From his groundbreaking work in Run DMC to more recent pairings, pioneering rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels has slowly been breaking into the metal scene. For his latest single, “Flames“, he teamed up with rock singer Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge/Slash) and Disturbed bassist John Moyer—who also handled the production. CNN premiered the song, with DMC offering the following of its subject matter:
“For me, the totality of all these issues comes down to two words: unnecessary bullets. We stress that in the first line of the song. ‘Unnecessary bullets, unnecessary bullets. Get your finger off the trigger there is no need to pull it.’ The most powerful statement of this record, whether we’re talking about police shooting young men in the community, or people in the community shooting each other, the profound statement of this record is all the bullets were unnecessary.
- Advertisement -Every situation that became front page news as far as the police are concerned, the factor of pulling guns out of the holsters, could have been prevented if the cops don’t pull those guns. A bad decision is only a shot away. Same thing goes for the hood, a young man killing another young man in our community by pulling a trigger. This record isn’t about taking sides.
It’s about us looking to change that mindset that begins and ends with guns blazing. What we’re trying to say with ‘Flames’ is turn that rage into something that ignites a dialogue. That’s why I do not call this a protest song. We’ve had the protests – this is an ‘awareness’ record; time to sit around a table and hear everybody’s point of view.”
Speaking of working with Moyer, he stated:
“John [Moyer] wanted to do a record that wasn’t just anti-police, but would shed light on broader issues, too. I had been waiting to write something like that so he sent me the track, and I began writing within twenty minutes. I spit some verses to him over the phone the next day, and by the next week I flew to Austin to record the song. John is a great bassist and I think that adds to his talent and vision as a producer.”
The track will appear on an upcoming record DMC has in the works.
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