By Braidie Connors
Special to the Reporter

On May 13 Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of the legendary rap duo Run DMC personally congratulated Mattapan's very own Dwayne "Dagah" Simmons for winning a rap competition that was judged by DMC himself.

The contest was called Hip Hop for Hounds and was sponsored by the Humane Society, a group whose primary purpose is to stop organized animal fighting and to push for more legislation surrounding the issue. Not only did Simmons get the chance to meet DMC at the Massachusets Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Care and Adoption Center in Jamaica Plain, he also won a cash prize of $1,000.

Simmons, who works for the soccer and literacy program called America Scores, said he believes that animal cruelty is a topic that deserves more media attention. His schedule didn't permit him to help a youth group with the contest, but he came up with a song called Dog Fight on his own, inspired by the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal. A sample, written from the dog's perspective:

I've been through so many wars I don't know how I lived

A trained killer not safe to be around your kids

I was never neutered I breed the disposed of

Miserable and unhappy never exposed love

It's like me against the world I turn to psycho quick

My little sister was a victim of Michael Vick

Infected by thugs who receive the praise

I'm injected with drugs to increase the rage

Simmons said his song gave him the opportunity to meet one of his idols.

"It was a dream come true," he said.

Braidie Connors is an intern at the Reporter hailing from Boston Collegiate Charter School in Dorchester.