Douglas E. Davis (born September 17, 1966), better known by the stage
name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat
boxer, also known as "the Human Beat Box". One of the early
pioneers of beatboxing, Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum
machines and various special effects using only his mouth, throat
and a microphone.
Although he began his recording career as a solo artist as one of
the last artists on Enjoy Records and one of the first on Vintertainment
Records (the same New York-based label owned by Vincent Davis that
would later make a name of Hip-Hop artist Joeski Love and bring R&B
icon Keith Sweat to ultimate fame), it was when he and a new team
of DJs known as The Get Fresh Crew (Barry Bee and Chill Will) along
with a newcomer named MC Ricky D (who would later achieve fame as
Slick Rick) came to fledgling New Jersey-based Hip-Hop label Reality/Danya
Records the following year and recorded "The Show" (which
borrowed the melody of the Inspector Gadget theme),[2] and "La
Di Da Di", a tune that was completely voiced by MC Ricky D and
backed by Doug E's beat box for the entire duration of the song.
It was when both of these songs were released on a single (particularly
12" single) that broke him (and Slick Rick) into stardom. Both "The
Show" and "La-Di-Da-Di" are considered two of the
all-time greatest early hip hop classics, and, as such make up one
of the first and only Hip-Hop singles to have two hit songs on the
same disc.
"The Show" peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart in December
1985.[3]
Unfortunately, Slick Rick would leave the group almost a year after
the single was released leaving many wondering what happened to him
until 1988 when he became a Def Jam artist and released his debut
album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. Doug E. Fresh and The Get
Fresh Crew soldiered on, now officially signed to Reality/Danya and
releasing two albums from that period -- Oh, My God! from 1986 (which
includes the hit song "All The Way To Heaven") and The
World's Greatest Entertainer from 1988—both of which are now
long out of print and extremely rare. The main single from the album
The World's Greatest Entertainer was "Keep Risin' To The Top" which
was named after Keni Burke's then-obscure 1981 hit "Keep Rising
To The Top", which, thanks to being sampled in Doug E. Fresh's
song, has become Keni's signature tune. Doug E.'s "Keep Risin'
To The Top" also samples the main chorus phrase of Heatwave's
1976 classic, "Ain't No Half Steppin", which Big Daddy
Kane also sampled that same year for his song of the same name.
In 1992, after a four-year hiatus, Doug E. Fresh joined with MC
Hammer's label, Bust It Records and issued one album, Doin' What
I Gotta Do, which (despite some minor acclaim for his single "Bustin'
Out (On Funk)" which samples the Rick James 1979 single, "Bustin'
Out") was a commercial failure.
In 1993, Doug E. Fresh found a new home at Island Records affiliated
label Gee Street under their new division Gee Street Independent.
At the time, he managed only to release one single which contained
three songs -- "I-ight (Alright)", which was the main song, "Bounce",
and "Freaks". Although "I-ight" (which originated
the now-famous club chant "Heyyyyyy, YO!... I-iiiiight?")
was slated to become the first major hit for Doug in 5 years, it
was almost immediately overshadowed by "Freaks", a Dancehall
tune beatboxed entirely by Doug E. and vocalized mainly by his protege,
a Brooklyn-born Jamaican teenage newcomer named Lil' Vicious. The
song received major radio and club play, followed by video play when
the video was finally produced a few months into 1994. Lil' Vicious
would soon drop the "Lil'" from his name and ink a deal
with Sony Music's Epic Records for three years, although he would
only sire one album, Destination Brooklyn.
In 1995, Slick Rick and Fresh reunited for a track on an album titled
Play, which found Fresh back on his feet. Play received positive
reviews; Bret Love wrote that the record is "a welcome flashback
to the days when guns, drugs, sex and violence were not the genre's
primary lyrical focus."[4]
On May 23, 2007, Fresh performed variations upon "The Show" with
finalist Blake Lewis on the season-six finale of American Idol, the
first ever hip-hop performance on the show.[5]
2010 saw Fresh make a small comeback in popular culture as rap group
Cali Swag District brought back some of his trademark dance moves
with their song Teach Me How to Dougie. Members of Cali Swag District
saw Texas college students doing a local dance created in Dallas
called the D-Town Boogie. They recognized it as a modified version
of Fresh's dance moves and decided to create a song that would feature
the dance, but also give Fresh his due credit.
On June 27, 2010, Fresh came out and performed with Cali Swag District
while they were performing their song Teach Me How to Dougie at the
BET Awards Pre-show.
Fresh performing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on August 29, 2010.
On Nov. 8, 2010 Doug E. Fresh appeared at the Soul Train Awards
where he taught CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer how to Dougie on stage as
part of the show.
On Dec. 10, 2010 Fresh appeared on ESPN First Take to speak about
the phenomenon of the Dougie as a sports celebration. As part of
the show he, Lomas Brown, and Skip Bayless voted on the best sports
related Dougie's. The Dougie performed by Bayless himself on ESPN
First Take was voted by Fresh as the best, although he rated Wolf
Blitzer's Dougie at the Soul Train Awards the best but it had no
sports association.
[edit] Personal life
Fresh is a member of the Church of Scientology. He has performed
for large audiences of its adherents at the Scientology Celebrity
Center's Anniversary Gala in 2004.[6] He also performed two tracks
on the Scientology music album The Joy of Creating (other artists
appearing include Isaac Hayes, Chick Corea, Edgar Winter, and Carl
Anderson).[7]
Fresh is the spokesperson for the Hip Hop Public Health Education
Center at Harlem Hospital Center,[8] in New York City.[9]
Fresh has stated he has a restaurant coming in New York called Doug
E. He also has stated he has a club called Fresh.[10] Doug E Fresh
also performed at The Paradise Theater August 12, 2010. The concert
was entitled "The Show" brought to you by David L David
(Spinback Entertainment).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
* Oh, My God! (1986, Reality/Danya/Fantasy) (with the Get Fresh
Crew)
* The World's Greatest Entertainer (1988, Reality/Danya/Fantasy) (with the
Get Fresh Crew)
* Doin' What I Gotta Do (1992, Bust It/Capitol/EMI) (with the New Get Fresh
Crew)
* Play (1995, Gee Street/Island/PolyGram)
* Alright (1996, Gee Street/Island/PolyGram)
[edit] Singles
* "Just Having Fun (Do the Beatbox)" [1984, Enjoy]
* "The Original Human Beatbox" [1984, Vintertainment] (credited as
Dougy Fresh)
* "The Show" (with the Get Fresh Crew & M.C. Ricky D)/"La
Di Da Di" (with M.C. Ricky D) [1985, Reality/Danya/Fantasy] - Platinum
* "All The Way To Heaven" (with The Get Fresh Crew) [1986, Reality/Danya/Fantasy]
* "Lovin' Every Minute Of It (Cyclone Ride)" [1986, Reality/Danya/Fantasy]
* "Keep Risin' To The Top"/"Guess Who?" (with The Get Fresh
Crew) [1988, Reality/Danya/Fantasy]
* "Spirit" (1989, MCA) (with the Get Fresh Crew)
* "Summertime" [1989, Reality/Fantasy] (with the Get Fresh Crew)
* "Bustin' Out" [1992, Bust It/Capitol/EMI] (with the New Get Fresh
Crew)
* "I-ight (Alright)" / "Freaks" (featuring Lil' Vicious)
(1993, Gee Street Independent/4th & B'way/Island)
* "Superstition" [1997, Hollywood] (with the Get Fresh Crew)
* "We Not Giving Up" (2005, The Xtatik Experience) (featuring Doug
E Fresh and Machel Montano)
* "You"ll Never Know (2005, E-Z Rollers) (featuring Doug E. Fresh & Sharon
Brown)
* "Rhyme & Punishment (2005, E-Z Rollers) (featuring Doug E. Fresh)
[Distorted Minds Remix]
* "Rhyme & Punishment (2005, E-Z Rollers) (featuring Doug E. Fresh)
* "Virgo" (2005) (with Ludacris and Nas)
* "Left-Right" (2007, Entertaining Music) (featuring Square Off)