​The D.O.C.

Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), known by his stage name The D.O.C., is a rapper hailing from Dallas, Texas. The D.O.C. is known for his lyrical style notable for compounding, as well as possessing a pre-accident solid tenor.

He started his career as a member of the hip-hop group Fila Fresh Crew, as well as becoming one of the creative forces behind the seminal gangsta rap group N.W.A., where he co-wrote many of their releases.

In November 1989, months after the release of his solo debut album “No One Can Do It Better,” The D.O.C. suffered from a car accident that crushed his larynx, altering his voice from a well-bodied tenor to a rattling raspy voice reminiscent of a heavy smoker’s.

Despite the terrible accident, The D.O.C. continued to work for the now Ice Cube-less N.W.A., contributing his writing skills for the group’s 1990 EP “100 Miles and Runnin'”, as well as their final album Efil4zaggin, co-writing almost all the album’s tracks.

The D.O.C. would later join Dr. Dre’s exodus from the seminal gangsta rap group, becoming a co-founder and talent for Death Row Records, where he continued to contribute skills, mainly by ghostwriting Dr. Dre’s verses, as well as appearing in several tracks on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, and Snoop Dogg’s debut album Doggystyle. Dre and D.O.C. would eventually leave Death Row Records, bitter about not getting paid for his ghostwriting.

Post-Death Row, he released two solo albums, his 1996 comeback Helter Skelter and the 2003 album Deuce, released seven years apart, and is planning to release another album tentatively titled Voices Through Hot Vessels.

Over the years since their exit from Death Row Records, his relationship with Dr Dre has been on-again/off-again. In 2020, he experienced a “come-to-Jesus moment” that helped him let go of the pain of the past and the two reunited again soon after. Dre, Snoop and Eminem all make appearances in the 2022 documentary about his life.

He has three children, most notably a daughter named Puma, from a previous seven-year relationship with legendary singer Erykah Badu.