In a conversation about some of the greatest rappers of all time, Doug E. Fresh is definitely in the mix. Born in Barbados and raised in Harlem, he rose to stardom in the mid-1980s with his clever rhymes, his signature style, and of course his insane beatboxing skills. Along with The Get Fresh Crew, he dropped hits like “La Di Da Di” that can still rock a party to this day.
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Along with his incredible musical talent, Doug E. Fresh is also committed to helping others. The co-founder of Hip Hop Public Health, he has made it his mission to make sure research-based health information reaches the communities that need it most.
We’re taking a deep dive into the untold story of Doug E. Fresh, the 2023 Root 100 honoree before we celebrate the next round of Root 100 trailblazers at this year’s gala on Dec. 3!
Born in Barbados
Before he was Doug E. Fresh, he was Douglas Davis, born Sept. 17, 1966, in Barbados. He moved to New York City as a child where he was raised by his mother and grandfather in Harlem. It was there that he first fell in love with hip-hop, inspired by artists like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and The Cold Crush Brothers.
The Makings of The Get Fresh Crew
While he was a student at Charles Evans Hughes High School, Fresh was known for impressing his classmates with his rhyming and beatboxing skills during lunch. That’s where he first met DJ Chill Will. The two teamed up and started making their own mixtapes. Later, they added DJ Barry B and MC Ricky D (who would later go by Slick Rick) to the group and began performing as The Get Fresh Crew.
Human Beat Box
Doug E. Fresh is credited as a hip-hop innovator putting beatboxing on the map, a sound he first created during a session at DJ Barry B’s apartment. The percussion sounds Fresh made with his mouth even impressed Barry B’s mom who was listening from another room.
“His mother… said, ‘What was that? That was a nice beat,” he told The New York Post.
Fresh finally got his props when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 American Beatbox Championships.
“The Show”
In July 1986, Doug E. Fresh released his debut album, “Oh, My God!,” on Reality Records.
One of the album’s best-known singles is “The Show.” Doug E. Fresh’s beat box and a sample of the theme song to the 1980s animated series “Inspector Gadget” combined to provide the perfect soundtrack for Fresh and MC Ricky D’s rhymes which .
“La Di Da Di”
Fresh’s first album also included another of his most popular tracks, “La Di Da Di,” another song that allowed him and MC Ricky D to show off their rhyming skills and play off of each other’s clever bars. Sadly, it would be the last mainstream hit the dynamic duo would have together in that era.
“Keep Rising to the Top”
In 1988, Doug E. Fresh put the hip-hop industry on notice with the album “The World’s Greatest Entertainer,” which featured the hit single “Keep Risin’ To the Top,” a smooth song that samples Keni Burke’s 1982 R&B hit “Risin’ to the Top.”
Signature Style
Doug E. Fresh was known as much for his style as he was for his fresh lyrics. With help from Dapper Dan, his Harlem neighbor who often styled him, Doug’s fits often included smooth nylon tracksuits accessorized with gold chains.
“Dapper Dan was the answer to your problem, bro,” he told Jalen Rose in a 2022 interview for The New York Post. “You go in there with any idea, any style, anything you had on your mind.”
“Teach Me How to Dougie”
A new generation of fans were introduced to Doug E. Fresh in the early 2000s as both Dallas rapper Lil Wil and hip-hop group Cali Swag District had the hit records “My Dougie” and “Teach Me How to Dougie” respectively. But the dance moves that flooded our TikTok timelines were all inspired by Doug E. Fresh, hair brush and all, something Fresh confirmed to fans know during one of his shows.
“So what y’all kids is doing? I made that up a long time ago,” he told an audience.
Church of Scientology
In an interview on Willie D Live, Fresh confirmed that he studies Scientology, the religion developed by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s.
When asked, Fresh described Scientology as the “study of knowing how to know about whatever it is that you are doing.” Fresh said he was first introduced to Scientology by Isaac Hayes and “found it fascinating— it changed how I thought. I learned how to look at things and not judge them but respect them… it made me want to show people love and respect their reality.”
“I said let me see what’s going on if Black Moses is over there,” he recalled.
Parting Ways With Slick Rick
After “La Di Da Di,: Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh went their separate ways, with each going on to have solo success. Although the reason for their split was a mystery to fans, Fresh confirms that it was just about them growing as artists.
“I think personally that we were young,” he told the New York Post. “We were two different entities who needed room to breathe.”
These days, the rappers have repaired their relationship and continue to tour together.
“We still family. We have grown, and we close,” he added.
Commitment to Public Health
In 2006, Doug E. Fresh teamed up with Columbia University neurologist and health behavior change expert Dr. Olajide Williams to create Hip Hop Public Health, an organization that blends music, culture and science to provide research-based health education to underserved communities.
The Root 100
In 2023, Doug E. Fresh was one of the year’s Root 100 honorees for the extraordinary work his Hip Hop Public Health organization does to provide much-needed health information to disadvantaged communities.
Still Having Fun
Today, Doug E. Fresh is still performing his hits in front of massive crowds all over the world. During a 2023 appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show,” Fresh said that for him, making music is doing what he loves with his friends.
“I could not do this if it wasn’t still fun,” he said. “Everybody that was with me in the beginning is still with me now.”
He went on to say that he believes the secret of the group’s long-standing relationship has been not allowing money to get in the way.
“We still live by this code, ‘Passion makes money, money don’t make passion,” he said.
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