanthropic endeavors by becoming a reverend. He also wrote a book alongside his brother Russell. McDaniels, also married, made an appearance on the Notorious B.I.G. 's 1997 double-album Life After Death, and focused on raising his family.

Though the group continued to tour around the world, over a decade of living a rap superstar lifestyle was beginning to take a toll on McDaniels. He was beginning to tire of Run-DMC, and there was increased friction between him and Simmons, who was eager to return to recording (Simmons had at this time adopted the moniker Rev Run in light of his religious conversion). While on tour in Europe in 1997, McDaniels' ongoing battle with substance abuse led to a bout of severe depression, which spurred an addiction to prescription drugs. McDaniels' depression continued for years, so much so that he contemplated suicide.

In 1997, producer and remixer Jason Nevins remixed " It's Tricky " and " It's Like That ". Nevins' remix of "It's Like That" hit number 1 in the United Kingdom, Germany, and many other European countries. A video was made for "It's Like That", although no new footage of Run-DMC appeared in it. In 1999, Run-DMC recorded the theme song for WWF wrestling stable D-Generation X entitled "The Kings", which appeared on the WWF Aggression album. They also made an appearance in a rare version of the music video " Bodyrock " by Moby.

Soon after, the group finally returned to the studio, but in an increasingly tense environment, as Simmons and McDaniels' differences had begun to show. In the wake of the exploding popularity of rap-rock artists like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Kid Rock, Simmons wanted to return to the aggressive, hard rock-tinged sound that made the group famous. McDaniels – who had become a fan of thoughtful singer-songwriters like John Lennon, Harry Chapin, and Sarah McLachlan – wanted to go in a more introspective direction. Appearing on VH1 's documentary series Behind the Music in early 2000, McDaniels confirmed that he was creatively frustrated and highlighted some songs that he was recording on his own. The continued friction led to McDaniels sitting out most of the group's recording sessions in protest.

Simmons, in defiance, recorded material anyway, inviting several guest stars such as Kid Rock, Jermaine Dupri, Adrian Burley, Tony Fredianelli and Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind, Method Man, and fellow Queens MCs Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep to contribute to the project. The resulting album, Crown Royal, was delayed due to the personal problems, and when it was finally released in 2001, it featured only three appearances by DMC. Despite no major singles, the album initially sold well. However, many critics blasted the lack of DMC's involvement. Some positive reviews were published: Entertainment Weekly noted that "on this hip hop roast, new schoolers Nas and Fat Joe pay their respects with sparkling grooves...Run's rhymes are still limber."

After Crown Royal, the group embarked on a worldwide tour with their "Walk This Way" compatriots, Aerosmith. The tour was a rousing success, celebrating the collaboration between the two acts and acknowledging the innumerable rap and rock acts that had been influenced by their seminal hit 15 years prior. Even though he had little to do with the album, McDaniels was relishing the stage; he had been suffering from an inoperable vocal disorder that had rendered his once-booming voice a strained mumble. Performing allowed McDaniels to come out of his depression and he appeared revitalized on the tour. There was even talk of Run-DMC finally signing with Def Jam, which by then was no longer held by its original founders. Simmons, however, had been growing increasingly tired of hip hop. His family was growing, and he was assisting with his brother Russell's Phat Farm clothing imprint,(cap) making Run-DMC less of a priority. Despite the success of the tour and Aerosmith consequently discussing adding additional dates, Simmons abruptly announced that he was quitting.