Doug E. Fresh
The first human beatbox in the rap world, and still the best of all time, Doug E. Fresh amazed audiences with his note-perfect imitations of drum machines, effects, and often large samples of hip-hop classics. Fresh was born Doug E. Davis in Barbados, and his first appearance came in 1983 on a single for Spotlight called "Pass the Budda," with Spoonie Gee and DJ Spivey. His introduction to most hip-hop fans, though, came one year later with his astonishing performance in Beat Street behind the Treacherous Three. His first solo features also came in 1984, with "Just Having Fun," waxed for Enjoy, and "Original Human Beatbox" for Vinentertainment.
By 1985, Fresh was one of the biggest names in rap music, and his first single for Reality, "The Show/La Di Da Di," became a hip-hop classic. It was recorded with his Get Fresh Crew, including MC Ricky D (only later to gain fame as Slick Rick), along with Barry Bee and Chill Will. His first LP, 1987's Oh, My God!, featured most of his showpieces, like "Play This Only at Night" and "All the Way to Heaven," along with nods to reggae and even gospel. His second album, 1988's The World's Greatest Entertainer, broke into the Billboard charts thanks to another hot single, "Keep Risin' to the Top," but Slick Rick had already broken from the pack and his LP of the same year, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, did much better than Doug E. Fresh. Fresh took a break and wasn't able to regain momentum with 1992's Doin' What I Gotta Do, released through MC Hammer's Bust It label. He did reunite on a Slick Rick LP, and recorded again in 1995 for Gee Street.
© John Bush /TiVo
Discography
9 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Oh My God!
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Get Fresh Crew on Jul 7, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Make Money
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Famous Records, Corp. on Oct 6, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The World's Greatest Entertainer
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Get Fresh Crew on May 31, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Freaks (Murder She Wrote Riddim)
Reggae - Released by Yo DJ Dixon Records on Aug 11, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
20 Seconds or More
Doug E. Fresh, Artie Green, Gerry Gunn
Ambient/New Age - Released by Hip Hop Public Health on Apr 11, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Buss It Down
Doug E. Fresh, George Adams, Lil Vicious
World - Released by KINGZBREAD Entertainment Inc on May 29, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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This One's for Chuck Brown: Doug E. Fresh Salutes the Godfather of Go-Go (Live)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Get Fresh Crew on Sep 24, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo