Grammy award-winning rapper and Hip-Hop pioneer, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, visited P.S. 207 in Kingsbridge on Friday, Oct. 14, to speak with elementary school students about how to deal with bullies, believing in themselves, and to discuss his new picture book, “Darryl’s Dream.”

 

A founding member of the legendary, Hip-Hop group, Run-D.M.C., who first emerged on the Hip-Hop scene in the 1980s, McDaniels, a Queens native who spent much of his youth in foster care, emphasized to the third, fourth and fifth graders at the Kingsbridge school, the importance of chasing their dreams.

 

An impassioned McDaniels, who was adopted by his foster family and later attended St. John’s University in Queens, discussed his own personal experiences of dealing with bullies as a child, reaffirming to the students that they were perfect just as they were. He also ensured to reiterate the message that they should notify an adult if they found themselves dealing with a bully or saw someone else being bullied.

 

“It doesn’t matter what the bullies think,” the “King of Rock” rapper said. “It doesn’t matter what the people who tease you, for whatever reason, think. You are perfect just the way you are, and because you are perfect the way you are, that will allow for any, and all, of your dreams to come true!” he added.

 

McDaniels explained during his visit that he had been bullied for wearing glasses, but through his music and love for comic books, he found the confidence in himself to overcome his insecurities.

 

Norwood News previously reported on the efforts by one local parent of a transgender student who seeks to raise awareness of and redress for incidents of bullying in local schools. We also reported on how another female adult bullying survivor used her experience to inspire kids at P.S. 294 Walton Avenue School.

 

Through the pre-scheduled “Dreaming with DMC: Youth (Re)Visions for the Future” event, organized in conjunction with Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, the students were given the opportunity to share their own personal dreams with the artist whose work with Run-D.M.C. include such hits as “It’s Like That,” and “It’s Tricky.”

 

Each student designed an individual vision board displaying their hopes and dreams for the future, and as the kids held up their colorful artwork to show McDaniels, he even signed some of them.

 

Principal of P.S. 207, Tara O’Brien, later said of the visit, “DMC’s words of wisdom will resonate in the minds and hearts of our students as they continue to grow as leaders of today and tomorrow.”

 

“Darryl’s Dream” was inspired by the rapper’s own childhood, and some of the challenges he faced growing up, like being bullied. The book dives into his personal experiences of how he found the confidence to overcome his shyness and perform the music he loved.

 

In February 2006, VH1 premiered the documentary entitled DMC: My Adoption Journey, which chronicles the rapper’s adoption journey, in which he reunites with his birth mother.

“Hip-Hop and rap is about caring for one another; that’s why I came here to meet ya’ll,” McDaniels continued. “This is better than being at the Grammys! This is better than being at the MTV Music Awards! This is even better than me being at the Academy Awards!”

 

Reflecting on the visit, Kadijah Caban, youth operations director at Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, said, “DMC had a clear message for our youth; being true to yourself is the biggest key to success. We appreciate DMC for always supporting our youth and P.S. 207 for working with us to create this powerful experience for their students.”

 

To top it all off, McDaniels later delivered a live rap performance for the starstruck students of what he referred to as the “greatest rap of all time,” the ABCs. The students were also given a chance to ask the icon some questions, which ranged from inquiries about his career, to what happens if they fail.

 

“Every successful person failed a million times,” said McDaniels, who hails from Queens. “But when you try something and fail, you learn.” McDaniels connected his personal success as a rapper for the students by pointing out that The Bronx is the birthplace of Hip Hop.

 

He explained, “We don’t want children to be ashamed of who they are. We want them to stand on their honest and true selves. We want to continue to encourage our children’s interests and make sure they are celebrated. We also want to instill the enthusiastic attitude to the kids that will be the next educator, scientist, or the one that will cure cancer, so they don’t follow the ones with shallow goals.”

 

He concluded, “You’re from The Bronx; that means you’re from a place that’s cooler than Asgard and Wakanda!”

 

Síle Moloney contributed to this story.