What Is Darryl McDaniels Net Worth?

Darryl Matthews McDaniels is known for his stage name DMC and his music, which rocked the late 90s. Darryl McDaniels’ net worth rises from his role as a founding member of the well-known hip hop band Run-DMC. He is also a notable figure in old-school hip-hop and is one of the pioneers of hip-hop cultures.

Darryl McDaniels net worth is $45 million. His career as a professional rapper is his source of wealth. Till present, Darryl remains one of the music legends and his songs have served as inspiration from olden times till present.

Darryl McDaniels
Date of BirthMay 31, 1964
GenderMale
Height6 ft (1.85 m)
OccupationMusician, Rapper, Composer, Actor, Film Score Composer, Record producer
NationalityUnited States of America

Early Life

Darryl was born in Harlem, New York on May 31, 1964. He had a partly rough childhood in Hollis, Queens with his single mother, who later gave him to the New York Foundling Home. He remained here until the McDaniels finally adopted him. As a Christian family, they raised him as a Catholic.

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Darryl grew with a passion for comic books. One of his quotes is ‘Comics did for me what hip-hop did for me as I got older. It empowered me, inspired me, and educated me’. This indeed illustrates his connection with comic books. Darryl and his older brother bought turntables and a mixer after a comic book sale in the neighborhood. 

Darryl became interested in hip-hop for the first time when he started listening to the recordings of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This drove him to learn to DJ using the materials he and Alford bought. He also adopted for himself the stage name Grandmaster Get High.

Career

Soon, Darryl’s friend – Joseph “Run” Simmons got his own turntables and mixer. This led to Darryl selling his and joining his friend. When a well-known DJ – Jam-Master Jay joined the group, Run encouraged Darryl to rap instead of DJ. Eventually, Darryl came to prefer rapping a lot more and began rapping as “Easy D”.

In 1981, he changed this name to “DMCD” and finally changed it to “DMC” which stuck. His new name supposedly stood for “Devastating Mic Control” and perhaps “Darryl Mac”, his childhood nickname. The brand name for the group then became Run-DMC.

In 1984, they released an album that became very successful in the industry. Their success climaxed and finally became ultimate with their third album “Raising Hell”. 

This album topped many charts, including Top R & B and Hip-Hop Albums chart, and ranked in several others. This made Run-DMC the most popular hip-hop group at the time.

As time went on, McDaniels had issues with other band members in their music style. With rising health issues, McDaniels wanted a slower, softer sound, but Run wanted to maintain the team’s aggressive style. McDaniels was now left out in many of the team’s performances. 

Sadly, this led to severe depression and eventually led him to contemplate suicide. In the middle of this, he had heard Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 song ‘Angel’ and felt inspired. Darryl claims the song saved a life.

Darryl McDaniels

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Personal Life

Darryl underwent several phases of anxiety and depression. While he played with the Run-DMC, he was a heavy drinker, able to take up to 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor a day. The police arrested him twice for driving while intoxicated and for drug intoxication.

Darryl was extremely unhappy with his inability to meet up with his career and family simultaneously. He indulged in prescription drugs and alcohol. He later had spasmatic dysphonia, believed to be a result of his lifestyle.

As Darryl got inspired, he learned to pick up the pieces and move on. This led to him forwarding his life and career as well as involving in other endeavors. He joined forces with other music brands. 

Currently, he is a resident of Wayne, New Jersey.

Other Endeavors

Darryl was motivated to write his autobiography. This led to him searching out for answers from his past and eventually finding out he was adopted. He is also featured in video games like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, where he is an unlockable guitarist. 

Darryl also participates wholly in charity. He is a co-founder of the Felix Organization, which had helped a lot of children in the foster care system. Darryl received the “Congressional Angels in Adoption” for his works in September 2006.

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