Background and career
Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known by his stage name the D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Along with his solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip-hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and later co-wrote for and collaborated with the gangsta rap group N.W.A and Eazy-E. He has also worked with record producer Dr. Dre, co-writing Dre's first album, The Chronic (1992), while Dre produced Curry's first solo album, No One Can Do It Better (1989), which was released by Eazy-E's Ruthless Records in a joint venture with Atlantic Records. With Dr. Dre and record executives Suge Knight and Dick Griffey, Curry co-founded Death Row Records in 1991, which has signed artists including Tupac Shakur and Snoop 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 the Billboard 200 and spawned two number 1 songs on the Hot 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 and Deuce in 2003. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Curry won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award along with N.W.A., alongside Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella.
Tracy Lynn Curry was born on June 10, 1968, in Dallas, Texas. As a teenager, Curry began his career as a member of Fila Fresh Crew, a hip-hop trio. While in the group, Curry was known as Doc-T.
In 1987, Fila Fresh Crew had four songs featured on the compilation album N.W.A and the Posse which featured various other artists; the same four tracks would later appear on the group's album Tuffest 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 to Los Angeles and become acquainted with members of N.W.A and Ruthless Records.
Curry began using the name the D.O.C. after he was signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. He contributed lyrics to N.W.A's first album, Straight Outta Compton (1989), and performed the opening verse on "Parental Discretion Iz Advised". Curry also wrote for Eazy-E's first album, Eazy-Duz-It (1988) and co-wrote "Keep Watchin'" from Michel'le's debut album Michel'le (1989). In 1989, the D.O.C. released his solo debut, the Dr. Dre–produced No One Can Do It Better. The album was very well received by critics, and sold well, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks; by 1994, the album reached Platinum status. 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.
On November 14, 1989, four months after the release of No One Can Do It Better, Curry was involved in a near-fatal car crash. Driving home from a party, he fell asleep at the wheel and his car veered off the freeway. Curry, who was not wearing a seat 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. In a 2015 interview with DJ 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. The D.O.C. continued to write for N.W.A and contributed lyrics and minor vocals to their 1990 EP 100 Miles and Runnin', for which he co-wrote many of the songs. He co-wrote songs for their final album, Niggaz4Life.
In 1991, the D.O.C. left Ruthless Records along with Dr. Dre and Michel'le to sign with newly founded Death Row Records. The D.O.C. was one of the writers for Dr. Dre's first solo album The 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. The liner notes to The 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 by Snoop Dogg in the intro of the album. ("Peace to da D.O.C., still makin' it funky enough"). The D.O.C. worked on Snoop Dogg's first album Doggystyle, and added some vocals on the song "Serial Killa". The D.O.C. continued to be a ghostwriter for various songs on Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg albums. "Real Muthaphuckkin G's", from Eazy-E's 1993 extended play It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, includes lyrics sampled from "It's Funky Enough" in the song's hook.
