No One Can Do It Better

“No One Can Do It Better” is the debut studio album by the D.O.C., released on July 13, 1989, through Ruthless Records and Atlantic Records.

The story

Tracy Curry came to Los Angeles from Dallas, where he had rapped in Fila Fresh Crew, and joined Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records. By the time he recorded his own album he had already written lyrics for N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton” and Eazy-E’s “Eazy-Duz-It.” Dr. Dre produced the album, with Eazy-E as executive producer. The lead single, “It’s Funky Enough,” was released on June 16, 1989. It spent four weeks at number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and reached number 12 on the R&B singles chart. “The D.O.C. & the Doctor” followed in October and also reached number 1 on the rap chart, and “Mind Blowin’” was issued as a further single.

Sound and production

Dr. Dre built the album from samples, with drum work from DJ Yella on several tracks. “It’s Funky Enough” is built on Foster Sylvers’ 1973 record “Misdemeanor.” The closing track, “The Grand Finalé,” brings in Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and MC Ren of N.W.A. Writing in LA Weekly, Daniel Weizmann called Dr. Dre “a sound-collage artist to a degree no other producer in rap even touches.”

Legacy

The album reached number 20 on the Billboard 200 and spent two weeks at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was certified gold within three months and platinum on April 21, 1994. AllMusic called it “one undeniable masterpiece,” while Robert Christgau felt the funk faded after the opening tracks. On November 14, 1989, a few months after its release, Curry was badly hurt in a car crash that permanently damaged his larynx. The album became his only record made with his original voice, and his next album, “Helter Skelter,” did not arrive until 1996. Curry turned to writing, co-founded Death Row Records with Dr. Dre in 1991, and helped write Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” (1992).

Released July 13, 1989. More from hip hop in 1989.