Rapper DMC joins Madison's Pretty Boy Hefner for video shoot

For a teenage Madison hip-hop artist, getting rapper DMC to collaborate on a music video turned out to be not that tricky.

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of the famous hip-hop trio Run-DMC (“It’s Tricky,” “Walk This Way”) will be in Madison on Saturday afternoon to shoot a video with Sam “Pretty Boy Hefner” Wright for his song “What It Feels Like.”

They’ll make the video Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Allied Boys & Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Road, as part of the Boys & Girls Club’s Celebrity Music Mentors Program which connect local teens with industry professionals.

The connection between the two artists was forged at last year’s Taste of Madison, when DMC was headlining a show at one of the music tents where Wright, 18, was an opening act.

“He told me he was inspired by my performance, and he was impressed that my material was clean and positive,” Wright said.

They decided to work together on “What It Feels Like,” an upbeat anthem mixing the perspectives of a rookie and a veteran in the music industry. Wright recorded his part of the track at the Boys & Girls Club recording studio, while McDaniels sent his portion via email. Vocalist Amy Alida, a student from the UW First Wave spoken word program, also contributed vocals to the song.

After shooting the video, the duo will perform the song live Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Rigby Pub, 119 E. Main St., as part of the “Protect the Mic” Soul Session hip-hop show. “Protect the Mic” is a recently-formed collective of local groups aiming to support and connect the hip-hop community in Madison.

The track for “What It Feels Like” will be released early next year and Wright hopes to license the song for video games or sporting events to further his career.