Darryl McDaniels

Hip-hop pioneer, comic book creator

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels is a legendary musician who, for more than 30 years, has been an undeniable influence on pop culture.

He remains at the forefront of hip-hop history as a founding member of Run DMC, and always has been an innovator. From being part of the first rap group to grace the cover of Rolling Stone, to be the first to appear on MTV, the Grammy-nominated artist has changed music, culture, fashion and language.

McDaniels also is an Emmy winner for the VH1 documentary about his life-changing discovery, DMC: My Adoption Journey.

When Run came to me the first time and said, ‘Yo, we’re putting you in the group,’ I was a nervous little kid. I didn’t want to get up in front of y’all and rhyme, but then what gave me confidence out there on stage was pretending that I was the Hulk on the microphone.

Run, by the way, is the other half of the group’s name, Joseph Simmons, who is now a minister.

McDaniels grew up reading comics and developed a passion for them. He set his first graphic novel in 1985 in New York City, with graffiti-covered subway cars as dancers break and spin in playgrounds and on street corners. Drugs and crime rule the streets, but the city’s brand new guardian angels wear spandex and capes, wielding their gadgets and their superpowers to “clean up” the city for the benefit of a select few.

The rest, however? They whisper a different name: DMC, who dons his tracksuit and Adidas sneakers to defend the city’s marginalized citizens against supervillain and superhero alike.

McDaniels has crated his own publishing house, Darryl Makes Comics, working alongside his partner and editor-in-chief Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, as well as senior editor Riggs Morales. The imprint is dedicated to the idea that every walk of life has heroes and stories worth telling.

Hip-hop was always based on creativity. So what we’re trying to do with this comic book is not trying to create anything that’s new, we’re just going to show the world what’s already there – the beauty and the creativity of it.