You're listening to the Impact Theory Podcast, your source of empowering ideas and actionable techniques from the world's highest achievers.

Join host Tom Billio, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the billion dollar brand Quest Nutrition, on a journey to unlock your potential and realize your vision of success.

Welcome to Impact Theory.

Everybody, welcome to Impact Theory. You are here, my friends, because you believe that human potential is nearly limitless, but you know that having potential is not the same as actually doing something with it.

So our goal with this show and company is to introduce you to the people and ideas that will help you actually execute on your dreams.

Alright, today's guest is one of the most iconic hip-hop artists of all time. Born in Hollis Queens, he skyrocketed out of obscurity in the early 80s when he, Rev Run and Jam MasterJ, thrust hip-hop into the mainstream, changing the course of popular music forever.

They sold over 30 million albums at countless records and blazed the trail that all of hip-hop would soon be marching down. But no one denies that they did it first.

They were the first rap group with a top 10 single, the first to go gold, the first to go platinum, the first to get played on MTV, the first with their own sneaker, and the first to grace the cover of Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine.

By any measure, today's guest is an icon. In fact, the image of him in a B-boy stance is the archetypal image of 80s hip-hop.

And yet, despite all of that, for years he was so lost to depression that he constantly fantasized about committing suicide.

And due to a neurological condition called spasmotic dysphonia, he was losing his voice literally and figuratively. His role as a hip-hop pioneer seemed to be receding into the past,

and he had recently found out that he was adopted. His whole world had been violently upended. He no longer knew who he was, and he tumbled head over heels in a downward spiral of drinking and isolation.

But at his lowest moment, he heard a song so beautiful. It reminded him that there were amazing things in this world left to experience.

And while at first his adoption had only intensified his desire to die ultimately, it was his salvation.

Wanting to help other orphans who had been adopted or were still in foster care became his new purpose. He got sober, founded a nonprofit Felix organization and set out to help.

And along the way, he's launched a comic book company designed to provide some of the empowerment he feels is missing in the world.

As he says, revolutions begin with art. So please help me in welcoming the man who was born to rock. You can't say he's not. And in case you forgot, he's the king of rock.

The legendary Darryl DMC McDaniels.

So crazy. I was at the New York Comic Con. Ironic that comics would bring us together. I'm absolutely obsessed. I actually didn't tell you this story.

I'm at the kids booth next to yours. And I was buying his comics because he's all about empowerment, which is my whole thing.

And I see on the wall, he's got an image of a kid with a DMC shirt running away from these aliens. And he was like, man, you're buying so much.

Like pick one of those for free. I was like, dude, you got to give me the DMC one. And he goes, oh, that's funny because he's standing right next to you.

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