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Darryl McDaniels might strike some as an unlikely ambassador for early literacy. As a part of Run-DMC, the first hip-hop superstars, he dominated MTV in the days when people worried that music videos were keeping kids away from books and learning. Best known for hits like 鈥淚t鈥檚 Tricky鈥� and 鈥淢ary Mary鈥� and for joining forces with Aerosmith for a chart-topping remake of their 鈥淲alk This Way,鈥� Run-DMC embodies the old school era of hip-hop now bathed in the glow of nostalgia.

Today, McDaniels, 57, is exercising his education muscle with a vocabulary-building series from called 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the Word?鈥� as well as a children鈥檚 book, Darryl鈥檚 Dream, a semi-autobiographical story that focuses on social-emotional topics like how to deal with stress and confusion. 鈥淥nce you get to rehab and therapy,鈥� he says, 鈥測ou discover that all those things existed when you were little; it’s just that nobody addressed it.鈥�

In an interview, McDaniels and Makeda Mays Green, vice president at Nickelodeon, share about their collaboration on 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the Word?鈥� and advice on how to make literacy fun for early learners. Here are five literacy lessons from the conversation:

1. Music drives literacy. In McDaniels鈥檚 succinct formulation: 鈥淵ou put a rhythm to it, you learn it.鈥� Over Zoom, he demonstrates for me why the ABCs is 鈥渙ne of the best raps in history鈥� and Dr. Seuss is 鈥渢he best rapper ever.鈥� Mays Green cites Schoolhouse Rock as one of the new series鈥� inspirations. 鈥淲e鈥檙e using music to teach kids the meaning of the words they鈥檙e singing,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e know from a number of studies that kids have the innate ability to grasp messaging when it comes through the vehicle of music.鈥�

Partnering with a musical legend beloved by parents (and, let鈥檚 face it, grandparents) makes it more likely that an adult will enjoy the program alongside the young audience. 鈥淒arryl embodies a love of learning and the value of literacy,鈥� she continues. 鈥淭hat means listening, speaking, reading and writing.鈥�

2. Comic books are good reading tools. McDaniels originally learned his ABCs so he could keep up with the exploits of Spider-Man and Iron Man. 鈥淪omething in there was so powerful,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淚t made me want to learn to read, so I could understand what was going on.鈥� With his thick, square glasses, the protagonist of Darryl鈥檚 Dream was more of an awkward Clark Kent than a Superman, and that double-identity, too, captured the appeal of comics. (Among favorites more likely to be found in the children鈥檚 section of the library, he names Sounder, Curious George, Charlotte鈥檚 Web and, above all, Pippi Longstocking. He was bowled over when a recent episode of the revisionist superhero series The Boys acknowledged Pippi鈥檚 superpowers.)

Later in life, when he rapped about such personal struggles as discovering he was adopted, he made sense of it all through his first literary love: 鈥淚’m a superhero in the comic books / My make believe is your reality / I’m everything I pretend to be / Everything I need is inside of me / And anything else is the enemy.鈥�

3. Hip-Hop brings down barriers. Run-DMC helped U.S. audiences discover a whole new musical vocabulary 鈥� not to mention the emerging hip-hop culture, fashion and attitude 鈥� but they also provided an opportunity for fans around the world to learn English. 鈥淚 was just in Austin for the South by Southwest conference,鈥� the artist says, 鈥渁nd a guy from Guatemala introduced himself by saying, 鈥榊ou know how I learned English? Listening to RUN-DMC on the radio!鈥�

For many fans, the signature moment in the band鈥檚 career occurred in the 鈥淲alk This Way鈥� video, when Aerosmith鈥檚 Steven Tyler used his microphone stand to break through a wall separating rap and rock. Mays Green of Noggin says children continue to respond to this penchant for literal and figurative barrier breaking鈥攋ust as he rapped in 鈥淜ing of Rock鈥�: 鈥淣ow we crash through walls / cut through floors / Bust through ceilings and knock down doors.鈥� For some reluctant readers, watching a rule breaker pick up a book can be inspiring.

4. 鈥淚magination is more important than knowledge.鈥� McDaniels loves this quote from Albert Einstein, explicating, 鈥淗e didn’t say knowledge wasn’t necessary. He knows that if you put imagination with knowledge, nothing is impossible.鈥�

For McDaniels, imagination starts with coloring books, arts and crafts and storytelling, and it continues through envisioning your future. Kids should aim high, but the higher they aim, the more discipline it will take. School is where dreams and discipline come together. 鈥淪howing up on time, getting in line when the bell rings, if you can’t do that, I’m not going to hire you for my million-dollar company. School is preparation if you want to be a doctor, lawyer, entertainer, whatever.鈥�

5. 鈥淟et the kids tell you who they are.鈥� In recent years, McDaniels has appeared at countless school assemblies, and he sees a lot of reason for hope as well as concern. 鈥淭he kids need the permission to discover their purpose,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat’s the whole key to empowerment. A lot of curricula and techniques don’t allow that.鈥�

Maybe the reason adults don鈥檛 ask open-ended questions is that they鈥檙e afraid of the answers, but McDaniels urges, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to give them a minute where you can ask them, 鈥榃hat is your journey? What do you want to be? What do you see yourself doing?鈥欌�� If they know you鈥檙e really listening, they鈥檒l have a lot to say.  鈥淜ids discover who they are by exploring and learning more about the world, other people and the many possibilities that exist for them,鈥� says Mays Green. 鈥淎nd early literacy is key to that learning and self-discovery.鈥�

McDaniels is thrilled about teaching early learners literacy skills with 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the Word?鈥� because he still loves watching cartoons, and being a cartoon that kids relate to and learn from is even better. 鈥漅eading prepares you for your destiny. Literacy sets you up for a dream coming true.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 麻豆精品. Learn more here.