Douglas Davis, better known by his stage name Doug E. Fresh (born
September 17, 1966), is a Barbadian-born American rapper, record
producer and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The
pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to
accurately imitate drum machines and various special effects using
only his mouth, lips, gums, throat, tongue and a microphone.In the
early 1980s he formed the Get Fresh Crew with DJs Chill Will and Barry
B and later added rapper Slick Rick. Two of their songs "The Show" and
"La Di Da Di" are considered early hip hop classics. "La Di Da Di", in
particular, is one of the most sampled songs in music history.Doug E.
Fresh was born in Barbados but raised in Harlem, New York. Fresh began
his recording career as a solo artist; he was among 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 singer Keith Sweat
to ultimate fame). He and a new team of DJs known as the Get Fresh
Crew (Barry Bee and Chill Will), along with newcomer MC Ricky D (who
would later achieve fame as Slick Rick), came to fledgling New
Jersey-based hip-hop label Danya/Reality Records the following year
and recorded "The Show", which borrowed the melody of the Inspector
Gadget theme by Shuki Levy. They also recorded "La Di Da Di", a tune
that was completely voiced by MC Ricky D and backed by Doug E. Fresh's
beatboxing for the entire duration of the song. The release of these
two songs as a 12" single launched Doug E. Fresh (and Slick Rick) into
stardom. Both songs are considered among the greatest early hip-hop
classics. "The Show" peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart in December
1985.Doug E. Fresh was interviewed in the 1986 cult documentary Big
Fun In The Big Town. Slick Rick left the group almost a year after the
release of "The Show"/"La Di Da Di" single, reappearing in 1988 as a
Def Jam artist and releasing his debut album, The Great Adventures of
Slick Rick. Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew continued on, now
officially signed to Danya/Reality/Fantasy, by releasing Oh, My God!
in 1986, which included the hit song "All The Way To Heaven". In 1988,
The World's Greatest Entertainer was released, featuring the song
"Keep Risin' To The Top", which was named after Keni Burke's
then-obscure 1981 hit "Rising To The Top" (which has since become
Burke's signature song). Doug E. Fresh's "Keep Risin' To The Top" also
samples the main chorus 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.
September 17, 1966), is a Barbadian-born American rapper, record
producer and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The
pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to
accurately imitate drum machines and various special effects using
only his mouth, lips, gums, throat, tongue and a microphone.In the
early 1980s he formed the Get Fresh Crew with DJs Chill Will and Barry
B and later added rapper Slick Rick. Two of their songs "The Show" and
"La Di Da Di" are considered early hip hop classics. "La Di Da Di", in
particular, is one of the most sampled songs in music history.Doug E.
Fresh was born in Barbados but raised in Harlem, New York. Fresh began
his recording career as a solo artist; he was among 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 singer Keith Sweat
to ultimate fame). He and a new team of DJs known as the Get Fresh
Crew (Barry Bee and Chill Will), along with newcomer MC Ricky D (who
would later achieve fame as Slick Rick), came to fledgling New
Jersey-based hip-hop label Danya/Reality Records the following year
and recorded "The Show", which borrowed the melody of the Inspector
Gadget theme by Shuki Levy. They also recorded "La Di Da Di", a tune
that was completely voiced by MC Ricky D and backed by Doug E. Fresh's
beatboxing for the entire duration of the song. The release of these
two songs as a 12" single launched Doug E. Fresh (and Slick Rick) into
stardom. Both songs are considered among the greatest early hip-hop
classics. "The Show" peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart in December
1985.Doug E. Fresh was interviewed in the 1986 cult documentary Big
Fun In The Big Town. Slick Rick left the group almost a year after the
release of "The Show"/"La Di Da Di" single, reappearing in 1988 as a
Def Jam artist and releasing his debut album, The Great Adventures of
Slick Rick. Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew continued on, now
officially signed to Danya/Reality/Fantasy, by releasing Oh, My God!
in 1986, which included the hit song "All The Way To Heaven". In 1988,
The World's Greatest Entertainer was released, featuring the song
"Keep Risin' To The Top", which was named after Keni Burke's
then-obscure 1981 hit "Rising To The Top" (which has since become
Burke's signature song). Doug E. Fresh's "Keep Risin' To The Top" also
samples the main chorus 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.
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