[citation needed] He was a ward of the Foundling, in foster care, until placed with the McDaniels when he was one month old and eventually adopted by them.

In 1978, McDaniels taught himself to DJ in the basement of his parents' home, using turntables and a mixer that he bought with his older brother, Alford, after having a comic book sale in their neighborhood.

[7] Later that year, McDaniels sold his DJ equipment, after his friend Joseph "Run" Simmons acquired his own turntables and mixer.

He was later diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a vocal disorder which causes involuntary spasms of the larynx muscles.

[2] Meanwhile, McDaniels began to have creative differences with his bandmates in Run-D.M.C., which by then, was past its prime as a commercially successful hip-hop group.

A longtime fan of artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Harry Chapin, McDaniels wanted to move towards a slower, softer sound which suited his now troubled voice.

Feeling depressed and suicidal, McDaniels heard Sarah McLachlan's song "Angel" (1997) on the radio.

While researching his early years, his mother, Bannah, revealed a secret: Darryl had been placed for adoption when he was three months old.

The program ends with McDaniels reuniting with his birth mother, who turned out to be named Berncenia and despite previous beliefs, was not, in fact, of Dominican descent.

The first single, "Just Like Me",[11] features an interpolation of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" (1974) performed by McDaniels' musical savior, Sarah McLachlan.

[2][6] McDaniels testified before the New Jersey State Legislature in support of legislation to restore adopted adults' access to their original birth certificates.

[citation needed] In 2009, McDaniels performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's nonfiction book A People's History of the United States (1980).

[14] McDaniels' second solo album, the more rock oriented The Origins Of Block Music, was due out in mid-2010 but was delayed.

[20] The comic's version of DMC wears McDaniels' signature Adidas sneakers, fedora and rope chain, along with an elongated turtleneck that masks his face.

The book is written by McDaniels and Damion Scott, and edited by Darryl Makes Comics' Editor-in-Chief, Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez and Senior Editor Rigo "Riggs" Morales.

The book features an introduction by Greg Pak, a cover by Sal Buscema and Bob Wiacek and interior pinups by Carlos Pacheco, Chris Burnham, ChrisCross, Dexter Vines, and Shelby Robertson, some of which are homages to iconic comics covers that influenced the creative staff as children.

[21][22][23] The book received a four out of five stars rating by Tony Guerrero of Comic Vine, who lauded the charm and authenticity of the art.

Starting in 2017 and continuing on an ongoing basis, DMC has joined the rock cover supergroup Royal Machines as a guest at their occasional concerts.

Joining a revolving cast of celebrities in each lineup, including Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison, Sebastian Bach, Macy Gray, Fred Durst, DMC has performed covers of songs such as "Walk This Way", "Sweet Emotion", and "Black Betty" with the band.

On September 15, 2017, Italian rapper Caparezza released his studio album, Prisoner 709, which includes the track "Forever Jung" that features DMC on guest vocals.

[29] In January 2022, McDaniels released his picture book, Darryl's Dream, published by Random House.

He sits on the Board of Directors of Children's Rights, a national watchdog organization that reforms failing child welfare systems.

He also has written pieces in Men's Health and BlackDoctor, where he talked about his memoir, Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide (Amistad, 2017).