Gordon Block
Collegiate Times
Students packed into the Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center Thursday evening for an opportunity to hear rap icon Darryl "DMC" McDaniels speak. McDaniels, currently on his History of Hip Hop Lecture Series, took time to enlighten the audience in attendance about not only his story, but the history and story of hip-hop music as a whole. Students in attendance were happy for a chance to see the legend in person.
"I've always been a big fan of Run-DMC. With DMC coming to Tech, I had to be here," said James Cummings, senior international studies major. In starting his lecture, DMC talked about the notion of 'old-school' hip-hop music.
"It's just like classic rock, old school when it comes to hip-hop isn't a time period, it means better than anything that will be made after it," McDaniels said.
McDaniels began with how he got into music, starting from hearing a cassette of hip-hop while he was a boy in Hollis, N.Y.
McDaniels also went over the beginnings of hip-hop, from when DJs would come together and play for people in local parks and playgrounds. Continuing from there, McDaniels described the universal nature of hip-hop music.
"Hip-hop gives you the total being of our existence," McDaniels said.
McDaniels explained how hip-hop rose into its popularity.
"It was an epidemic, but the reason hip-hop did what it did was because it was good, and it was universal, and it was relatable to every one of us," McDaniels said.
While McDaniels' focus was on the history of hip-hop music, McDaniels also stopped to challenge current rappers to expand their work.
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