Tracy Lynn "The D.O.C." Curry was born in Dallas, Texas. In the mid eighties, he's a member of Fila Fresh Crew, Dallas hip-hop trio in which the artist is known as Doc-T. In 1987, Fila Fresh Cresh had four tracks featured on the compilation album "NWA and the Posse" of the Los Angeles crew NWA, the same pieces are inserted in Fila Fresh Crew debut LP "Tuffest Man Alive" in 1988.
After the Dallas trio disbanded, Doc-T moved to Los Angeles and become acquainted with members of NWA and Ruthless Records, changing his moniker to The D.O.C. after he signs with Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. Around this period, the artist contributes lyrics to NWA's debut album "Straight Outta Compton", in which is an uncredited guest, and Eazy-E's first disk, "Eazy-Duz-It", co-writing even for Michel'le. Influenced by Run-DMC, Public Enemy, George Clinton and Marvin Gaye, The D.O.C. recorded his first LP with the support of NWA. The disk is entirely produced by Dr. Dre, DJ Yella is busy with the drums, the guest are Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Yomo & Markie, JJ Fad, Krazy-Dee and Michel'le. The music is completed with instrumentals by Stan Jones (guitar and bass) and Andre Bolton (keys).
On a funky production considered among the best ever by Dr. Dre, thanks to tight, minimal and fresh rhythms with excellent samples, drum machines, basses and funky bridges on the hooks that create a coherent and dope musical carpet, The DOC demonstrates an indisputable personality and provides an impeccable performance, delivering energetically, powerfully and imposingly with a spectacular style that fits perfectly to the rhythms and a deeply smoothness, powerful, unstoppable, dope flow.
The rapper kills every cut by bringing out so many funky gems, so much so that the first part of the album is one of the best things ever on the West Coast. Very talented emcee, he chooses mainly braggadocio lyrics that clearly differ from the violent and obscene nature of NWA, dropping intricate, complex and intelligent bars with good metric patterns in an excellent lyricism that places him among the best lyricists of his period (also considering the efforts of the NWA written largely by him; the heavy sexual track "Bridgette" is cut from the LP due to his content and released in 1996 as part of the Dr. Dre compilation effort "First Round Knock Out"). The multi-syllabic rhymes that The DOC spits effortlessly combining fantastically slow and fast rap make up sublime lyrics. In "It's Funky Enough", one of the many classics that The DOC has provided us on his brilliant debut LP, it has a rhythm that sounds fresh like almost nothing in 1989, with a functional funky and vibrant hook, and an excellent delivery cheerful, fluent and powerful by the rapper, in a brutal swaggering braggadocio.
Released by Ruthless and Atlantic, the CD produces four singles ("It's Funky Enough", "The D.O.C. & the Doctor", "The Formula", "Mind Blowin'", with "Portrait of a Masterpiece" chosen for the European market) and peaks #1 on the rap chart, becoming one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of the season and gaining the gold certification by RIAA in few months (platinum in 1994).
The emcee affiliate of the NWA for which he's also the ghostwriter brings out one of the best albums of 1989. Highly praised by critics upon release and hailed as an undisputed classic by reviewers in retrospect, it's a solid record, very coherent, among the best rap albums ever: despite the presence of N.W.A who bring out an extraordinary song on the final track, you don't expect it to be a classic of this great scope, since the name of the rapper has remained very obscure after the car accident which took place immediately after the release of the disc which put him in life-threatening and caused him serious permanent damage to the larynx and vocal cords, following which he was no longer able to continue to make music as before because his voice was forever compromised. A sad page in the history of hip-hop, the artist could have given us numerous excellent albums. Definition of flawless record, Dre at his best in career, The DOC at his best in career, both perfect. Must-have for every true head, 9.5/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment