One of the men credited with getting the entire world excited about hip-hop music is now going after the virtual world.

Hip-hop artist Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, of the legendary rap group Run-DMC., is getting set to launch "DMC's 3D Virtual World," in order to both better connect with fans and bring back what he says is starting to disappear from the real world's music scene.

"The music business used to be an experience, where you walked into the record store, there were posters and psychedelic lights and colors and images. Say you were going there, if it was the '60s and '70s, for Led Zeppelin, but then you hear Harry Chapin and get that too. So everything that was the music experience I can put in a virtual world," says McDaniels.

"And it ain't going to just be like, 'Come to my website and buy my records.' Come into the world, talk with me, play some pool, anything you can click on we can do," he continues. "This virtual world, especially DMC World, isn't just about music. I'm going to stuff like poetry slams, I'm going to put a beat up and see who can make the most positive rap."

McDaniels insists if he spends nearly as much time in his world as he spends responding to fans on Facebook and MySpace, it shouldn't be tough to find him.

The developers at Worlds.com, who will host DMC's World, say the virtual space is not like any other social networking site.

"Where social networks - primarily MySpace and Facebook - are the largest, they are text-based, print-media models. This is more of an immersive game-type of environment," says Worlds.com CEO Tom Kidrin. "So what's different about it is you can come into a space, meet somebody else, talk with them, create your own space, have what you've created looked at by DMC or other fans or other artists that come in."

McDaniels is not the first artist to have his own virtual world. Rock's David Bowie and the band Aerosmith are among those who have already launched one.

"DMC's 3D Virtual World" launches at the end of the month on Worlds.com. It will be free to join, but for $2 to $4 a month, fans can become VIPs and have access to areas and content not available to the general public.