Before hip-hop crossed into the mainstream, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Run DMC were already breaking barriers and rewriting the rules.

With Adidas, gold chains, black hats, and groundbreaking beats, they transformed hip-hop’s sound, style, and cultural influence. Their legendary collaboration with Aerosmith on “Walk This Way” brought rap and rock together in a history-making moment that introduced hip-hop to a new generation.

But DMC’s legacy extends far beyond music. Having spoken openly about alcoholism and depression, McDaniels has turned personal struggles into messages of hope and connection. Through memoirs, comic books, children’s literature, and entrepreneurship, he continues to inspire others by showing that vulnerability can be a source of strength.

And he’s still making noise. His 2026 single brought together rock heavyweights Mick Mars, Travis Barker, Sebastian Bach, and Duff McKagan. The “America EP” is scheduled for a Record Store Day Black Friday vinyl release on November 27, 2026, followed by a full-length album planned for April 2027 featuring collaborators including Sammy Hagar, Joan Jett, Chuck D, Tim Armstrong, and others.

Meanwhile, McDaniels has teamed up with Public Enemy’s DJ Johnny Juice and bassist-producer Brian Hardgroove to form FREEDOM. Their debut single, “I’m On Your Side,” arrived May 15, 2026, with a video filmed in New York and Santa Fe.

From Hollis, Queens, to the crossroads of hip-hop, rock, literature, and entrepreneurship, DMC continues to evolve without abandoning his roots. Run DMC helped change the rules for an entire genre; decades later, McDaniels is still creating, collaborating, and opening doors for the next generation.

He’s not simply celebrating history—he’s making it. The crown remains part of his legacy, but the microphone is still in his hand. The mission continues, and the volume stays up.

Before the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the gold records, and the world knew the name Run DMC, there was Darryl McDaniels growing up in Hollis, Queens. What about those early days shaped the man, the writer, and the voice you would eventually bring to hip-hop?

It was comic books that shaped me. I was just trying to be “the most powerful superhero in the Hip Hop universe!” Stan Lee and Marvel Comics, ’60s and ’70s rock radio, and Cold Crush inspired and empowered me.

You originally envisioned yourself more as a writer behind the scenes before stepping up to the microphone. What changed when you realized your voice belonged out front, and when did DMC become more than a name?

I never wanted to be out front anywhere! DJing and MCing were my private, in-the-house, pretend-make-believe-time thing.

The same way I pretended to be Captain America, Spider-Man, and Hulk, I pretended to be Grandmaster Flash, Caz, Mel, Sha-Rock, and Moe Dee! I guess all that pretending was practice and preparation.

Run DMC changed the sound, look, and attitude of hip-hop. The leather, the Adidas, the stripped-down beats, the commanding delivery—you weren’t dressing up as somebody else; you were presenting yourselves as you were. Did you realize you were changing the culture while you were living it, or did the magnitude hit you later?

That’s just it—we were living it. We are the culture. We didn’t invent or create it. We embraced and represented it. We took the beat from the street and put it on TV, like I said on “My Adidas”!

“My Adidas” helped turn a sneaker endorsement into a landmark moment for hip-hop, while “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith broke through musical and cultural barriers. Looking back, which moments made you realize hip-hop could go places the industry hadn’t imagined—and what did those breakthroughs make possible for the artists who followed?

The Adidas thing was already set in motion by the culture itself. The song just became the anthem or theme song of what was going on in the streets. Brand-new sneaks and fresh-out-the-store clothing were the rule for fashion and style.

My rhyme wasn’t just about the Adidas alone. It was about the person’s abilities and responsibilities that qualified you to wear ’em!

We didn’t create “rock-rap.” We just did it first on records. Everyone before us rocked over “Walk This Way” and other rock records. Rock music is a foundational pillar in hip-hop, along with James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” other funk, disco and R&B songs, and jazz.

Lots of legendary rock breakbeats throughout hip-hop’s history. “Walk This Way” was just one of me and Jay’s favorites!

Run DMC wasn’t just a group; it was a brotherhood built with Rev. Run and the late Jam Master Jay. What did each of them bring into your life and artistry that couldn’t have been duplicated, and what does carrying that history mean to you today?

Run saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He even told me, “One day those glasses are gonna be famous!”

Jay was our style and vibe, and Run was our attitude! All I had to do was show up and deliver.

Your voice has always had a certain authority—direct, unmistakable, and impossible to confuse with anybody else’s. How much of that delivery came naturally, and how much was developed through the years of writing, performing, and learning how to command a room?

I learned from listening to the live performances of the Treacherous Three, Cold Crush, Funky 4 Plus One, Furious Five, Fantastic Five, and lots of Zulu Nation tapes.

I studied the tapes, not the records. The records were treats—the tapes are sacred!!!!

Hip-hop has changed dramatically since Run DMC helped take it from neighborhood parties to a worldwide movement. What do you hear in today’s generation that excites you, and what do you wish more young artists understood about the culture that made their opportunities possible?

There’s Hip Hop that’s now in the music business, and there’s Hip Hop Culture. Two completely different things.

Your success, relevance, and importance in Hip Hop have nothing to do with how many records you sell.

What every generation, young and old, needs to understand is that there’s a HUGE responsibility if you call yourself a Hip Hop artist and get on the mic! There are things you are required to do!!!!! Soooo many don’t.

But that’s OK—we’ll keep doing it!

At the top of 2026, you brought hip-hop and hard rock together again on a single featuring Mick Mars, Travis Barker, Sebastian Bach, and Duff McKagan. With your upcoming America EP and full-length album continuing that cross-generational conversation, what still excites you about putting artists from different musical worlds in the same room—and what can they bring out of one another?

I love guitars, dope drums, and great music!

I’m just living and doing what the King of Rock is supposed to be doing! Rock ‘n’ roll, punk rock, and heavy metal are what make me Hip Hop!

You’ve never limited your creative world to one lane. Now you’re teaming with DJ Johnny Juice and bassist-producer Brian Hardgroove to form FREEDOM, whose debut single, “I’m On Your Side,” arrived in May 2026. What brought the three of you together, and what does FREEDOM allow you to express that feels different from your work as DMC?

Brian Hardgroove and Johnny Juice came to me for FREEDOM because they know we can’t be afraid to say what’s needed to be said!

It’s no different from what I did on “It’s Like That” or “Hard Times.”

I think it’s just more like what Neil Young, Bob Dylan, or John Fogerty would do, because I’m a huge fan of theirs and admire their courage to create!

From cookies and comics to children’s books, you’ve built a life that reaches well beyond records and stages. What inspired you to explore those worlds, and how important is it for you to create something that connects with children and families who may know your work in ways that have nothing to do with rap?

I’ve realized, in all my travels and longevity, that there is no generation gap! It’s a conversation and communication gap, and I’m filling in the gaps because I create and communicate for all! Young and old.

Darryl makes cookies, Darryl makes comics, Darryl makes coffee, and soon comes chicken, macaroni and cheese, chocolate, croissants, and other cultural creations, because creativity connects culture!

You’ve been celebrated for what you helped build with Run DMC, but Darryl McDaniels is a man whose story extends far beyond the accolades. What have life’s personal challenges taught you about purpose, identity, and the responsibility that comes with having a voice people recognize and respect?

Everyone who is not a so-called celebrity has a story that could change lives and save lives! That’s something we all need to understand that we have in common!

We all go through things, and our stories can help each other. No one is more important or special than anyone else.

After all these years, you’ve already helped change music history, yet you’re still creating, collaborating, and opening new doors. When people look back on the full story of DMC—not just the icon in the glasses, but the man behind them—what do you hope they understand about your journey, your purpose, and the work you still have left to do?

My work is never done! Because it’s not work, it’s fun! I’m gonna have fun every day! And all of you should, too. That’s how we all win!