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Hip-Hop Legend D.M.C. On Why Innovation Is Key For Success

Hip-Hop forefather Darryl 'D.M.C.' McDaniels, one third of legendary rap group Run-D.M.C., remembers when MTV started putting rap videos in rotation.

'When we were on TV globally, it was new to the world,' says DMC of their 1984 hit 'Rock Box,' the first video by a hip-hop group to air on the channel. 'It wasn't new to us.'

The New York native first heard hip-hop in the schoolyard. It wasn't long before he wanted to become a DJ; it was only when Joseph 'Rev. Run' Simmons found his notebook of rhymes that he convinced him to become a rapper, McDaniels recalled.

With Joseph 'Jam Master Jay' Mizell, the trio went on to form Run-D.M.C. Among a plethora of groundbreaking achievements, they became the first rap group to release a platinum record, to be played on MTV and to cover Rolling Stone. They did all this with a rock-infused sound while sporting Adidas--and landed the first ever hip-hop shoe deal with the athletic company in the process.

'When it comes to business, art, education even, innovation is key for growth and success,' said McDaniels.

Speaking to FORBES in Austin, Texas, at the 2017 SXSW Conference & Festivals, he detailed the group's rise, his struggle with depression and alcohol, his comic book company and much more.

forbes.com

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