Members of legendary rap group Run-DMC have teamed with celebrity services company Paid, Inc. to launch a website to interact directly with fans and offer official collectible Run-DMC merchandise.


Www.RunDMC.com, will feature up-to-the minute news on the group's current projects, an interactive forum and a multi-media area where fans can access music, photos and videos both old and new.


The new site, which is expected to launch within the next month, came as a result of DMC’s relationship with Paid, Inc. over the years, according to the company's celebrity services president Keith Garde.


"Having worked with DMC for several years, Paid celebrity services is excited to expand its role and assist Run-DMC in supporting its brand online in new and creative ways in keeping with the group's reputation for setting new standards," Garde said in a statement. "The members of Run-DMC continue as a dynamic force in hip-hop and rap, with their musical influence in the DNA of nearly every group today.”


Known as one of the most influential rap groups of all time, Run-DMC have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.


The trio, comprised of Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, emerged as the first rap act to have a video added to MTV, achieve a number one R&B charting rap album and Top 10 pop charting rap album, appear on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, receive a Grammy Nomination, and appear on Saturday Night Live and American Bandstand.


Simmons and McDaniels continue to leave their mark on rap fans since the group disbanded in 2002 after the unsolved murder of Mizell.


Simmons is featured in the hit MTV show Run's House, while McDaniels earned an Emmy nomination for his VH1 special DMC: My Adoption Journey.


“This online community gives them the opportunity to communicate with their fans and keep the spirit of Run-DMC as a vital force in the lives of music fans of all ages," Garde said.