DMC, along with Run-DMC bandmates Run and Jam Master Jay, grew up in Hollis, Queens, New York, a relatively stable, comfortable black community not unlike many others across America.  He attended Catholic schools in the city and enrolled at St. John’s University in Queens in 1982.  He nurtured his dream of being a performer and not long after the friends parlayed a connection (Run’s brother, Russell Simmons), as well as a ton of talent, into their first album, 1984’s, Run-DMC.  

Their impact was immediate.  Run-DMC became the first true hip-hop superstars and the group succeeded well beyond anyone’s wildest dreams – their own included.  They embodied the endlessly creative subculture of a young black New York.  They were the first rappers to earn a gold album, the first to earn a platinum album and go multi-platinum, the first to have their videos played on MTV, the first to appear on Saturday Night Live and American Bandstand, and the first to grace the cover of Rolling Stone and Spin.  

It would be hard to overstate Run-DMC’s influence on the evolving hip-hopification of pop culture and DMC’s contribution to that legacy is profound.  Album’s including Raising Hell, Tougher Than Leather, Down with the King and King of Rock, are some of the musical genres best.

For DMC however, recording studios and concert halls would not be his only platforms for expression.  Television appearances on Soul Train and the pilot episode of Yo! MTV Raps led to those on such sitcoms as 227, The Ben Stiller Show and recently The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.  Along with countless award shows, specials and documentaries, he appeared on the big screen in such period films as Krush Groove, L.A. D.J. and the Run-DMC project Tougher Than Leather.  Verifying his talent rather than his celebrity alone, his songs were also featured in such films as Boyz ‘n the Hood and Die Hard.

Then, in October 2002 when bandmate Jam Master Jay was suddenly killed, McDaniels and Simmons retired Run-DMC. Having lost his friend and the band that was his livelihood, McDaniels decided to rededicate his talents.

It was also during this time that DMC was told by his parents that he was adopted.  Suddenly everything he thought he knew about himself changed and he began to question his purpose and place in life. DMC invited VH1 on his journey to track down this other family he never knew was out there. DMC: My Adoption Journey documents that search, and illustrates DMC's search for his biological roots, as well as his spiritual journey of self-discovery.   Currently, DMC is working on a new, follow up documentary titled DMC: Deliver My Children, which aims to shed light on the foster care system in the United States.

DMC achieved another milestone in his career by winning an Emmy Award for his critically acclaimed VH1 "Rock Doc" documentary DMC: My Adoption Journey. After more than ten films, this is the first Emmy awarded to the VH1 "Rock Doc" production staff as well.  Both the legendary rapper and VH1 topped a number of critically acclaimed documentaries at the 28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards black-tie dinner held September 25, 2007.

With a new sense of destiny and understanding of the events that had taken place in his life, DMC put pen to paper and started to write Just Like Me, a personal interpretation of Harry Chapin’s Cat In the Cradle.  Just Like Me also features a “motherly” vocal by Sarah McLachlan, whose Grammy-winning album Surfacing had a profound and timely effect on DMC.  During a time when I was in a bad place in my life, I discovered Sarah’s album and listened to it every day, he says.  When he met McLachlan at the Grammys and told her that it had deeply affected him, she replied, That’s what music is supposed to do.  When DMC approached McLachlan about performing on the song, not only did she agree to provide the vocal for Just Like Me, she offered her home studio in Vancouver to record the project.  She also appears in the song’s video.

DMC released the singles Watchtower and Lovey Dovey from his first solo album, Checks Thugs and Rock ‘n Roll (RomenMpire Records/Rags 2 Riches Records).  Four years in the making, Checks Thugs and Rock ‘n Roll features a virtual who’s who of artists from various musical genres.  They include Sarah McLachlan, Run, Doug E. Fresh, Gary Dourdan (CSI), Romeo Antonio, Kid Rock, DJ Lethal, Ms. Jade, Sonny Black and Napoleon (Outlawz).  

The music of Checks Thugs and Rock ‘n Roll is sure to introduce DMC the solo artist, to a younger audience that challenges those in his own generation to re-embrace hip-hop.  Musically rich, the title of the album eviscerates the lifestyle-driven mentality that has come to dominate the rap world at the expense of authenticity.   In addition, the album celebrates some of DMC’s own musical influences including Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin and Jimi Hendrix. DMC is currently working his second solo album for which he gave two titles, The Return Of The Son Of Byford and Hip Hop Is Alive

Tributes to DMC

Ice-T -- "I went to a Run-DMC concert and they actually made me believe that hip-hop could be big. Rap was never at that level. We'd never seen it like that."

MCA for the Beastie Boys -- "When 'Sucker MCs' came out it blew my mind. It was like nothing I had ever heard before…The Beastie boys looked up to Run-DMC."

Chris Rock -- “Rap music is the first art form created by free black people and Run-DMC is the first group to use their freedom as artists to set a generation free…..Every show they did was the greatest show ever. Run, D, and Jam Master Jay -- the greatest show deejay of all time -- were like three Sinatras. They did it their way!”

50 Cent -- “Run DMC was one of the most influential groups in hip hop.”

Rick Rubin -- "Run-DMC were the first true artists in hip-hop and the template for all who followed. Amazing artists have come since, but none have matched the revolutionary cultural impact of Run-DMC."

Kid Rock -- "Before Run-DMC there was nothing."

Eminem -- "Run-DMC broke down the barriers. They were the first real rap stars. Everyone in the game today owes something to them."