Reverend Run, a.k.a. Joseph Simmons, has had a busy past couple of years.

One-third of possibly the most influential rap group ever, Run DMC, Rev Run has a lot going on, both commercially and personally. He has "Run's House," a new MTV reality sitcom, and also spends much of his time preaching at his church in New York City. In addition, he has been coping with the still unsolved murder of his friend and Run DMC colleague, Jam Master Jay. Therefore, it comes as quite a surprise (although the timing from a marketing standpoint couldn't be better) that the Rev has found time to put out a new album.

Distortion, released on brother Russell Simmons' new record label, is a tired update of Run DMC's music aimed at a new generation. Despite a title which aptly describes the music on the album — an often confusing mixture of old school hip-hop vocals and modern gangster rap beats with heavy classic rock sampling — it does pack a little bit of a punch for being only 26 minutes in length.

The Rev seems to be searching for an identity that will make him relevant to another generation of music listeners, but he misses his target. Refusing to rest on his laurels as a rap god, Run shouldn't have bothered with this album, especially considering how much he has going on in other aspects of his life. For all his fame and previous success, Reverend Run's album is so short in length that it isn't remotely worth paying the full price to pick it up in stores.

Much of what made Run DMC so influential was the group's crossover potential. They were able to reach a mainstream audience through their heavy use of rock 'n roll, most notably on the song "Walk this Way" with Aerosmith. The same formula applies here, as the relatively unknown producer Whiteboy throws in samples of Blondie, Joan Jett and Lynryd Skynryd along with classic old school beats, while throwing the base into overdrive.

Over all of the background noise, Run lays down fierce, although self-serving rhymes. He manages to boast of his place as the father (or at this point, grandfather) of rap, with the tracks "I Used to Think I Was Run," and "High and Mighty Joe," and boasts of his preaching skills on "The Way."

Things get slightly sappy (although you can't help but feel his pain) as an awkward sample of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is incorporated as a backdrop for Run expressing his feelings about the death of his friend Jam Master Jay. The words are right as he says, "Always helping, never selfish, that was my man Jay/ We ain't lose 'em or choose 'em he was God's idea/ and since home is where the heart is/ homie he's still here," but the pronounced "woof" in the middle of the guitars destroys the nostalgia of the sample and delivers horrifying memories of "Who Let the Dogs Out." In addition, the Reverend is from Queens, not Alabama, making his choice of the southern rock anthem completely mystifying.

This is just one of several moments on Distortion where Run seems stuck in limbo. Part 1980s old school and part modern hip-hop, the Reverend's new sound comes off as an awkward mix of the two genres.

A major issue with the album is that the sampled classic rock songs don't sound right when combined with new school hip-hop beats. When Run DMC was at its peak, the beats behind the group were much simpler. This allowed for a smoother incorporation of rock elements. Here, layer after layer of synth, snare and guitar behind already heavy rock samples are just too much.

Run's flow, however, remains as excellent as ever. Always energetic, the Reverend's voice is powerful and nimble throughout the CD, finishing each verse with an emphatic punch.

Ultimately, this album has too much background noise and too little lyrical content to be worthy of a trip to the record store. While no one can take anything away from Reverend Run as one of the most influential artists in rap history, perhaps he should focus on his other commercial opportunities and let his Run DMC-era music speak for itself. After influencing likely every rapper since the late 1980s, the Reverend doesn't have anything left to prove to us — this record only shows how different hip-hop used to be and what hip-hop is today.

There are worse things you can do with 25 minutes than listen to Reverend Run's Distortion, and if you happen to fall into a copy of the record, it's worth a listen, but don't bother going to the record store to buy your own copy — you will spend more time in transit than you will actually listening to the music.

Grade: C