Hip-Hop Pioneer Tells Bristol Twp. Students They Have 'Purpose & Destiny'

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels talking to students on Wednesday.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

A pioneer of the modern hip-hop sound and business culture talked with students in Bristol Township Wednesday.

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels was greeted at Neil A. Armstrong Middle School in the Fairless Hills section of the township to a room packed full of cheering eighth-grade students.

“I’m an example of real life things that happen when you pay attention,” he told the students, adding they all had “purpose and destiny.”

The inspirational talk was designed to help students capture “greatness that is already yours,” McDaniels said.

In the 1980s, McDaniels along with Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell formed the groundbreaking hip-hop group Run DMC that had a major impact on pop culture and formed the basis for the modern hip-hop scene that mixes music and business.

Growing up a shy kid in Queens, New York, glasses-wearing McDaniels enjoyed reading and faced bullying at the catholic school he attended.

“Ask your parents. Glasses is cool now. They weren’t then,” he said. “[Other kids] thought it was a weakness, but I made wearing glasses cool.”

Coming of age, he and his friends had to learn to be inventive and find creative ways to express themselves through hip-hop and graffiti. He told the students about working for what they accomplish, respecting their elders, and staying away from gangs and drugs.

“Y’all are so powerful because you have guidance and you got people steering you,” he told the students. “Discipline is something to keep you on the right track to the greatness that is already yours.”

“Roll with the flow,” he advised.

McDaniels told students about the triumphs of genre-bending Run DMC, their spanning career, and also the mistakes he made, including heavy drinking. He shared stories of depression and bouts of suicidal thoughts.

He said that everyone should learn from their mistakes.

“That’s what makes you excel,” he said.

The performer and businessman also explained some of the ways Run DMC changed music and the business but advised students his journey involved a lot of learning.

“The assignments don’t go away. They only get harder after you’re out of school.”

McDaniels’ visit included a few short bits of performances of his music. Run DMC is known for hits like “It’s Tricky,” “Rock Box,” and “Walk this Way,” a chart-topping collaboration between Run DMC and Aerosmith.

“When you can come together and combine your differences, that’s when you can change your world,” he said.