Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Darryl “DMC” Daniels is currently developing an innovative new reality show competition entitled The Kings of Rap.
The IME Entertainment-backed series offers an unprecedented twist to aspiring artists joining the show.
In The Kings of Rap, young rappers are tasked with creating music that does not “glorify violence, degrade women, or include the use of profanity.”
The series is based in New York City, and will feature filming from famous locations such as the “Abbey Road of Hip-Hop,” Chung King Studios.
In surveying the landscape of Hip-Hop, DMC argues the culture now embraces the negativity it once rallied against and sought to change.
“There are so many talented kids out there who don’t get heard or don’t get signed because they’re not controversial enough, or they’re too positive. That amazes me,” DMC explained to AllHipHop.com. “The spirit of Hip-Hop was always about changing the world or yourself, not with a gun or with denigrating or offensive words, but by being effective with your mind.”
As a member of the groundbreaking collective Run-DMC, DMC helped push Hip-Hop into mainstream consciousness through unprecedented advancements in rhyme structure, production, and fashion.
Referencing the popular change mantra of last year’s presidential election, DMC states the first and most important change that can be made begins with the spoken word.
“This is a time when everyone is talking about change and we as a country have the opportunity to make a difference,” DMC explained. “We can start by changing what we have to say to each other, and what we say to our kids through music.”
Once completed, DMC and IME will announce a network and launch date for the program.