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Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, a founding member of legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC, performs at the grand re-opening of Hard Rock Cafe Seoul, Itaewon, Wednesday evening. / Yonhap
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Hip-hop legend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels showed Korean fans what real hip-hop music is like, when he performed at the grand reopening of the Hard Rock Cafe Seoul, Wednesday evening.
It was DMC’s first time to visit Seoul, but he was obviously pleased with how hip-hop culture has spread to this part of the world.
The Hard Rock Cafe Seoul in Itaewon was packed with people, who jumped, cheered and chanted to DMC’s rap music. DMC, a founding member of hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC, got the party started with one of the group’s old hits “Here We Go.”
DMC also performed the classic, “Walk This Way.” The song was remade in collaboration with rock group Aerosmith, who first recorded it in 1975, in the 1980s, and started the trend of collaborations between artists from different musical genres.
Instead of a rock group, DMC collaborated with local hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo, who rapped some parts in Korean.
In a press conference before the concert, DMC admitted he doesn’t even listen to any of today’s music or watch any of the music channels. He doesn’t consider any of the current hip-hop music as “real” hip-hop.
“Real hip-hop is in a class by itself. … I don’t listen to the radio or watch music channels. I only listen to the artists and everything on the walls of the Hard Rock Cafe. Classic does not mean old. It means it is better than anything that would come after it,” he said.
In early 1980s, he co-founded Run-DMC with his friend Joseph “Run” Simmons. Later, Jason “Jam-Master Jay” Mizell, a disc jockey, joined the group. Their revolutionary style of music helped spur the development of hip-hop music, and brought hip-hop culture to the mainstream.
When asked what he thought of some hip-hop artists declaring that hip-hop music is dead, DMC smiled and said “hip-hop can’t be dead because I’m still alive.”
Run-DMC, along with LL Cool J, are the only rap artists affiliated with the Hard Rock Cafe, known for its mainly rock n’ roll theme. “I think rock n’ roll and hip-hop are like brother and sister. It’s got the same feeling,” he said.
DMC is involved with a lot of events for Hard Rock Cafe in the United States. “What I like about the Hard Rock Cafe is its about the music and the people. When they asked me if I wanted to perform in Seoul, I said yes. Hard Rock Cafe has a legacy of keeping the music alive,” he said.
DMC thinks Seoul is an “incredible” and “awesome” place. He wants to come back to see more of the city and promote his music on television and radio. DMC is currently busy finishing his next solo album. It will be released in September.
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