WORCESTER—He walked this way to Worcester. And students were thrilled—and hopefully inspired—by the visit.
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of the legendary hip hop trio Run DMC made a stop into the Worcester Alternative School on Wednesday morning, bringing some excitement to the classroom on a hot and steamy day.
McDaniels discussed the importance of mental health and perseverance in overcoming life’s challenges. During his one-hour speech, he emphasized respecting those who came before, the history of hip hop, and shared his personal struggles with mental health.
“[Kids] have got all of these emotions and we have a bad habit of telling them ‘don’t think like that,” McDaniels said in a statement following the talk at the school. “We have to let them express those emotions because if they don’t let it out, whether it’s anger or sadness, it’s the very thing causing them to hurt themselves, or others, or try to check out.”
The visit to Worcester Alternative comes on the heels of the school’s students finishing a read of McDaniels’ memoir called “Ten Ways Not To Commit Suicide.” McDaniels has publicly struggled with his own mental health, even at the height of his music career. He has revealed diving heavily into alcohol to combat depression, drinking a case of Olde English a day at one point, and said he battled suicidal thoughts, as People Magazine reported.
“I was there,” said McDaniels in a press release from the Worcester schools. “These kids have a lot of frustration, they have a lot of anger, confusion, and a lot of anxiety, and a lot of the things going on that amplify it. They also have low self-esteem. They think if I don’t act or behave like everyone else, I won’t be cool.”
Dennis Vanasse, an educator at Worcester Alternative who organized the visit with the famous rapper, said McDaniels’s message resonated with students, with many going through similar challenges as the multi-platinum recording artist.
“He shows anything is possible,” said Vanasse in a statement. “Darryl reached all the different heights in his career and what he did was show that even as he was reaching these heights, he struggled with mental health and there is a way to overcome mental health.
“He let these kids know that anything is possible in life no matter what obstacles in life they have had. Believe in yourself, do your work, and they can get there too.”
McDaniels took the time to sign autographs and take photos with students, despite having to make another local appearance.
“There is a missing element that we gotta use to combat social media, showing up and being one-on-one in the presence of the kids,” he said. “There’s no such thing as a generation gap, it’s a communication gap.”
Got news? Send it to Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
