Darryl McDaniels
Awards & Honours
5
Awards Won
7
Honours
4
Rankings
4
Covers
4
Records
Darryl McDaniels's honors are the kind that get handed to people who changed an industry's direction rather than to people who sold the most records in a given year. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2009 made Run-DMC one of the first rap acts enshrined there, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 recognized the catalog's staying power decades after its release. He holds keys to New York City and Queens, honorary doctorates for his music and social justice work, and a place on virtually every published list of the genre's most important figures. The through-line is influence: the group's look, its sound and its refusal to soften for television are the reference points younger artists still work from.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Inducted as a member of Run-DMC, one of the first hip-hop acts to receive the honor.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded to Run-DMC in recognition of the group's lasting contribution to recorded music.
Key to the City of New York
Presented for cultural contributions to the city where the group formed.
Key to the Borough of Queens
Recognizes his role in putting Hollis, Queens on the map as a hip-hop birthplace.
Guinness World Record: first rap group on the cover of Rolling Stone
Run-DMC became the first rap group to appear on the magazine's cover.
Guinness World Record: first rap group to sell out Madison Square Garden
A venue previously reserved for rock and pop acts.
Honorary Doctorate
Awarded for contributions to music and social justice.
Rankings & Lists
100 Greatest Artists of All Time
100 Greatest Hip-Hop Artists
Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists
100 Most Influential People
Magazine Covers
Rolling Stone
1986
Run-DMC: King of Rock
The Source
Late 1980s to 1990s
Multiple covers, including the "Black Is Black" campaign
Ebony
1980s
Crossover success feature
Jet
1980s
Run-DMC feature
Records & Feats
First rap album to be certified Gold
Run-DMC's 1983 debut, produced by Rick Rubin, was the first rap album to reach Gold certification.
First rap group on the cover of Rolling Stone
McDaniels, Simmons and Mizell appeared on the magazine's cover in 1986, a first for a rap group.
First rap group to headline Madison Square Garden
Run-DMC sold out the venue in 1986, which had previously been reserved for rock and pop acts.
First rap video in heavy rotation on MTV
"Walk This Way" broke the channel's resistance to hip-hop and put a rap video into regular rotation.