A hip hop legend visits a Queens school to discuss his passion for comic books in hopes of inspiring a new generation of superheroes. NY1's Tanya Klich has more.
Students at the Eagle Academy for Young Men in Jamaica got a special performance from Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of hip-hop group Run DMC.
The Queens rapper visited the school to share his other favorite hobby.
"The fact that I was reading comic books all the time it was preparing me to be a dominant force when it came to the spoken-word expression and storytelling of hip hop," McDaniels said.
The musician launched his DMC comic book line two years ago. He believes his latest edition of crime-fighting superheroes can ignite young imaginations and increase literacy rates in ways the Internet and video games can't.
"I want to show them what they do now as young people is a valuable tool that will allow them succeed later on in life," McDaniels said.
While McDaniels hopes his new comic book inspires kids to dream big, teachers at Eagle Academy say it could be a powerful tool for encouraging their students to read more at their leisure.
"We find students are most engaged when the characters whom they're reading about are like them," said Vivett Hemans, a teacher at the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Southeast Queens. "The author comes from their neighborhood. How empowering is that?"
The school is launching a DMC Comic Book Club after-school program. The goal is to improve students' reading skills and help prepare them for college.
"In my comic book, we address drugs, we address gang bangin'. So we are able to talk kids in a creative way about issues that affect them," McDaniels said.
"I learned that it's important to believe in yourself," said one student.
McDaniels is also starting an essay contest that will award one student a signed copy of his latest book. He says it's one way to keep his message alive until his next visit to the school.