DMC - Co-Founder of Run DMC

By: Dominick A. Miserandino

DMC is known as a part of the trio Run DMC, which since the death of Jam Master Jay, caused DMC to take this step forward in a solo record. Over the past few years Darryl McDaniels has had to deal with alcoholism, his father’s death, one of his best friend’s deaths, learning he was adopted, suicide, and that’s just the beginning. In the process, he listened to Sarah McLaughlin’s song “Angel” and felt inspired to take a step forward.

His latest album is now a reflection of that. It’s half Run DMC mixed with a bit of DMC’s personal musical influences, and of course, a diary of what he’s gone through for the past few years. The result is an album that shows exactly what he’s feeling, thinking-- both the pretty and the pain put together. The following interview delves a bit into Darryl’s pain and recovery.

Dominick) Looking over your last few years, between alcoholism, the death of a band mate/best friend, recording your first solo album, finding out that you were adopted… you had quite a rocky few years. How are you dealing with it all?

DMC) I’m living, and because of everything that I’ve been through, I guess I have a responsibility, maybe an obligation to fire and motivate people. To tell them that I’ve been there, I can relate, and you’re not in it alone. I tell them we’re here to get through this together, and I’m here to represent anybody no matter what situation or state of mind you are in. If it was suicide, I’ve been there. If you were adopted, I’m adopted. If it was alcoholism, I can relate. There’s a war going on. I’ve decided to make a record and say something about that. All musicians and creative people, whether people agree with them or not, they spoke about what was going on in the world that they live in. People are just like me, and I try to be a voice of the people, and I’m at a stage in my career and because of what I’ve been through, and I went where I went, and I’m going where I’m going, I have a responsibility. Because I’ve evolved, my music must evolve.

Dominick) Did it ever get to the point, over the past few years, where you felt it was just a barrage of problems. Maybe you felt you just couldn’t keep pace with all that life was throwing at you?

DMC) I realized it wasn’t just about me. It was about everybody else out here in this world that we live in. These things happen to me so I can represent all of these other people. That’s why I found out I was adopted. I decided to use Sarah McLaughlin’s record, “Angel,” which literally saved my life. I listened to that record when I was suicidal, and that record gave me hope and inspiration. For years, that’s all that I was listening too. And when I finally had the chance to meet her, I told her what her record did for me,. She said, “Thank you for telling me that, DMC. That’s what music is supposed to do.” That’s why I wanted to make this album, so that people might stop and think, “Wow, I think like that sometimes.” Or, “I can relate to that,” or “I totally disagree with what he’s saying,” but at least they’re thinking.

I’ve been called “The King of Rap” or “a pioneer,” but at the end of the day, like the record I made with Sarah, I was trying to reach people who felt just like me. To put the cap on it, when I went back to Sarah three years later, after I met her, she looked at me and said, “DMC, I got to tell you something, I was adopted too.” I didn’t even know that when I made the record or approached her.

Dominick) Wow, that’s an interesting coincidence. It sounds like it really hit you.

DMC) That’s just how it happened. Even when Jay was alive, when I had a few days off from Run DMC, I would go to the studio. I wanted to do a record as a representation of what Darryl likes-- the guy that became DMC. We always had a reputation to live up to, to sound, act, and represent a certain way. We had the goal to be the best MC and DJ crew on the earth. That’s why we didn’t dress it up. We just had the record and the turntable. This is more about what I like. I love classic rock. My friends would say to me, “Why are you listening to this old music?” And I would say, “It isn’t old to me,” because I never really heard this stuff. I never sat there and listened to stuff like, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” I listened to Dylan, I listened to the Beatles, and I listened to the sounds, the instruments, the way they would structure their songs. Back in the day I used to rap my songs, now I’m writing songs that I rap. There’s a big difference.

Dominick) Is it this album more influenced by your Run DMC days or a mix of that and the rock you got into?

DMC) If you listen to the substance, the content and the internet of the album, it’s really similar to the earlier stuff. “All Along the Watchtower” is no different from “It’s Tricky.” I was always simple and universal-- “It’s Christmas Time in Hollis Queens.” You could always relate to it whether you were in the Ghetto or in Beverly Hills. The only thing that changed was that I evolved as a person. So what I talked about had to evolve. I don’t have to sit on this album and say, “I’m the king. Do you remember how big we were?” because everywhere I go people scream that at me. I don’t have to quote it. You’ve seen the movies, the books and read the records. You know that part of me. Right now, people might talk about the reality show, and all, but this is my own true confession. I keep it real and tell you what’s up with me. “I just wrote this album, I just got out of rehab. I found out I was adopted.”

For me as an artist, it wasn’t about making a come-back album, getting a certain rapper to appear, it wasn’t about that. It was about saying, “This is D, the same D you always had.”

Dominick) Is this a diary of what you’ve gone through for the past few years?

DMC) Yes, a lot of it is. I wanted to bring it back to the days where you don’t even think about the performer as an individual but you listen to the music. I wanted people to listen to the music and the words and have it hit them. So in the beginning, everything I wanted to do musically was a bit like I did before. But then, I started putting down what was happening to me. Jay died, I’m going to write a record about that. I was suicidal, I’m going to write about that… and then when I put those lyrics with the music I loved, it was a perfect match.

Dominick) Was there a bit of exposure? A feeling that there’s certain stuff you didn’t want to say?

DMC) Well, I wanted people to know and hear that I’m alright, I’m happy. When people asked me my story, I remembered the reaction that they had, “Wow, he’s going through the same stuff as me” Then I remembered what Sarah McLaughlin said about how music should touch people. Everybody goes through these things, but sometimes they don’t know where to turn to. I’m hoping that they listen to my record and go, “I always thought his life was perfect, and he had all of these things.” I may have these things, but I want them to know that, at the end of the day, I’m still human.

Dominick) Was it emotionally hard writing songs like, “Missing My Friend”?

DMC) It was hard to write it, but it was easy for things to get together. It felt like I didn’t have to write the lyrics down, it just came off the top of my head. I felt like, even though they were tough for me to write, these were lyrics that people could relate to.

Dominick) Do you feel like this is a new beginning then?

DMC) For me creatively, everything is new. My direction is new, the music I want to use is new. I want to use Banjos and Sitars (laughs). Creatively, I have no direction. In Run DMC I had a position, but now I can rap about what I want and who I want. I’m like a little kid and I don’t care if I feel like saying it. From a creative standpoint, isn’t creativity supposed to be free. Everything now is a new beginning for me.

DM) Is this new beginning frightening?

DMC) (laughs) It’s the scariest thing in the world. I don’t have Jay, I don’t have my friends. It’s a little scarier, but I had to say, “Everybody’s going to say what they want to say.” I don’t care what the critics say, I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. But yes, it’s scary because I’m up against a lot. Today’s a good day, and I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. And the things I’ve been dealing with, well I’m still dealing with them. Hip hop, creativity, and music is now my religion.

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