Darryl McDaniels

About Darryl

• I grew up in Hollis, Queens, in New York.
• I initially thought I wanted to create comic books because I loved the storytelling aspect—that love for storytelling transferred to music when I realized that’s exactly what 70s folk rock was doing.
• When hip hop broke onto the scene, I was sold—all throughout my teenage years, I wrote raps that told stories about myself.
• After high school, I was accepted into St. John’s University and enrolled but didn’t end up graduating because I became immersed in the music and entertainment industry.
• My friend Joseph “Run” Simmons and I created our first single and it became a national hit.
• We created Run-DMC with DJ Jason Mizell, and became the most popular hip hop group at the time.
• I eventually started struggling with depression and alcoholism, which intensified when I found out I was adopted—I struggled for years before finally seeking help and turning my life around.
• In 2022 I released a children’s book, “Darryl’s Dream,” to tell kids the personal characteristics that make them who they are will help them successfully achieve their dreams.