King of Rock: Respect, Responsibility, and My Life with Run-DMC

This book was released but only a few days before Run Dmc made it's final New Orleans appearance at the House of Blues.As I left the concert that night,outside of the Marriott Hotel, a soft timid voice spoke out "Hey man,I sure like all that Adidas you have on."It was DMC.As I was completely charmed and engaged for those next few moments by this gentle giant,so will you be by this wonderful memoir.Covering his entire life and carreer and alcoholism and consequent pancreaitis, Mr.McDaniels quietly tells raps greatest story.The only flaw for was that theres not enough insight into the actual creative or studio process that quite literally changed pop music.(C'mon,"How'd ya do it Dee?"!!)Other than that,this along with Chuck D's caustic "Fight the Power",are a must read.

Anyone who is a fan of Run DMC or rap will love this book for the behind-the-scenes look at the early days of the group and the music. Anyone looking for a human interest story about maturing and becoming a man despite decadent surroundings will also probably be pleasantly surprised. Although it is a good read for anyone of any age, I would seriously suggest that this book should be required reading for high school kids. It really teaches a lot of great life lessons in a way that kids can relate to. It paints the picture of what most kids would consider to be the ideal existence - that of an international rock superstar living a life of decadence - and then gives the reader a very clear picture of why such a lifestyle is not so ideal. In doing this, it makes the reader question a lot of their own beliefs (e.g. "If only I made $X more a year, then I'd be happy" and "If I could have women falling at my feet, I'd be the luckiest guy in the world."). I would argue that it may help kids change the course of their lives early on and avoid having to learn a lot of hard lessons by experience.The only (minor) flaw is that the book uses a lot of street slang and poor grammar. In general, I have no problem with writing in a vernacular if it helps put a story in its proper context or helps an author relate to a particular audience, but it is out of place here considering the content of the book. Gangster rap acts defend the violence and disrespect common to their music by claiming that they are only reporting what they see on the streets and are acting the way they act in real life. D adamantly opposes their behavior and discusses the flaws with their arguments, suggesting that they should aspire to be better people and do positive things with their talent and popularity. To be consistent with this line of thinking, the book should be presented in proper english. Surely, in editing the book, Haring must have noticed the many times the author switched tenses mid-sentence and used "ain't"s, etc. This would lead one to believe that there was a conscious effort to leave the poor language and slang in the book. The question then becomes: How is intentionally sounding ignorant any different than ganster rappers intentionally "keepin' it real"?But if you look past the language and get to the meat and bones, you will find that the book has a whole lot to offer and that Darryl is a great guy. I can hardly wait for his solo album....

Who knew DMC was the soul of Run-DMC?This is an important book, and if there is any justice, it will sell well, be read widely, and have as much influence as the early Run-DMC music did. This is NOT your typical, ghost-written celeb bio. Even those who know nothing about DMC the musician can be helped and uplifted by this book.Oh, sure, there are the usual rock anecdotes about life on the road, the women, the parties, the money, and the drugs. (What?!? Run-DMC doing drugs? Unfortunately, yes.) There are even quite a few amusing stories about the genesis of Run-DMC (did you know that Run and DMC hated the name at first, but were convinced to use it by Russell Simmons?) There is talk of career highlights (playing "Live Aid,") the glasses, and writing lyrics. For those interested in rock history, there is ample enough grist for them.What makes this an important book, though, is where rock-stardom ends and growth begins-- and DMC pulls no punches in laying out what he sees as the straight dope on what it means to be a real man, and what he hopes for the future of both rock music and society as a whole. He does this in a powerful way that few rock stars (or even regular guys) ever attempt: by laying out his own mistakes for all to see (including almost dying from alcohol poisoning,) taking responsibility for them, and then talking about what he learned from them. It is painful to read at times, but even more powerful because of that.D says things in this book that no one in the music industry has had the balls to say-- but you don't feel like he's criticizing, he's just calling it like he sees it. He thinks that a lot of the rap-metal groups are just calling up the negative vibe, that a lot of the other rap that glorifies money is just hurting the normal kid by skewing his priorities, and that fame and adoration should be given to those making lasting musical contributions (like Eric Clapton) not the to flavor of the moment. He talks about Tupac's death in a way that might surprise you.D also talks about organized religion, spirituality, being a father, and, above all, being true to himself. Above all, he encourages you to be true to yourself, too.When we finish the book, we feel like we've met a real man and a person of some substance who is struggling to make his life and the world around him a better place. It is totally understandable, after reading this book, why DMC is almost nowhere to be found on the latest Run-DMC album. He has grown beyond Run and Run-DMC. And as we can see by that sorry "Crown Royal" album, maybe D was right in pulling out.You can tell that all of this has been hard on D, that he is trying to grow as a person and a musician in a situation that wants him to stay the same. All I can say to D is: Live Positive Forever and Ever.You're doing the right thing, man, no matter how hard it is.