Hip Hop legend Darryl (DMC) McDaniels of Run-DMC fame spared a few words to set the record straight in response to comments by NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton [who equated rappers to "thugs"], on Friday morning (May 27). "He should have known better," the rap pioneer told hosts Len Berman and Todd Schnitt on their 710 WOR radio show. "He should have kept it specific to what happened. All rappers ain't gangsters. I went to St. John's University, so I took it personally."

Bratton found himself under scrutiny when he took to radio the very morning after the infamous Irving Plaza shooting, to decry rappers in general, for bringing the lifestyle they were subjected to as youth along with them into the music industry. He blamed violence at rap concerts on the performers themselves, characterizing them as "basically thugs, that basically celebrate violence." DMC for one, took the comment personal, as he himself continues to mourn the loss of beloved partner, DJ Jam Master Jay, who was gunned down in a Queens studio in 2002.

Citing such impactful [while positive] figures as LL Cool J, Will Smith, and Chuck D, the trailblazer noted in part for his contribution to bringing the diverse audience of the rap world together with the 80's rock listener, actually forewent squaring blame for the comments on Bratton himself; selecting instead to acknowledge that Bratton's perspective is one held by many, due to an unfortunate misrepresentation of the culture by the industry's gatekeepers.

"He doesn't know any better because he's not being shown any better," said McDaniels. "When you turn on Hot97 or MTV, you only see the dark stupid ignorant side of us. It's not the generation. It's the people who control the images in our generation." He also encouraged rappers to hold themselves accountable for the messages they put out, stating: "When we see the violence in our community, we've got to keep saying it's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong. We don't want our young people naming ourselves after John Gotti and them. Why do you feel pride after naming yourself after Scarface and Noriega?" But the rap pillar and rock & roll hall of famer was sure to avoid holding rap artists responsible for creating violence, exclaiming that "Violence is everywhere. It existed long before rappers started portraying it in their music."

Source: nydailynews.com