DMC

Darryl "D.M.C." Matthews McDaniels entered the world on May 31, 1964, in Harlem and grew up in Hollis, Queens, where he quickly became one of two central figures in the boundary-shattering trio Run-D.M.C. The moment Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five reached his ears, hip-hop seized his attention; he began as a DJ under the names Grandmaster Get High and Easy D before locking in DMC as his permanent handle. Childhood companion Joseph "Run" Simmons urged him to move from the decks to the microphone once Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell had established his command of the turntables. In 1982 the three launched Run-D.M.C., issued their self-titled debut album two years later, scored the first hip-hop single to crack Billboard’s Top Ten with the Aerosmith collaboration “Walk This Way,” and sustained a loyal audience deep into the 1990s.

During a 1997 tour, personal and professional pressures drove DMC to the brink of taking his own life. Creative tensions within the group coincided with his diagnosis of spasmodic dysphonia, a condition marked by uncontrollable laryngeal muscle spasms. Sarah McLachlan’s radio hit “Angel” reached him at that moment, prompting a profound reassessment of his path. Over the following years he explored various solo ventures before committing to an autobiography; while tracing his early history, his mother disclosed that he had been adopted. The revelation ignited an extensive search for his birth mother, which he documented in partnership with VH1. Tragedy struck again in 2002 when Jam Master Jay was murdered during a Queens studio session, bringing Run-D.M.C. to a close. DMC’s solo work soon materialized through recording sessions that included members of Buckcherry, Aerosmith, and the Cars, and his musical touchstone Sarah McLachlan contributed to the 2006 debut Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll, the same year VH1 premiered DMC: My Adoption Journey.