The D.O.C. | |
|---|---|
 The D.O.C. in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tracy Lynn Curry |
| Also known as |
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| Born | (1968-06-10)June 10, 1968 (age 56) West Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | D.P.G.C. |
| Formerly of | Fila Fresh Crew |
| Children | 3 |
Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known by his stage namethe D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer fromDallas,Texas. Along with his solo career, he was a member of theSouthern hip hop groupFila Fresh Crew, and later co-wrote for and collaborated with thegangsta rap groupN.W.A andEazy-E. He has also worked with record producerDr. Dre, co-writing hissolo debut album, while Dre produced Curry's debut studio album,No One Can Do It Better (1989), which was released by Eazy-E'sRuthless Records in a joint venture withAtlantic Records. With Dr. Dre and record executivesSuge Knight andDick Griffey, Curry co-foundedDeath Row Records in 1991, which has signed artists includingTupac Shakur andSnoop Dogg.
After the disbandment of Fila Fresh Crew in 1988, Curry promptly began recording solo work.No One Can Do It Better peaked at number 20 on theBillboard 200 and spawned two number one songs on theHot Rap Songs chart: "It's Funky Enough" and "The D.O.C. & The Doctor". Shortly after the album's release, Curry suffered a severe car crash that permanently changed his voice. Since his accident, he has released two more albums,Helter Skelter in 1996 andDeuce in 2003. In 2015, his voice fully recovered.
At the66th Annual Grammy Awards, Curry won aGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award along with N.W.A., alongsideIce Cube,MC Ren, andDJ Yella.
The D.O.C. was a natural, by far the most gifted rapper I have ever heard. You can talk all you want aboutSlick Rick orRakim. The D.O.C.'s machine-gun mouth takes the title. No one could do it better.
Tracy Lynn Curry was born on June 10, 1968, in Dallas, Texas. As a teenager, Curry began his career as a member ofFila Fresh Crew, a hip hop trio that originated in Dallas, Texas. While in the group, Curry was known asDoc-T.
In 1987, Fila Fresh Crew had four songs featured on the compilation albumN.W.A and the Posse which featured various other artists; the same four tracks would later appear on the group's albumTuffest Man Alive, which was released in 1988. Though the album would produce three singles, the group disbanded not long after its release. By this point, Curry had moved toLos Angeles and become acquainted with members ofN.W.A andRuthless Records.
Curry would begin using the name the D.O.C. after he was signed toEazy-E'sRuthless Records. The D.O.C. contributed lyrics toN.W.A's debut studio album,Straight Outta Compton,[2] and performed the opening verse on "Parental Discretion Iz Advised". Curry also wrote for Eazy-E's debut studio album,Eazy-Duz-It and co-wrote "Keep Watchin'" fromMichel'le'sself-titled debut album.
In 1989, the D.O.C. released his solo debut, theDr. Dre-producedNo One Can Do It Better. The album was very well received by critics, and sold well, peaking at no. 20 on theBillboard 200 for two consecutive weeks; by 1994, the album reached Platinum status.[3]Allmusic gives the album a five-star rating and describes it as "an early landmark of West Coast Rap" as well as "an undeniable masterpiece".No One Can Do It Better produced five singles and five music videos.
In November 1989, five months after the release ofNo One Can Do It Better, Curry was involved in a near-fatal car crash. Driving home from a party, hefell asleep at the wheel and his car veered off the freeway. Curry, who was not wearing aseat belt, was thrown out the rear window, slamming face-first into a tree. His injuries required 21 hours of plastic surgery, and he spent 2½ weeks in the hospital. He could not speak for about a month, and he was left with a different, raspier voice.[4] In a 2015 interview withDJ Vlad, Curry stated that he was under the influence of alcohol and cannabis and was actually pulled over before the accident but the police let him go.[5]
The D.O.C. continued to write for N.W.A and contributed lyrics and minor vocals to their 1990 EP100 Miles and Runnin', where he co-wrote all the songs except for "Just Don't Bite It" and "Kamurshol", and their final albumNiggaz4Life.
The D.O.C. was the guy that came up with those great stories. He was probably the single most influential person ingangsta rap.
In 1991, the D.O.C. left Ruthless Records along with Dr. Dre and Michel'le to sign with newly foundedDeath Row Records. The D.O.C. also used his talents as one of the writers for Dr. Dre's debut solo albumThe Chronic, contributing to the tracks "Nuthin' but a G Thang", "Lil' Ghetto Boy", "A Nigga Witta Gun", "Lyrical Gangbang" and "Bitches Ain't Shit". He also appeared on the skit track "The $20 Sack Pyramid". He is referenced by name in "Nuthin' but a G Thang", and appears in the song's video as well. The liner notes toThe Chronic say, "I want to give a special shout out to The D.O.C. for talking me into doin' this album." His name is mentioned bySnoop Dogg in theintro of the album. ("Peace to da D.O.C., still makin' it funky enough").
In addition toThe Chronic, the D.O.C. worked on Snoop Dogg's debut albumDoggystyle, and added some vocals on the song "Serial Killa". The D.O.C. continued to be aghostwriter for various songs on Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg albums. "Real Muthaphuckkin G's", fromEazy-E's 1993 extended playIt's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, includes lyrics sampled from "It's Funky Enough" in the song's hook.
In 1996, the D.O.C. attempted a comeback following the car crash which severely damaged his vocal cords. The album, titledHelter Skelter, produced two singles with music videos.Helter Skelter was widely ignored and even somewhat discredited by the D.O.C. himself.[7] The name of the album is a reference toCharles Manson's idea ofThe Beatles' "Helter Skelter" prophesying the end of the world.
The title and concept behind this album were originally developed by Dr. Dre as a collaborative effort between him andIce Cube, titledHeltah Skeltah. At that time, however, the D.O.C. had become disillusioned withDeath Row Records and Dre, having received no payment for his workghostwriting at Death Row.[citation needed] So in late 1994, D.O.C. decided to leave Death Row and headed toAtlanta. Taking lyrics he had already written forHeltah Skeltah, he recordedHelter Skelter, keeping the name to spite Dre.[7] His lyrics were inspired by the writings ofMilton William Cooper, which is especially noticeable in songsSecret Plan andWelcome to the New World.
In 1997, the D.O.C. founded his own Dallas-based record label,Silverback Records.[8] The D.O.C. introduced Dallas rapper 6Two to Dre, who featured him on his 1999 comeback album2001; Curry also provided lyrics for the album.[9] On July 20, 2000, the D.O.C. appeared on stage with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg atThe Centrum inWorcester, Massachusetts during theUp in Smoke Tour.[10]
In 2003, the D.O.C. released his third album entitledDeuce on Silverback Records. The album was originally meant to be a 6Two album, completely produced by Dr. Dre and released throughAftermath Entertainment. However, D.O.C. and Dre argued over whether D.O.C. should be rapping on the album.[11] The D.O.C.'s presence on this album is minimal however, making an appearance to introduce tracks or perform in skits such as "My Prayer" and "Souliloquy". The only single released fromDeuce was "The Shit", which features former-N.W.A membersMC Ren andIce Cube, along with Snoop Dogg and 6Two.Deuce focuses primarily on showcasing other artists on D.O.C.'s Silverback Records label, including U.P.-T.I.G.H.T., El Dorado, and in particular, 6Two.
The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for Snoop Dogg's albumTha Blue Carpet Treatment.[12] In December 2006, the D.O.C. revealed that he was working on his fourth album, entitledVoices Through Hot Vessels, and stated that it would be released after Dr. Dre's upcoming third albumDetox, which was scrapped in favor of 2015'sCompton.[13] In a May 2008 interview, the D.O.C. stated that he and Dre were working on the album, explaining "There is an album, and you got the title, but that's also because that's the title Dre likes. Dre and I decided to do another D.O.C. album after thisDetox record. We decided to do one more together and end our story the right way."[14][15]
After the release of the biopicStraight Outta Compton, the D.O.C. revealed that his natural voice had returned if he had concentrated, and that he recorded new music, although he was not ready to release anything yet. Although he is not mentioned in the songwriting credits, the D.O.C. claimed that he helped write Dr. Dre's third albumCompton.[16]
In 2022, he collaborated with Codefendants, a newPunk Rap group formed byCeschi, Sam King (Get Dead), andFat Mike (NOFX) on a track called "The Fast Ones", which was featured on their debut album, “This is Crime Wave”. This marked the first new recording featuring D.O.C. in 19 years.[17]
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