If you know your hip hop history, you’ll know The D.O.C. isn’t just part of the story, he helped write it. Literally. Tracy Lynn Curry, better known as The D.O.C., has penned some of the most defining verses in rap, from N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton to Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle. He co-founded Death Row Records, stood at the heart of the West Coast explosion, and was set to be one of the greatest rappers of all time until a near-fatal car accident at the age of 21 changed his voice forever.
Now, more than three decades later, he finally touched down in the UK for the first time, and we met him in Bunny Jackson’s over wings, onion rings, and tater tots.
The D.O.C. spoke warmly about the welcome he’d had in Manchester, particularly at Radcliffe FC of all places, where he was surrounded by kids who followed him around the ground, asking for pictures and even calling their mums so they could speak to him on the phone. Some of them knew his records word for word, a surreal experience that clearly touched him. What struck him most was the sense of community, the kind of spirit he recognised from home in Texas, and it left him wanting to give something back. He’s already talking about building bridges between Radcliffe and Dallas, using his profile to bring visibility, resources and a touch of Hollywood glamour to grassroots football.
Of course, we had to talk music. He laughed about not having much time to explore Manchester bands, though he remembers learning how to play guitar through an Oasis record. He reflected on writing classics like Nuthin’ But a G Thang and Straight Outta Compton, and on how Snoop Dogg became both his protégé and his voice after the accident.
But he didn’t sugarcoat how tough it was watching his peers soar while he struggled with addiction, depression, and the burden of what might have been. “The higher they went up, the lower I went down,” he admitted. Yet even at his lowest, he never lost hope. He always believed his voice, or something else, would give him another shot.
Now, that second chance may come through AI. He revealed that labels have approached him about using new technology to recreate his original voice for a long-delayed second album. Instead of fear, he sees opportunity. “It gives me a chance to make that record I lost – but also to introduce AI to kids, bypassing the bullshit and going straight into creativity,” he said. His dream is to create a project where his present self battles his younger voice, before reconciling the two into one. “The possibilities are endless,” he told us.
Alongside music, he’s also launched his non-profit DOC CARES and the Dream Experience Academy, a school designed to keep kids in education by linking it to music, technology, and ambition. Selling limited-edition vinyl of his debut album, No One Can Do It Better, is already helping raise funds, with proceeds going directly into the project.
He’s lived through rap’s most defining chapters, from the rise of N.W.A. to the birth of Death Row, and while his own path was cut short, he’s still shaping the story. Whether through mentoring, film, or even experimenting with AI, The D.O.C. isn’t content with being a footnote, he’s still writing.
