Billy F Gibbons And DMC Working On Collaboration
(MS) Producer, songwriter, and guitarist BIG K.O. (Kareem Denis) revealed that he is currently working on an exciting new musical collaboration bringing together two legendary artists: Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-DMC.
The news was revealed during an exclusive interview with Mark Strigl on episode 1016 of the Talking Metal podcast, released November 4, 2026. BIG K.O., whose resume includes work with 50 Cent, DMC, and White Ebony, has built a career blending rock guitar with hip-hop, funk, and other musical styles. His longtime friendship and creative partnership with DMC, along with his close relationship with Billy Gibbons, have helped bring this new project to life.
During the interview, BIG K.O. discussed his musical history, his friendship with both artists, and his enthusiasm for creating something new rather than revisiting the past.
For the first time publicly, BIG K.O. revealed: "In fact, it's probably the first time I'm talking about it now, but I'm going to experiment with some ZZ Top, Run-DMC stuff coming out with Billy and Darryl. That's coming next year. I can officially talk about that. That's going to be a banger."
He emphasized that the collaboration will feature original music: "This is an all new record."
Discussing his creative approach to working with legendary musicians, BIG K.O. explained: "It's all about, let's do something new. Let's do something new. Let's tip our hat to the older stuff and do something new."
He continued: "With that in mind, it's always about doing new stuff, new music, and that's what keeps these legendary artists excited about doing new stuff. I was telling him, the first thing is coming up with a track that, if I get DMC excited about it, then it's a go on all fronts. Our sound is pretty much locked in."
When Strigl asked whether the collaboration would involve one song or multiple recordings, BIG K.O. clarified: "Right now it's one incredible song."
The project represents an intriguing meeting of two artists who helped define the sound of the 1980s. ZZ Top brought blues-based rock to mainstream audiences with hits such as "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs," while Run-DMC helped revolutionize hip-hop and broke down barriers between rock and rap with groundbreaking recordings including "Rock Box," "King of Rock," and their historic collaboration with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way."
Although no official release date or song title has been announced, BIG K.O. indicated that the collaboration is expected to arrive in 2027.
The complete interview is available now on Talking Metal episode 1016. Check it out here or via Apple Podcast or Spotify.
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