The D.O.C.: Bloody But Unbowed

[Tito]

In hip-hop, terms like "legend" and "classic" get tossed around a lot. If anyone deserves those labels, it's The D.O.C. Best known for his incredible 1989 debut LP No One Can Do It Better, he's also penned lyrics for some of the most popular and influential albums of our times. All the NWA records, Eazy-Duz-It, The Chronic, and Doggystyle would never have happened if not for his outstanding writing skills and storytelling prowess. A car wreck at the height of his solo fame altered his voice forever, and industry shadiness kept him from a lot of money he deserved, but The D.O.C. remained strong. He's now back with a new album, Duece, a team of hungry young guns, and his own label. Lend him an ear.

AHH: Let's take it way back for a minute, how did the Fila Fresh Crew come about?

DOC: It was just a kid that I grew up with in the projects and shit. His name was Kurtis, Fresh K. It all got started as just neighborhood shit, and then we got a gig to do a TV commercial. On a local TV station down there, and this DJ was in radio down there, he had a mix-show, and we all got together and formed a little group. And it turned out that this guy and Dr. Dre used to be in sort of a DJ group. The guy had just moved down from California, and Dre came to visit the guy, I guess DJ at one of his parties and shit, and that’s how me and Dre hooked up.

AHH: And the rest is history.

DOC: As they say.


AHH: It's been over a dozen years since No One Can Do It Better, and people still bug out when they hear it. Did you have any idea it would become such a timeless classic?

DOC: Well, I always wanted to be, when I first started rapping, the greatest, whatever the fuck that means. So I can understand how that energy, how people could relate to that energy. And I was clean. A lot of these records today, guys make enemies because they talk so much shit about each other, well I never had to do that. I never had to cuss out bitches and none of that kinda shit you know. So I got respect on all levels. So in my humble opinion, that’s what makes the record really just great, because it's rated PG and rated R at the same time.

AHH: Do you still listen to that record? Or have you heard it enough?

DOC: I very seldom ever listen to the old stuff like that, but a lot of people do so it follows me around.

AHH: Do you have a personal favorite track off it?

DOC: "The Formula."

AHH: Everybody knows you did a lot of writing for Dre and Eazy, is there anybody else you wrote rhymes for that we don’t know about? Or is that a secret?

DOC: I've written a little bit for everybody, all of the players on all of my teams. Except for Cube, I never wrote for Cube. But all the players on my team, from '87 til today, I've written for. But the new guys that’s on this record, I wrote one of the songs on 6Two's record, but other than that, these new guys, the last thing they need is me.

AHH: Were you and Eazy still on the outs when he died? Or were you able to reconcile?

DOC: Unfortunately, Eazy and I were still on sort of, on terms where we weren't speaking. Eazy was still being a record label mogul, and it's hard to be friends when one person has a lot of power and the other person doesn’t have as much power, it's hard to maintain a friendship when you do business. Nobody wants to be used, and I felt like I probably done quite a bit for this guy, he could've come to the table with me. But the Heltah Skeltah record, he and I talked a couple of days about me doing that record on Ruthless, but he wouldn’t give me the money I wanted.

AHH: Speaking of Heltah Skeltah, because of the lack of promotion a lot of people didn’t hear it. With the new joint being called "Deuce," how do you feel about that album now?


DOC: The reason this record is called Deuce is because, this is actually The D.O.C that motherfuckers know and love, this is his second record. The "Heltah Skeltah" record, that’s when I was lost, within the drugs and alcohol period. You can pretty much tell in the lyrics, it's some gothic shit going on my mind with that record.

AHH: How do you feel about newer artists recycling your beats? Like Shyne on "That’s Gangsta"?

DOC: It’s a great sign of respect. I really appreciate it, that that young guy had enough respect for me to call me and ask me to show up for the video. It means a lot, especially coming from a New York cat. Whereas, New Yorkers will often tend to take the position of, if you ain't from New York you can't be great. When they come to the table and they real, that means a lot to me.

AHH: Who are the local guys you're working with?

DOC: The guys' names are 6Two, Uptight, Cadillac Seville The Mack, and a guy named El Dorado. All these guys are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

AHH: When most people think of Texas, they think of Scarface and the Geto Boys, Houston acts. What's the scene like in Dallas/Fort Worth?

DOC: There really is no scene to speak of right now. You know, these guys, they haven’t had the exposure, that I was blessed to be a part of.

AHH: But you're hoping to change all that with the label?

DOC: Sure, sure. I got huge plans for DFW {Dallas/Fort Worth}

AHH: You've also done some stuff with MC Breed, do you have any plans to work with him again?

DOC: I got huge plans for MC Breed! I'm gonna stick him right on my label. There's a platinum record inside MC Breed, he just doesn’t know how to knock it out, see but I do.

AHH: The industry has changed so much since you started, are you surprised that hip-hop has become such a huge force in society? Or did you see that coming all along?

DOC: Aw man, you know, music is the shit. And when the music is the shit, its gonna be there. I don’t give a fuck what kind of music it was. Rap music is no different from soul music, it's no different from country music. So the people who like good music, when they get good rap music, they're gonna stick to it. And then that’s gonna be something that sticks with you forever.

AHH: Who handled the production on the new album?

DOC: I did some of it, I did some of the work. Erotic D, Jazzy Pha from Atlanta, Organized Noize from Atlanta, and Jah Born, a kid from Dallas.

AHH: Any plans for a tour?

DOC: Man you know what, there's a lot of D.O.C. fans out there that never got to see me do nothing. So if not just to see all those guys, I'll be out there. I don’t have any plans as of yet but I got a feeling this record is gonna take off pretty fast, because it’s a great record and people are so… they want a great record from me so bad. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about incorporating into the show, just a couple of the "No One Can Do It Better" songs, you know, lip-synch the shit anyways.

AHH: Definitely, I think people would be really psyched. Now, what's the story with Silverback Entertainment? Is that a label or production company or both or what?

DOC: That’s my label.

AHH: And you're the CEO, or do you have a partner?

DOC: Yeah, I'm him, I am the man, he is I, I am him. And I am a humble person, I lack the big head, which means if my music stinks it's alright to kill me. So my music will always be good. A lot of these guys, even working with Dre, he surrounds himself with people, who…

AHH: Yes men?

DOC: Something like that. You know, they don’t have the courage I think to go head to head with this guy with their own opinions, and that kind of makes the music not as good. But it would be hard for Dr. Dre to make a wack song, but, it's not impossible.

[Tito]

AHH: What's next for the label? 6Two's record is on deck?

DOC: The 6Two record is about 70% done, and all those beats came from Dr. Dre. I stole em, I stole em out of his trunk when I was up there.

AHH: Will you be doing more albums after this one, or are you gonna focus on the company and developing your stable of artists?

DOC: I'm gonna do one more record under D.O.C., one more D.O.C. record. And that record is what's gonna separate me, from any other rapper, ever. This next record is what's gonna make me the greatest of all time. And I'm gonna tell you some shit that’s gonna fuck you up…

AHH: What's that?

DOC: It's gonna be nothing but gangsta niggas rapping on the record, and the record is gonna play like a gospel album. I mean its gonna fuck everybody head up, they're not gonna believe it. And they're not gonna be on no rapping love songs, they're gonna be rapping gangsta shit. But there's gonna be so much heart in what they say, it's gonna play like a gospel.

AHH: What was the last album that you really got into? Hip-hop or otherwise.

DOC: The last record, not including the one I just did? The last record that I bought, and was all over it, was "The Chronic." That’s one of the five greatest ones ever, and I think this record "Deuce" will fit into the top ten. And that, within itself, almost makes me the greatest of all time, because no rapper has ever done what I did with this record. No rapper has ever made a classic record, lost his voice, and came back and made another classic record. You gotta love it.

AHH: It's been ten years since "The Chronic," which you played a major role in creating. What do you want to be doing ten years from now?

DOC: Ten years from now? I'll tell what I'm *gonna* be doing, not what I want to be doing. I'll have Russell Simmons job in ten years.

AHH: Just running shit, kingpin style?

DOC: Sure. I got a complete understanding of the entire game now, I'm like Tiger Woods right now, I'm chewing em up. It's all about great songs, great music, that’s the bottom line. If you make great songs, then there's nothing they can say about you, they're only gonna go buy the record, and even if they hate you they're gonna pretend to like you.

AHH: Speaking of kingpins, you and Suge were pretty tight back in the day, and even after the lawsuit, whenever there's beef news or trash-talking in the press, your name never comes up. Are you guys still cool at all or not really?

DOC: I don’t have any animosity towards anyone. Suge, Dre, Eazy, Doctor Rock. Nobody that’s done me any wrong, because it wasn’t really their fault, they were doing what they do. It was my fault, because I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing. I was slippin, in other words. So you know, you can't blame these guys. If you play with a snake you can't blame the snake for biting you, that’s what snakes do. I wish the guy success. I saw him at the hip-hop summit in California, I shook his hand, told him it was good to see him free, and good luck you know. But without hit records Death Row is gonna be in trouble.

AHH: Seeing as you've experienced a lot of industry shadiness, what advice would you give for all the kids who wanna be rappers?

DOC: This is a business. It's not a pastime thing. But, If you're gonna jump into this game thinking nobody's gonna take advantage of you, you might as well stay at home cuz it's gonna happen, it’s the nature of the business. The key is to market and promote yourself.

AHH: Five records you can't live without?

DOC: I'm always gonna have "The Chronic," "Straight Outta Compton," "Deuce," "Doggystyle," and "Ready To Die."

AHH: Any last words or shout outs?

DOC: My folks! I miss em.

[Don Seer]

damn thats tight as fuck.. where's it from myrealname?

[=[Euthanasia]=]

Yeah, that was a good read, thanx Myrealname.

DOC: "Man you know what, there's a lot of D.O.C. fans out there that never got to see me do nothing. So if not just to see all those guys, I'll be out there. I don’t have any plans as of yet but I got a feeling this record is gonna take off pretty fast, because it’s a great record and people are so… they want a great record from me so bad. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about incorporating into the show, just a couple of the "No One Can Do It Better" songs, you know, lip-synch the shit anyways."

He knows what we want  

[Tito]

damn thats tight as fuck.. where's it from myrealname?

allhiphop.com  

[Hatesrats™]

Nice read...

The D.O.C. has big plans....big plans.

Good shitt, I've been waiting since "Nobody can do it better" (88-89) for Doc to reclaim his spot.

I hope this cd comes out soon, seeing how they keep pushin' shitt bacc.

Peace
Hatesrats 2oo2

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

damn that was TIGHT as FUCK!
cant wait for the new DOC!
damn

[Tito]

Deuce is already out,right?

[lbc213]

The "Heltah Skeltah" record, that’s when I was lost, within the drugs and alcohol period. You can pretty much tell in the lyrics, it's some gothic shit going on my mind with that record.

Still that album is dope as fuck. I like it more then 'no one can do it better'. A dope & raw album.


peeeeeeeez


-lbc213

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

Deuce is already out,right?

nope

[LyRiCaL_G]

yo was dat shit he was sayin about 6two? dre gonna be producin his album?!?!? i hope so, the guys got mad skillz

[serv-on]

props for postin that interview, very tite.