Photo: Ellen Offredy
"It didn’t phase me because Trump ain’t gunna change anything," says Darryl "D.M.C." Matthews McDaniels who's here with his manager and biographer moments before taking to the main stage at Isle Of Wight. We're discussing politics because Run DMC have always been advocates of social justice and his forthcoming solo album also touches on social issues.
The hip-hop pioneer's perspective on life is progressive and in line with anti-austerity politicians. "We need to remove all labels and sit down and say we are people, and we are people who can help the people that need help," he says.
At a time where a record number of young people have turned out to vote, largely in favour of Corbyn's anti-austerity politics, McDaniel's comments seem in touch with a a healthy progressive outlook. But McDaniels is more what Corbyn would be like if Corbyn wasn't in politics, though. The Run DMC star doesn't have to compromise and he certainly doesn't find the political status quo to be the answer to real change.
Instead, the classic rock loving MC wants to see change from the ground up: "We as ordinary people need to realise that it’s us and not politics and religion that are the answer to progress. We can stop wars and all the cheating, lying and stealing.
"Trump wining and what’s going on over here in the UK is just a monotonous game that’s just destroying lives. We need to sit down at the table and say we need to feed the hungry people, we need to fix schools and we need to give people jobs. There’s enough money in the world," he says.
At a time when the US has Trump elected and Tories are talking of forming a government with the homophobic, anti-abortion Northern Irish party, the DUP, it's a refreshing perspective to have. It's one we could take as a rallying call. After-all, whilst politicians interests are vested in the financialization of everything it cannot be inherently good.
McDaniels sees social institutions indoctrinating people in a negative way that leads to hate. He sees too caught up in differences between each other to make the change needed for his Utopian socialist vision.
"We're too busy reinforcing borders between ourselves whether it be race, religion, or political allegiance," he says. Particularly race: "It’s the word that nobody wants to talk about. We realise that it’s us as the human race that can make everything alright for everybody and the cultural differences is the starting point. We need to remove all labels and sit down and say we are people and we are people who can help the people that need help."
He sees music as a powerful tool in beginning to unlearn the political construct of race and any other thing that can create the 'other', including religion and politics: "That’s why we created rock ‘n’ roll, that’s why we have music that’s why we have the arts because the arts succeeds where politics and religion fails," he says, wearing his Ac Dc t-shirt with pride.
The rapper talks about disharmony within political parties being a hindrance and also sees corruption within government as a problem. In getting closer to local communities and having to deal with domestic politics by being a voluntary social worker, McDaniels became even more aware of this.
Without going into the finer details McDaniels tells me about seeing a million dollars that was destined for schools simmering away after passing through many hands. The answer to this problem? "We need to have one person who doesn’t even want money to come and make sure the kids have got what they need."
Or the social work he's been doing, he says: "I deal with kids all the time and in NYC. I deal with foster kids and adopted kids and kids in the group homes. I’m trying to make the educational school system better," he says. The empathy and understanding comes as he is an adoptee who didn't learn of his birth mother until his mid thirties. These are the actions of someon ill content to sit idle and merely witness suffering.
Artistically his work has been a powerful facilitator for positive change, too. He reflects at how symbolic the Run DMC video with Aerosmith is.
"When Run DMC collaborated with Aerosmith and Steven Tyler took the mic stand in the video and knocked the wall down people from all races and religions come up to me and say don’t you know that didn’t just happen in the video that happened in the world. But we have to show people and take away I’m this and you’re that," he says. We couldn't agree more.
Currently, Daniels is busy reinforcing the need to break boundaries and not divide people by having a pan genre collaboration for an album. The album features Travis Barker, Chuck D, Disturbed, Myles Kennedyoan Jett, Sammy Hagar, Rancid's Tim Armstrong, and Public Enemy's Chuck D. It's testament to his exuberant, altruistic spirit, not to mention flawless MCing and taste for the most enthralling beat jugglers. It's one we'll be looking and shows his continued ability to lead by example and not be part of the problem but a catalyst for change. DMC for president.
