We are honored to welcome Darryl McDaniels as this year's showcase emcee!
We are excited to announce that as part of the grand prize, Darryl will visit the winning school/district.Darryl "DMC" McDaniels is co-founder of the legendary group RunDMC, selling over 40 million albums and changing music history. In 2009, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2016 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has co-authored 2 top-selling autobiographies, "King of Rock: Respect Responsibility and My Life with Run-DMC" (St. Martin's Press) and "Ten Ways Not To Commit Suicide" (Harper Collins). As co-founder of the award-winning nonprofit Felix Organization, celebrating its 15th anniversary, he has worked to enrich the lives of children in the foster care system. In 2019, he partnered with the team at Uwill as an investor and mental health advocate, supporting the mental health and wellness needs of colleges and students.
In 2021, DMC partnered with Nickelodeon on a cross-category licensing program that includes apparel and a publishing deal with Random House Children’s Books. In January 2022, he released Darryl’s Dream, a picture book about creativity, confidence and finding your voice. He also collaborated with Noggin, Nickelodeon’s interactive learning platform for kids ages 2 to 7, for
What’s the Word? a brand-new original short-form music series available on all major streaming platforms.
DMC has several new music projects releasing this year, including standalone hip singles "Color Fool" and "You All Know" an all-star rock royalty EP entitled America featuring songs with artists such as Joan Jett Sammy Hagar Sebastian Bach Mick Mars Travis Barker and more and a new EP. The legendary rapper will also lend his voice
to What's the Word, a new short-form animated series on Nickelodeon's Noggin preschool platform.