Darryl McDaniels facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Darryl McDaniels
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McDaniels at the 2014 New York Comic Con
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Darryl Matthews McDaniels |
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| Born | May 31, 1964 Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Hollis, Queens, New York, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
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Darryl Matthews McDaniels (born May 31, 1964), better known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture.
Early life
McDaniels grew up in Hollis, Queens, New York City, New York. He was born to an unwed mother who surrendered him to the New York Foundling home. He was a ward of the Foundling, in foster care, until placed with the McDaniels when he was one month old and eventually adopted by them. They raised him as a Catholic, and he attended St. Pascal Baylon Elementary School. He later attended Rice High School in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. He subsequently attended St. John's University in Queens, New York City.
McDaniels listened to rock music and folk music in his youth, and he first became interested in hip hop music in the 1970s after listening to recordings of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. In 1978, McDaniels taught himself to DJ in the basement of his parents' home, using turntables and a mixer that he bought with his older brother, Alford, after having a comic book sale in their neighborhood. During this period he adopted the stage name Grandmaster Get High.
Career
Later that year, McDaniels sold his DJ equipment, after his friend Joseph "Run" Simmons acquired his own turntables and mixer. After Jam-Master Jay – who had a reputation as the best young DJ in Hollis – joined the group, Run encouraged McDaniels to rap rather than DJ. Gradually, McDaniels came to prefer rapping to mixing records, and adopted the nickname of "Easy D". In 1981, he dropped the "Easy D" moniker in favor of "DMcD", the way he signed his work in school, and then to the shorter "D.M.C.". This new nickname alternately stood for "Devastating Mic Control" or "Darryl Mac", his nickname since childhood as referenced in the lyrics of the song "King of Rock".
In 1984, the trio released their self-titled debut album and became very successful in the hip-hop industry. The group's success continued to grow and reached its peak with their third album Raising Hell. The album went to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making Run-D.M.C. the most popular hip-hop group at the time.
Meanwhile, McDaniels began to have creative differences with his bandmates in Run-D.M.C., which by then, was well past its prime as a commercially successful hip-hop group. A longtime fan of artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Harry Chapin, McDaniels wanted to move towards a slower, softer sound which suited his now troubled voice. Run wanted to continue with the aggressive, hard rock-edged, sound that the group was known for. These disagreements caused McDaniels to sit out most of the recording of Crown Royal (2001). He appeared on only three songs.
Feeling depressed, McDaniels heard fellow adoptee Sarah McLachlan's song "Angel" (1997) on the radio. The song touched McDaniels so deeply that it inspired him to reassess his life and career. With a new outlook on life, McDaniels decided to write his autobiography. While researching his early years, his mother, Bannah, revealed a shocking secret: Darryl had been placed for adoption when he was three months old. According to Bannah, his birth mother was a woman of Dominican descent named Bernada Lovelace. He also learned that he was born in Harlem, Manhattan, not Hollis, Queens, as he had always believed. Even as a child, McDaniels knew he did not look like the rest of his family, and with the revelation, he finally understood why. The news inspired him to search for his birth mother. He began working with the VH1 network on a documentary chronicling his quest. His autobiography, King of Rock: Respect, Responsibility, and My Life with Run-DMC, was released in January 2001.
In February 2006, VH1 premiered the documentary, DMC: My Adoption Journey. The program ends with McDaniels reuniting with his birth mother, who turned out to be named Berncenia and despite previous beliefs, was not, in fact, of Dominican descent. He thanks her for her choice because had he not been placed for adoption, Run-D.M.C. would have never existed. In March 2006, McDaniels released his solo album, Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll. Produced and Music Directed by Romeo Antonio. The first single, "Just Like Me", features an interpolation of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" (1974) performed by McDaniels' musical savior, Sarah McLachlan. During a recording session, McLachlan revealed to McDaniels that she, too, had been adopted.
McDaniels also collaborated with Adoptee Zara Philips on "I'm Legit." He testified before the New Jersey State Legislature in support of legislation to restore adopted adults' access to their original birth certificates. The legislation McDaniels supported was signed by Governor Chris Christie and became effective on January 1, 2017. As a New York-born adoptee, however, McDaniels did not have access to his own original birth record; he hired a private investigator to help find his birth family in New York.
McDaniels had written the first draft of his autobiography before learning he was adopted and was working on a second solo album, working titled The Next Level. Three tracks off the new album have been released ("Next Level", "Hip Hop", and "Beef Eater") and can be heard on his Myspace page.
In June 2007, McDaniels joined Aerosmith on stage at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London, England to perform "Walk This Way".
McDaniels is featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (2008) singing Run-D.M.C.'s singles "King of Rock" and "Walk This Way". He is also an unlockable guitarist in the game. In the game's trailer, it is revealed that McDaniels' son plays Guitar Hero for hours each day.
In 2009, McDaniels performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's nonfiction book A People's History of the United States (1980).
McDaniels' second solo album, the more rock oriented The Origins Of Block Music, was due out in mid-2010 but was delayed.
In 2011, McDaniels joined forces with producer Wade Martin to open the record label IME Records.
In 2014, McDaniels ventured into the comics industry with his own publishing imprint, Darryl Makes Comics. McDaniels explains his lifelong love of the medium thus:
Growing up a mild-mannered, Catholic school kid, all I did was go to school and read comic books. I was strictly a Marvel Comics head; Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Fist, you name it. I loved Marvel because it was the city; it was all New York. The same backdrop I was living in in this universe was in the Marvel Universe. Comics did for me what hip hop did for me as I got older; it empowered me, inspired me and educated me. I learned about Nazis, space exploration, everything from comics.
Darryl Makes Comics' first book is DMC, a 90-page anthology graphic novel set in 1985 that features McDaniels as a superhero who confronts both criminals and other superheroes whose recklessness threatens innocent lives. DMC debuted at the New York Comic Con October 9–12, and was subsequently released in comics shops October 29. The book received a four out of five stars rating by Tony Guerrero of Comic Vine, who lauded the charm and authenticity of the art.
As of January 2015, McDaniels was working with the band Generation Kill on a project, DMC Generation Kill, to be produced by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.
On the December 17, 2016 Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live, DMC made a cameo appearance during a parody of Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis." During the sketch he was portrayed by musical guest Chance the Rapper.
On February 17, 2016, heavy metal band Solus Deus released their EP titled The Plague. The song titled "Anacrime" features DMC on guest vocals.
Starting in 2017 and continuing on an ongoing basis, DMC has joined the rock cover supergroup Royal Machines as a guest at their occasional concerts. Joining a revolving cast of celebrities in each lineup, including Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison, Sebastian Bach, Macy Gray, Fred Durst, DMC has performed covers of songs such as "Walk This Way", "Sweet Emotion", and "Black Betty" with the band.
On September 15, 2017, Italian rapper Caparezza released his studio album, Prisoner 709, which includes the track "Forever Jung" that features DMC on guest vocals. American rapper DeLiverance's 2018 single "Slave To The Rhythm" also features DMC on guest vocals.
On August 13, 2018, DMC performed an encore with O.A.R., playing "Walk This Way".
In February 2021, McDaniels released a song and animated video, "Let's All Get the Vaccine," to encourage the COVID-19 vaccination.
In January 2022, McDaniels released his picture book, Darryl's Dream, published by Random House.
Charity work
The Felix Organization
In 2006, McDaniels and Sheila Jaffe, a fellow adoptee and Emmy award-winning casting director, co-founded The Felix Organization.
Since its inception, The Felix Organization has served more than 10,000 children in the foster care system. Its flagship program, Camp Felix, is an annual sleepaway summer camp in Putnam Valley, New York. Additionally, The Felix Organization sponsors two teen camps on the East Coast. Camp Felix West is for Los Angeles-based youth in foster care.
Other charity work
In September 2006, McDaniels received the Congressional Angels in Adoption award for his work with children in foster care and promotion of adoption. He sits on the Board of Directors of Children's Rights, a national watchdog organization that reforms failing child welfare systems.
Personal life
McDaniels has been a resident of Wayne, New Jersey.
Discography
With Run-D.M.C.
- Further information: Run-D.M.C. discography
- Run-D.M.C. (1984)
- King of Rock (1985)
- Raising Hell (1986)
- Tougher Than Leather (1988)
- Back from Hell (1990)
- Down with the King (1993)
- Crown Royal (2001)
Solo
- Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll (2006)
- Back from the Dead EP (2017)
With Fragile Mortals
- The Dark Project (2016)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2015 | Comic Book Men | Himself | Season 4, Episode 13 |
| 2016 | Hip-Hop Evolution | Himself | Documentary-Series |
| 2018 | The Big Narstie Show | Guest | Season 1, Episode 2 |
| 2022 | That Girl Lay Lay | Guest | Season 2, Episode 8 |
See also
In Spanish: Darryl McDaniels para niños
