Life and career

McDaniels was one of the lead vocalists of the group, along with co-founder and friend Joseph "Run" Simmons. The group's work is considered by many to be inventive and original, using numerous revolutionary styles, including the work of DJ Jam-Master Jay.

McDaniels first became interested in hip hop music after listening to recordings of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. In 1978, McDaniels taught himself to DJ in the basement of his parents' home, using turntablesmixer given to him by his older brother, Alford. During this period he adopted the stage name "Grandmaster Get High". and a

Later that year, McDaniels sold his DJ equipment, after his friend Joseph "Run" Simmons acquired his own turntables and mixer. After Jam-Master Jay, who was the best DJ in their hometown of Hollis, Queens joined the group, Run encouraged McDaniels to rap rather than DJ. Gradually, McDaniels came to prefer rapping to mixing records, and adopted the nickname of "Easy D". In 1981, he dropped the "Easy D" moniker in favor of "DMcD", the way he signed his work in school, and then to the shorter "D.M.C.". D.M.C. alternately stood for "Devastating Mic Controller" or his nickname since childhood, "Darryl Mac".

In 1984, the trio released their self-titled, début album and the rest is hip hop history. (For more info, see Run-D.M.C.)

McDaniels was also influenced by many artists before him. One unlikely influential figure in his music was the dancehall artist Yellowman. McDaniels understood the impact reggae and the artists had on hip-hop and acknowledge them for it. "We grew up worshiping Yellowman, loving him, loving his records; what he said, how he sounded, how he looked, he was just cool."

In 1997, McDaniels began to slide into a deep depression. He became extremely unhappy with the rigorous routine of touring and performing. He hated being away from his wife and newborn son. He began to rely heavily on prescription drugs and alcohol to ease the pain. McDaniels had already built a reputation as a notoriously heavy drinker during Run-D.M.C.'s heyday. He was known to drink up to eight 40 ounce bottles of malt liquor a day and was arrested twice for public intoxication and driving while intoxicated. While on tour, McDaniels noticed his voice was giving out. He was later diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a vocal disorder which causes involuntary spasms of the larynx muscles. He believes it was caused by the aggressive way in which he performs his lyrics compounded with the years of heavy drinking.

Meanwhile, McDaniels began to have creative differences with his bandmates.^{[citation needed]} A longtime fan of artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Harry Chapin, McDaniels wanted to move towards a slower, softer sound which suited his now troubled voice. Run wanted to continue with the hard rock edged, aggressive sound that the group was known for. These disagreements caused McDaniels to sit out most of the recording of Crown Royal. He appeared on only three songs.

Feeling depressed and suicidal, McDaniels heard Sarah McLachlan's song "Angel" on the radio. The song touched McDaniels so deeply that it inspired him to reassess his life and career. He credits McLachlan and her album Surfacing with saving his life. With a new outlook on life, McDaniels decided to write his autobiography. While researching his early years, his mother, Bannah, revealed a shocking secret. Darryl was adopted when he was three months old. According to Bannah, his birth mother was a woman of Dominican descent named Bernada Lovelace. He also learned that he was born in Harlem, Manhattan not Hollis, Queens, as he had always believed. Even as a child, McDaniels knew that he did not look like the rest of his family. He finally understood why. The news inspired him to go on a search for his birth mother and ultimately, himself. He began working with the VH1 network on a documentary chronicling his quest. His autobiography, King of Rock : Respect, Responsibility, and My Life with Run-DMC, was released in January 2001.

In February 2006, VH1 premiered the documentary titled DMC: My Adoption Journey. The program ends with McDaniels reuniting with his birth mother, who turned out to be named Berncenia and not of Dominican descent. He thanks her for her choice because had he not been placed for adoption, Run-D.M.C. would have never existed. In March 2006, McDaniels released his long-awaited solo album, Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll. The first single, "Just Like Me", features an interpolation of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" performed by McDaniels' musical savior, Sarah McLachlan.

In September 2006, Darryl McDaniels was presented with the Congressional Angels in Adoption Award for his work with children in foster care and promotion of adoption. He founded a summer camp providing 170 foster children a childhood experience. During a recording session, McLachlan turned to McDaniels and revealed that she, too, was adopted.

He is currently working on writing an updated autobiography (his earlier autobiography, King of Rock : Respect, Responsibility, and My Life with Run-DMC, was written before he found out that he was adopted) and his second solo album, for which he gave the title The Next Level. Three tracks off the new album have been released ("Next Level", "Hip Hop", and "Beef Eater") and can be heard on his myspace page.

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