- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been provided by The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

The Burke Foundation The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The New Jersey Education Association.

PSEG Foundation.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Making a difference.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

And by Rowan University.

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- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change Presidents in this country is by voting.

- A quartet is already a jawn, it’s just The New Jawn.

- January 6th was not some sort of violent, crazy outlier.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I mean what other country sends comedians over to embedded military to make them feel better.

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

_ It’s not all about memorizing and getting information, it’s what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Hey, everyone.

Steve Adubato.

Talk about iconic, talk about important, significant, someone that has clearly made a difference in American culture.

He is Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, co-founder of Run-DMC, hip-hop legendary founders, entrepreneur, author, motivator with strong Jersey connections.

Darryl, it's an honor to have you with us.

- Thank you for having me.

I'm really excited about being over in your show.

I catch you all the time with the most interesting, informative discussions.

- Well, that's because of people like you.

By the way, and also, I've loved, I was reading again yesterday, not only does Darryl, his book, "10 Ways Not to Commit Suicide," but he's writing children's books that are motivational, that are genuine, that are somewhat autobiographical, if you will, but helping all children.

Talk about your connection to... My hometown is Newark.

I happen to live in Montclair, born and raised in Brick City.

You have a Montclair connection.

Before we get into this stuff, talk about your Montclair connection, Darryl.

- Oh, yes.

I have a New Jersey Montclair connection with Paper Planes Coffee.

Jonathan, you know, the owner and the guy that runs it, he actually saw my cookies, 'cause I have Darryl Makes Cookies where I do chocolate chip and sugar cookies.

When he saw that, he just thought it was so brilliant and he, you know, reached out to me, said, "D, would you ever think about doing coffee?"

Now I don't drink coffee, but my wife does.

And I was like, "Okay, this is perfect.

This will give me a good in with my wife."

And he came up with the idea to do Darryl Makes Coffee but based on what hip-hop is and does.

He said, "I wanna do a blend or a mix."

And I was like, "What are you talking about?"

He said, "I wanna take for DMC, Dominican, Mexican, and Colombian coffees, and I'm gonna create sure blend if we're gonna do it here at my shop in Montclair."

It's phenomenal.

- Well, that's how the coffee happens.

But now bring us back to the '80s.

Run-DMC, you established it with Rev.

Run, who is Joseph Simmons, and also Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell back in '83, is it?

- Yes, first single was 19, yep.

- I'm sorry for interrupting.

There's a little bit of a delay.

How does it happen and why, Darryl?

- Okay, I gotta give you the long story short.

- Sure.

- Before recorded hip-hop, there was hip-hop in the streets and the parks and at the block parties.

People like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, for example.

And we was basically, Steve, doing disco in the streets.

That's why if you listen to all the early hip-hop records, even Run-DMC in '84, when we did the song "Jam-Master Jay," our DJ, we got the master of the disco scratch.

So we saw, Steve, what was going on in Studio 54.

You know, the CEOs, Hollywood was coming to New York to get into Studio 54.

Two of the biggest rock groups, Queen and the Rolling Stones, made disco records so they could get in there.

And the world perception was, "It must be heaven in New York."

- Mm.

- But that wasn't the truth.

Because economically, education, socially, you know, '60s and '70s in New York, Harlem wasn't Harlem, it was "Harlem".

So we saw that, "Wow, they get together for five, six, seven hours and play music and it's heaven?

We gonna do that too."

But we had no real estate or money, so we just popped the light pole open, stole electricity from the city of New York and did our own disco stuff.

- Hold on one second.

You're from Hollis, Queens.

- Yes.

- Were the other guys from the same neighborhood?

- Yes.

Run-DMC, me, Jason, and Joe live five blocks from each other.

- Hold on, what did you steal?

- We stole electricity from the city of New York to have disco in the streets and the parks.

And that was the motivation.

So to answer your question, everybody wanted to be a DJ at first.

It was all about the music.

Once that started gettin' popular, it got competitive to where, "I need somebody to tell you how great I am."

So that's where the MC and all the rapping came in.

So everybody was doing that.

It started in the Bronx, spread to Manhattan, spread to Brooklyn, spread to Queens, spread to Staten Island.

So before "Rapper's Delight" in '79, Steve, everybody was a DJ and a rapper, but it wasn't for show business.

It was like, remember when we was younger girls played with Barbie, guys play with G.I.

Joe.

Remember that?

- I do.

- Yes.

So it was Barbie, G.I.

Joe, and doing a DJ rap thing.

- Okay, so let me ask you this.

So you guys explode.

But in '86- - Yes.

- "Walk This Way," the coming together of hip-hop- - [Darryl] Rock and rap, yep.

- And rock with Steven Tyler, and Aerosmith.

Did you know, as it was happening, first of all, how does it happen?

Second of all, did you know, as it was happening, this is extraordinary?

- Well, no, we didn't know it was extraordinary.

We knew it was possible because it was already being done, but nobody was doing it for the world to see.

The powerful thing about "Walk This Way" was, once again, before recorded hip-hop, we used rock records as breakbeat.

We just need the drum beat and the guitar so we can rap over.

Wherever a singer wasn't singin' on a disco record, James Brown record, funk record, R&B record, jazz record, or rock record, that was where the DJ would play for the MC.

"Walk This Way" isn't the first rock rap record.

The first rock rap record was "Rock Box," which was on Run-DMC's self-titled album in '84.

Then, remember, we did King of Rock '85 with Larry "Bud" Melman from "The David Letterman Show-" - The guy was in, what?

- Yes.

Remember?

Yeah, if you- - Go ahead.

- We had Larry "Bud" Melman from "The David Letterman Show" at the front door of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame going, "You guys can't come in here.

This is a rock and roll museum."

And that was just to say, everybody was saying hip-hop was a fad- - Right.

- But we was using rock and R&B.

So we were using already made music.

When we did "Walk this Way," the significance of that was this.

It was something to knock down the walls, like we did in a video, that divides us generationally.

So it was brilliant for us not to just do their, hip-hop didn't invent anything, it reinvented everything.

So we could've just stole, I mean, we could've just sampled their record, but we decided to do it over and do it with them.

So when you was flipping through MTV, which was very influential and a foundational- - Big, big.

- Yeah, MTV made hip-hop happen the way it should.

But when you was flipping it and you saw Run-DMC not just doing a remake, but with the guys that originally did it, that was the game changer in the genre.

- So here's the thing.

And, by the way, get this book.

It's Darryl's book, "10 Ways Not to Commit Suicide: A Memoir."

So here's where, it's not a story, it's Darryl's life.

It's not some story somebody made up.

All this success, all this notoriety, all this fame, can't even imagine.

By the way, those of us who grew up in Newark can appreciate Hollis, Queens 'cause it's not that much different, let's just say.

That being said, you write in this book about the pain, about the addiction, about the depression, the anxiety, the mental health issues.

That was happening, Darryl, I'm asking, as this success was happening, how the heck were you balancing, managing that?

- Well, (chuckles) it was easy for me to do the records and, you know, do the shows because it's fun.

I didn't know at the time that all of that creative output was a mechanism that was helping me survive.

I was letting it all out.

I was letting it all out.

When we got into the '90s, I basically said, "Okay, I'm Darryl McDaniels from Run-DMC.

First to go gold, first to go platinum, first on a cover of Rolling Stone, first with MTV."

Steve, I don't even play basketball and I got a sneaker deal like Jordan.

- You did?

- What in the... (Darryl and Steve chuckle) What in the world is going on?

And there was this missing void in me.

And the fact that I didn't know what that was, I got very depressed at first.

Then that made me start to drink.

And also the pressure of I did so well so people around me started going, "You need to have a hit record," "You need to have money," "You need to be on a chart," "You need to be on tour," "You need to have a house," and this and that.

I didn't know at the time all I needed was to be happy.

So all of the pressures of living, all the pressures of living up to everybody else's expectation started to take a toll, plus with this void.

So what really happened was I got to the point where I don't wanna deal with it no more.

So I said, "Okay, I'm leaving this existence.

But before I go, I want the world to know Darryl, the guy who made the DMC King of Rock got possible."

So I called my mother up, and I'm looking back now, I should've said, "Mom, I'm struggling," "Mom, I'm suicidal," "Mom, I'm alcoholic."

But you know how stigma is.

"I don't wanna trouble anybody.

I'm supposed to be a strong Black man who happens to be this powerful rapper.

I can't show the world that I'm weak and vulnerable and I go through things," not knowing that everybody goes through somethin'.

So I said, "Mom," instead of telling her what, my mother and father what was going on, I just said, "Mom, I'm gonna," and I'm only writing a book because I'm gettin' ready to check out.

I'm gettin' ready to get outta here.

I said, "Mom, people know my name.

They know what I did with Run-DMC, but I got three questions for you.

What time I was born, what hospital, and how much did I weigh?"

'Cause I wanted to be getting, 'cause I knew my birthday but I didn't have no details.

So she told me those three things.

"I love you."

"I love you too, ma."

Hung up the phone.

An hour later, Steve, she calls back, and she goes, "Darryl, we have something else to tell you."

Now I'm thinking they're gonna go- - Oh, yeah.

- I'm thinking they're gonna go, "Well, when you was born, there was a power outage in the hospital and we gave birth to you by candlelight."

They hit me with this, Steve.

I'm an alcoholic, suicidal, metaphysical, spiritual recluse, thinking of killing himself that just happens to be DMC.

She hits me with, "Well, you was a month old when we brought you home, and you're adopted."

I was 35 years old when I found out that I was adopted.

And it didn't end there.

After I found out that I was adopted, Jam Master Jay got shot and killed.

- That's right.

- Then my father, Byford, died.

So I was the walking dead.

Until somebody said, now I didn't know this, I'm DMC King of the World, the Mighty King of Rock, who walked his way in his Adidas to make the world better for people.

I didn't know where to go.

I didn't know where to get help, but somebody said, "Yo, D, you could go help yourself."

I found this thing called therapy and all my superpowers came back.

- But there's so much more, and that's why you need to read- - Yeah.

- But what is The Felix Organization?

- Oh, okay.

(chuckles) See, all of this- - Because you're all about helping others, which is what "Darryl's Dream" is about, "Darryl's Christmas in Hollis," Queens.

It is all about helping others.

By the way, "Darryl's Dream," one of the powerful messages in here is about bullies and being bullied, and how to stand up to bullies and how to being true to yourself.

And it is incredibly, I have to believe, autobiographical.

But your obsession, it seems to me, Darryl, is about helping others who are struggling.

What is The Felix Organization?

- The Felix Organization is an organization that started with a fellow adoptee, who, we realized we don't like the word lucky.

We said we were very fortunate to have people in our lives to, Steve, get us where we were supposed to go regardless of our situation.

So we started an organization called The Felix Organization.

We started with a summer camp where foster kids can come, they get recreation and all of that.

But while they're there, instead of waiting until they're 19 and 20 years old and age out the system, we ask them, you know, "What is it that you wanna do?"

If a kid goes, "I wanna be a photographer," while they're at camp, they get photography lessons the whole week.

"I wanna be a DJ."

All right, you wanna be a DJ?

We bring Jam Master Jay's son in to teach DJ lessons.

You wanna be a dancer?

We bring dancers in.

So whatever it is these kids wanna do as young, you know, middle school kids, we give 'em the opportunity to experience it.

Because, Steve, regardless of their situation, a kid's situation doesn't define who they are.

All of those children, those foster kids, those adopted kids, those homeless kids, those orphans, they're the next great me and you.

So I take it personally what hip-hop says, "Keep it real."

Number one, I keep it real with you.

I'm not ashamed and I'm not guilty to say I'm struggling.

Why?

'Cause everybody struggles.

And once you admit what your weakness is, then and only then you can find your superpower.

So we wanted to do somethin' so these children can say, "Okay, I may be homeless.

I may have my father, not my mother.

I may have my mother, not my father, I may have no parents, but that doesn't prevent me from achieving whatever like the book 'Darryl's Dream' is."

In the "Darryl's Dream" book, I just wanted to say my poem.

- And they were making fun of you, or your glasses.

And you got up and you did it... By the way, is that real story, Darryl?

And, PS, do not ever again put my name and your name together as giants in the industry.

You are, I'm just hanging out in the media business.

So that being said, is it true that when you wanted to be in this talent show, you took your name off the list to perform to do the poem- - Yep.

- Real boys, strong men, whatever, you know, the poem.

And I believe your mom said to you, "Go do it."

Is it true that you got up, started doing the poem, and then started rapping, they're applauding, and then what happened?

What happens then when they're applauding?

- Yeah, yeah.

First of all, they looked at me like, "What is this?

What in the world is he doing?"

You know, "Roses are red, violets are blue."

You know what I'm saying?

'Cause for me, this poetry, which later on became lyrics in my actual records, you know, it was like my diary.

It was me telling you, "This is who I am.

I'm Darryl McDaniels."

I got up there, Steve, and, this is funny.

I got a standin' ovation.

But here's the point of it.

After that, the very same kids who thought it was the corniest, weakest, un-gangster thing to do, now they wanna be my friends.

Now, I should've said, "No, I ain't teaching you how to do any poetry.

You was the one puttin' me down."

But I said, "No, I'll teach you."

But I even said, "I don't want you to do it like me.

Charlie, I want you to do poetry the way Charlie," see, Charlie's problem was- - By the way, Charlie's the bully in the book.

Go ahead.

- Yes, Charlie's problem was he didn't see the greatness in himself.

- That's right.

- For me growing up, gettin' bullied and teased, hip-hop gave me the power to say, "You know what?

I like myself just the way I am."

And you gotta understand somethin', Steve, that resonated, from what happened to me as a kid, resonated even going into the business.

In the beginning, when we went to search for our record deal, all the labels said, "There's no way anybody wants to hear someone rapping about chicken and collard greens in St.

John's University."

'Cause remember, my first rhyme was, "I'm DMC, in the place to be.

I go to St.

John's University.

And since kindergarten, I acquired the knowledge.

After 12th grade, I went straight to college."

They was like, "Nobody wants to hear this."

But that wasn't true.

Because people that was listening to me on my records wasn't only listening to me, they were seeing and realizing the greatness in themselves.

So somebody said, "D, the same thing you've done with your music, you could do with a children's book and reach them earlier."

- This is a hard question.

I've been thinking about this.

And by the way, "Darryl's Christmas in Hollis" is great because it appears at first to be all about wanting to get a certain bike that Darryl sees in a bike store, in a toy store.

It's a lot more than that.

Check it out.

To know that you are having the impact that you're having, not just in all the work that you're doing, not in the books you're writing, not just in the nonprofit that you started, but right now there are people seeing this on broadcast and public broadcasting and on digital platforms, all kinds of places, how important is it for you, Darryl, after all your success as a legend in the hip-hop industry, in the rock industry, in the entertainment industry, how important is it for you to help other people, particularly kids struggling?

- That's the best question ever.

As a little kid, all I cared about was comic books, especially Marvel comic books 'cause Stan Lee was brilliant.

He put the superheroes in New York City.

Gotham and Metropolis was trying to, right, they were trying to be New York.

Stan Lee said, "You know what?

I'm gonna just put this city-" So without leaving my room, I saw the city I lived in.

I saw the Lower East Side.

I saw Hell's Kitchen, and everything like that.

And I saw all the problems and struggles that everybody was going through.

As a little kid, I wanted to do somethin' about it.

So since I was always reading, I was a good student.

So that got me to go, you know, straight A's to get to St.

John's University.

Now this thing called hip-hop comes.

Steve, hip-hop was like a Spider-Man bike.

I always loved Peter Parker because it was real to me.

The reason why I shouted out my neighborhood on Queens wasn't to wreck my hood.

It was 'cause when I was three years old and found out Spider-Man lives in Queens like me, it was real.

So to answer your question, the reason why I go so hard was I got bit by a spider called rock and roll and hip-hop.

And what did Aunt May say to Spider-Man?

When he didn't want it, he was giving up on himself and everybody, she said, "Peter, with great power comes great responsibility."

So I'm actually, my friend said, "D, you really are a superhero.

That's why you was attracted to them."

And, Steve, it gets deeper.

My friend Riggs Morales, who was Eminem's A&R over at Shady Records during the rise of that empire, he hit me with this when he saw my stories come out.

He said, "Don't you know most superheroes are adopted or from a foster situation?"

Batman lost his parents.

Tony Stark lost his parents.

Spider-Man lost his parents.

Superman didn't just lose his parents, he lost his whole universe, but he came to earth with a purpose.

So to answer your question, I wanna represent a superhero in all of us.

I don't care if it's addiction.

I don't care if you've been abused.

I don't care if you've come from the war.

Whatever trauma we have, people need to realize all superheroes, even the Martians, come from traumatized situations, but there's something already in them.

Alcohol's not gonna fix you.

You can fix yourself.

So I go so hard because I'm trying to be Spider-Man for real.

(Darryl chuckles) - Got about a minute left.

You're at the White House, shoulder to shoulder with President Obama.

You spoke, as briefly as you can, describe that moment.

Two incredibly important figures in American culture and history, you and Barack Obama.

- Yeah, yeah.

So they invited me to the White House for a Father's Day Cookout.

And I get there, I'm a little intimidated 'cause everybody got all suits.

But I walk in there with my Adidas on and I got a CBGB t-shirt on.

And as Obama's comin' through the room and talking to everybody- - [Steve] The CBGB, the rock club down in Lower Manhattan.

- Yeah, yeah.

So he's seeing that, and he's like, "Oh, man, I knew there was a reason I wanted you.

Come here."

And we just started talking.

He told me he respects everything that I'm doing with hip-hop.

We didn't talk about, you know, my cars and this and that.

He said, "I love what Run-DMC, and all other rappers, who take that responsibility upon themselves."

And he said, "Just as a moment, somebody get a camera in here 'cause this guy got on a CBGB shirt."

But what's important about that, he saw that I wanted to connect with the people, which is what all politicians and even religious people do.

And I got a sayin', Steve, that moment was significant of my moment when I say music or the arts succeeds where politics and religion fails because, just like Steven Tyler did in the "Walk This Way" video, it knocks down the walls that divide us and brings us together.

- Hey, Darryl.

Thank you.

Just thank you.

I can't thank you enough.

Our audience can't thank you enough, not just for this interview, but for 40 plus years of not just great entertainment and being a legend in hip-hop, but the difference you're making, most importantly in the lives of others, particularly young kids who are struggling.

I wish you all the best.

I'll see you in town over at your coffee shop.

- Yes, sir.

Steve, thank you.

Thanks for having me.

- You got it.

That is Darryl "DMC" McDaniels making a difference every day.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

The Burke Foundation The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The New Jersey Education Association.

PSEG Foundation.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

And by Rowan University.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by NJBIA.

- At the Turrell Fund, we know that all New Jersey families deserve access to affordable, high quality childcare.

Early childhood education supports healthy brain development and provides essential support to power the economy, enabling parents to work, businesses to operate, and communities to thrive.

The Turrell Fund is proud to be part of Start Strong NJ, a statewide initiative to put affordable, high quality childcare within reach of all New Jersey families.

Learn more at TurrellFund.org and StartStrongNJ.org.