Ralph McDaniels has been a DJ and music producer for many years. He also had a local video show called “Video Music Box” in the 1980’s. In this interview, Ralph discusses growing up in Queens Village, the importance of culture, and what music has impacted his life from childhood to adulthood. Mr. McDaniels grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, the son of a draftsman and a civil servant, and followed New York City’s burgeoning music scene. In the early ’80s, he was an engineer at WNYC-TV Channel 31. In 1983, “Video Music Box” was born, a six-day-a-week, hourlong show. At the time, there were few outlets that played music videos, and “Video Music Box” was among the first television shows to regularly feature hip-hop.