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Rap superstar Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC visited with students at William Floyd High School on Thursday, delivering a powerful message about determination, motivation and confidence.
The “King of Rock” shared some of his experiences from growing up in New York City, noting similarities between his childhood and what today’s students go through. He noted the main difference is technology.
For McDaniels, 58, told an auditorium filled with high school seniors and music and fine arts students that for him it all started with creativity and the arts. “Armed with information and imagination,” he said, he made his first record the same year he graduated from high school and soon became a member of one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop and rap.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Award winner was greeted by the William Floyd High School Drum Line belting out a powerful rendition of Run DMC’s “Walk This Way,” a popular cover of the 1975 Aerosmith song of the same name.
Check out a video of the drum line’s performance.
“I’m excited about the potential in this audience,” McDaniels said, adding that students have the ability to accomplish whatever they put their minds to. “You all have beautiful music inside of you.”
