The DOC Death Row Days.

[KURUPTION-81]

i always assumed that he guided a lot of the artists,  as doc had already had an album out.

[Black Excellence]

The D.O.C. became associated with Suge Knight after his car accident for create a new label, Funky Enough Records. During a few years, Suge, Mario 'Smooth' Johnson (aka Chocolate), The D.O.C., Erotic D, Dr Dre, The Unknown DJ began a new family, ready for a new label, Future Shock later titled Death Row Records. Suge & The D.O.C. were the first and really wanted Dr Dre off Ruthless for work together, on a brand new label.

After Death Row Records was born, The D.O.C. help Dr Dre and then Snoop Doggy Dogg for their albums. During this years, The D.O.C. got an idea, more, a concept, for a new album : "Helter Skelter". Dr Dre though that The D.O.C. couldn't record songs any more and wanted this concept for a new album, with Ice Cube as performer (not Snoop Doggy Dogg). Once again, The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for Dr Dre when Dr Dre worked on the sound of "Helter Skelter". When "Murder Was The Case" was released, The D.O.C. wanted to leave Death Row. Not paid, frustration, not loved by everyone who were around the label, The D.O.C. used to wrote for other guyz like MC Breeda and DFC. Off Death Row, The D.O.C. wanted to create a new album with Erotic D. as producer. They didn't want to use the beats created by Dr Dre for Helter Skelter, but some songs contained original ideas comin from the Death Row era, as "Da Hereafter" ("The Year After").

[Sccit]

So is he getting that surgery or what?

[2euce 7even]

Would Like 2 Hear If He Got Any Material In Tha Vaults

[Dre-Day]

I've read that he took some DRE beats out of the studio as well & used them for this album...

maybe that was D.O.C.'s plan for a while, but Erotic D changed that and made his own beats
I'm pretty sure the released version doesn't contain any dre (or dre remake) beats

dubcnn also interviewed him. he said he didn't use any dre beats to avoid legal trouble.

"The Hearafter" song that recently leaked sounds like a Dre/Sneed track. 

sean thomas was behind the keyboard

i always assumed that he guided a lot of the artists,  as doc had already had an album out.

there could be some reference versions

So is he getting that surgery or what?

you mean this?
http://www.dubcnn.com/interviews/doc2011/

good question

[Black Excellence]

Would Like 2 Hear If He Got Any Material In Tha Vaults

[Black Excellence]

you'd think there is some recorded footage of d.o.c and them putting together the dope shit they did.

[Raiders4Life]

The D.O.C. became associated with Suge Knight after his car accident for create a new label, FutureShock Records. During a few years, Suge, Mario 'Smooth' Johnson (aka Chocolate), The D.O.C., Erotic D, Dr Dre, The Unknown DJ began a new family, ready for a new label, later titled Death Row Records. Suge & The D.O.C. were the first and really wanted Dr Dre off Ruthless for work together, on a brand new label.

After Death Row Records was born, The D.O.C. help Dr Dre and then Snoop Doggy Dogg for their albums. During this years, The D.O.C. got an idea, more, a concept, for a new album : "Helter Skelter". Dr Dre though that The D.O.C. couldn't record songs any more and wanted this concept for a new album, with Ice Cube as performer (not Snoop Doggy Dogg). Once again, The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for Dr Dre when Dr Dre worked on the sound of "Helter Skelter". When "Murder Was The Case" was released, The D.O.C. wanted to leave Death Row. Not paid, frustration, not loved by everyone who were around the label, The D.O.C. used to wrote for other guyz like MC Breeda and DFC. Off Death Row, The D.O.C. wanted to create a new album with Erotic D. as producer. They didn't want to use the beats created by Dr Dre for Helter Skelter, but some songs contained original ideas comin from the Death Row era, as "Da Hereafter" ("The Year After").

I google searched "Funky Enough Records" and I learned that DJ Quik was briefly signed to the label in 1988 before moving onto Profile.

[Black Excellence]

The D.O.C. became associated with Suge Knight after his car accident for create a new label, FutureShock Records. During a few years, Suge, Mario 'Smooth' Johnson (aka Chocolate), The D.O.C., Erotic D, Dr Dre, The Unknown DJ began a new family, ready for a new label, later titled Death Row Records. Suge & The D.O.C. were the first and really wanted Dr Dre off Ruthless for work together, on a brand new label.

After Death Row Records was born, The D.O.C. help Dr Dre and then Snoop Doggy Dogg for their albums. During this years, The D.O.C. got an idea, more, a concept, for a new album : "Helter Skelter". Dr Dre though that The D.O.C. couldn't record songs any more and wanted this concept for a new album, with Ice Cube as performer (not Snoop Doggy Dogg). Once again, The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for Dr Dre when Dr Dre worked on the sound of "Helter Skelter". When "Murder Was The Case" was released, The D.O.C. wanted to leave Death Row. Not paid, frustration, not loved by everyone who were around the label, The D.O.C. used to wrote for other guyz like MC Breeda and DFC. Off Death Row, The D.O.C. wanted to create a new album with Erotic D. as producer. They didn't want to use the beats created by Dr Dre for Helter Skelter, but some songs contained original ideas comin from the Death Row era, as "Da Hereafter" ("The Year After").

I google searched "Funky Enough Records" and I learned that DJ Quik was briefly signed to the label in 1988 before moving onto Profile.

true. he was tryin' to sign wit eazy but eazy refused until profile signed him. e offered quik a million dollars to sign wit ruthless back then.

[weedhead]

What's the history there? did he actually record any music? yeah i know the situation with his voice.


I was just wondering was he actually a big deal there. because it looks like he didnt do much. and wha is up with the helter skelter album what label was it on? 96'?

is there any history with DOC and 2pac?

just curious thoughts?

I'm kind of curious about this as well.  We know he was there during the early days laying the foundation with the Chronic album.  I assume he was a big part of the Doggystyle album as well but I'd like someone to confirm that.  Seems after those two albums though he got arrogant and wanted to get paid and Dre didn't want to pay him and he blamed it on Dre or something.  Dre alluded to something of that nature in his 96' source article when he was asked about D.O.C.   He said him and DOC were brothers, but that DOC had too big of a fuckin ego and that he'd never do business with him again.

yes ..he was a big part of doggy style..he is the one saying seriaaal killa!!

[Raiders4Life]

yes ..he was a big part of doggy style..he is the one saying seriaaal killa!!

It sounds like RBX on the chorus to me.

[weedhead]

yes ..he was a big part of doggy style..he is the one saying seriaaal killa!!

It sounds like RBX on the chorus to me.

It's both of them..but dre turned DOCs vocals up a notch over RBXs vocals..which adds a good balance.

[donfathaimmortal]

Tell us about the transition from Ruthless to Death Row.
Me and Suge had been working together for a while.

Was Suge Knight your bodyguard?
He was more like a friend of mine. They say he was a bodyguard, but I never paid the muthafucka no money for body guarding me. He was just a friend really, a guy who hung around. We went places, we kicked it. We had started trying to do business together right before the wreck. As I remember it, DJ Quik was supposed to be coming in, some guys named Penthouse…

The Penthouse Player's Click?
Yeah. I was trying to get these young guys and a female artist named Ms. Handling. I was trying to hook up with the producer named Erotic D. I talked Suge into getting him up there and we were going to start our own thing. But, like I said, I had just had the wreck so my mind is gone now. I can't think. I wasn't real clear. All I was trying to do was be drunk all the time, hang out and cause trouble. Me and Suge were talking and we knew we needed Dre to make this thing work. We had already went through my little contract, Suge and I and other lawyers and found out that I was not fairly being compensated. With that information, I went to Dre and I started having conversations with him about him and I doing our own thing. If Eazy's fucking me then he's probably doing it to you too. He's fucking Cube and dada dada da. I just got those kinds of dialogue started. When we looked into Dre's shit, sure enough, his shit was kinda flimsy too. Now what Eazy should have did at that point, he should've said, "OK Dre, fuck this shit. What we need to do is get in this muthafucka and start it over and make it up so we're all happy and we all breaking bread." But no, what Eazy did was the classic nigga thing. He said hey, this is my shit and I don't give a fuck. It's gone go like it's gone go. But what that did was separate Eazy E and Dre. Now that's really all that Suge and me needed to get Dre to come on in where we at because Dre knew that a lot of that creative shit came outta me. He knew that he's not gonna be able to sit in the studio with Eric and come up with this shit. So he comes over here and we get the idea that we gonna start our own label. We're gone split the shit 50/50. And Suge is gonna help us administrate and do business. That's where all of that shit started from.

Initially, you all moved into the Solaar building and started recording The Chronic?
Yep, that's what happened. We started having meetings with this guy Dick Griffy, who was like an older Suge. I've heard stories about Dick Griffy being the big bad wolf during his day. So him and Suge were just like old generation/new generation of the same nigga, but shark niggas. Not just big bad, beat-up-everybody niggas like folks in the magazines would have you to believe, but the muthafuckas are sharks. They on their Ps and Qs. They got good business sense. They know how to deal with the powers that be, because the music business is a big, big, big game. And trust me, they'll never tell you the ins and outs, but there are a few niggas who know. Well, Dick Griffy was one of them kinda niggas who knew and Suge was an up-and-comin nigga like that.

Recreate those days when you all were working on The Chronic?
When you make a classic record the majority of the time it's just fun. That's all it is. Like the Straight Outta Compton record, the Eazy record, the Chronic record, the 2001 record and now this record I'm doing right now, it all follows the same formula—just having fun and don't settle for shit that ain't the shit. I don't give a fuck if you're my greatest friend, while we in the studio all I wanna hear is dope shit. If you ain't bringing dope shit to the table then goddamn it you need to move over and let somebody else bring it. We're trying to make hits around this muthafucka. That was our saying back in the beginning, all hits and no bullshit. That's what we want.

I heard that you and Big Mike helped coached Snoop, is that true?
It's kinda hard to coach somebody into greatness. All I did was the same thing that I'm doing for my new artist 6'2, it's just a matter of making your concepts, your neighborhood stories, what's going on in your life and making them Joe Q. Public. Understand it and be able to deal with it and be able to relate to some of the shit you're saying, even though some of the shit you're saying may be wild as a muthafucka. But you're not creating the scenarios, these are scenarios that exists. So it's just a matter of me helping those guys, for lack of a better phrase, make the White man understand what they were talking about.

What is your formula for writing a good lyric?
When you mess around with a DOC song then what you're basically getting is a book that lasts about four minutes. It's a story. It has to have a beginning, a middle and an end. It has to all tie together. It's just like a movie whether it be a drama, a comedy or a comeback story like Rocky. Everybody wants Rocky to win. Go Rocky. He was beating the shit outta Mr. T and we didn't give a fuck about Mr. T. And we Black! We was suppose to been saying kick his ass, but we want Rocky to win, because that's a part of the story.

Drama is a major part of the story for you?
They say all the time that sex and violence sells.

Speaking of sex and violence, rap music came under great fire during your hey day. You were one of the major forces behind the music that was being vilified. How did you feel about that?

You're talking about a nineteen year old kid caught up in a whirlwind of shit that was going on. And everybody in the society, they're gonna naturally take their position on any given subject. And you know America loves to dance so if you give them something to bite into then every politician and their mama is going to be outside on the street. They didn't like the word nigga. What the fuck! That word's been around for fifty-thousand years and now all of a sudden you want to get out into the street and protest because I said it on a record!? What the fuck is wrong with y'all? It's muthafuckas starving outside right now! What are you all doing about that? But you wanna jump your big head ass in front of any video camera that you can find and express your opinion about my music. Well your opinion is a beautiful thing, that why it's called America. We love it. But don't expect us to see the world through your eyes because as many people as it is on this planet, there is as many opinions and as many assholes.

How many records did you work on with Death Row?
I left after Snoop's first record. Doggystyle was the last thing that I ever fucked with…

What made you leave?
It was just time. It had gotten to the point to where I could hear the people talking. Like I remember being at the "Murder Was The Case" video screening that they had for Snoop Dogg. We were at big ass movie theatre. I was sitting on one side of a curtain and two people were sitting on the other side and I knew they were talking about me. And the shit that they were saying about me was not even cool. And if those two people thought that way, imagine who the fuck else thought like that.

Who were these people? Were they important figures at Death Row?
Naw, they weren't important figures at Death Row, but they were people close to the circle because of Dre. Most of the people who came to that circle came because they wanted to be around Dre for what he could do. They had nothing but negative shit to say. And it wasn't about my performance, a lot of it was personal. You know they thought I was a weak person because I never got no money from Death Row and everybody else is riding around in Benzs and this and that. From that moment on, I started thinking I'm not growing anymore here. I'm actually dying up here.

Are you saying that you wrote songs for The Chronic and Doggystyle and you didn't get any compensation whatsoever?
None.

How were you surviving?
In those days I would simply go to Dr. Dre and say I need five grand, now go see your people. I was living with Dre then and I had no need, no monetary need whatsoever. I was eating the greatest meals everyday, living the life. But I had no direction—didn't know where was I going or why was I going. I'd been writing this song for an album that he was thinking about doing called "Heltah Skeltah"…

I remember that it was supposed to be the Ice and Dr. Dre album but it never came out…
Yeah, one of the reasons why it never surfaced was because I stole the idea and shot it out there first.

That was your second solo album…
Right. The songs that I had written were on that album. I had started writing it just from hearing Dre talking about it. He and Cube were gonna do a record, it was gonna be called Heltah Skeltah, this is what it's going to be about, so I started putting together music. And then Dre heard the song and I hadn't told him that I had written the song for him, but his first thing was "Hey, you need to let me get that song up out ya." And the shit just hit me so cold I was like fuck that, man I'm not doing this shit no more. Fuck that. If I'm gone write this shit, I'm gone rap this shit. So I moved out to Atlanta and stayed with a friend just to clear my head.

Heltah Skeltah was some deep dark stuff.
Yep. It was all based on an idea that Dre and them was working on: anarchy…the end of the world kind of theory. And my life was in a twist, my life was in the toilet bowl at that time, so it was real easy for me to go and see the darkest, the most nasty. It was easy for me to see the shit in the world at that time, because I was in a world of shit. I was starting to do drugs real heavy then. I couldn't get a grip on nothing man. I didn't know what to do. I don't know if any of those people around me knew what the fuck I was doing. I was basically dying up there man and I was too ashamed to come home.

What made you turn your life around?
It was a process. Shit, it's like being an alcoholic. It was around the time I met 6'2 in 97. I heard this nigga bust and I had just won this law suit so I had a lot of money. I met him through Erotic D. I had been blessed to have been a student of one of the greatest producers ever, so when I heard him I knew it. I had money in my pocket and I said I'm going to go get this guy and I did. I did a couple of more songs on him with the money I had. And then I took it to LA and let Dre hear it and he said, this it.

(...)

- interview by C.Braxton for murderdog.com