Dr. Rock
Encyclopedia
Cleophus "Dr. Rock" Turner began his career as one of the original Discjockeys
, self dubbed, "the only pop-locking DJ in L.A.", in Lonzo's Wreckin' Cru during the early '80s. This group included Andre "Dr. Dre
" Young, who would later achieve fame as both a rapper and a producer
in the group NWA
and later in his solo career. When the crew made the transition from being a mobile DJ group to recording and performing music, Turner left the group and relocated to Dallas, Texas
.
Once in Dallas, Turner took local listeners by storm by being the first DJ in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to feature turntablism (Mixing, Scratching, Rotations, etc.) as part of his regular mix shows which aired every Friday and Saturday nights on radio station KNOK-FM beginning in 1984. Turner also had DJ stints in clubs and skating rinks in Dallas including the Twlight Skating Rink in Pleasant Grove, the Shamrock Skating Rink in Lancaster and Club Countach in Garland.
Dr. Rock was constantly joined at the hip to fellow Radio Mixshow DJ Ushy Eron. DJ Ushy, as he was simply called, was the most popular mixshow DJ locally until the emergence of Dr. Rock. Other than both being party DJs who vocally augmented their performances, Ushy's show featured more party and go-go music in which he believed in "straight R&B" mixes without scratching while Rock played hip-hop music and included more turntable tricks.
Dr. Rock worked with many artists and deejays such as, Dr. Dre
, The D.O.C.
, The Fila Fresh Crew, Sean "Barney" Thomas, Dezire and DJ Willie Fressh.
Dr. Rock scooped the local hip-hop
scene and gathered rapper Fresh K and rapper Doc T
to form the Fila Fresh Crew
. Dr. Rock is not a legally certified doctor, the title is merely an embellishment of his DJ name, as was common in the rap scene in the '80s and '90s. Other examples of falsified titles include Inspector Deck, Professor Griff
, and Master Killer. Dr. Rock who DJed alongside Dr. Dre
in the days of the Wreckin' Cru, called up the west coast producer to check out his new group. Dre was impressed with the trio and invited them to Los Angeles
to work on the "Dunk The Funk" single. The Fila Fresh Crew released several singles and a full-length album in the late 1980s before splitting up. Former member Doc T remained with Dre and the new N.W.A.
group and launched a career of his own under the name The D.O.C. Before fading into obscurity, Dr. Rock gathered some local Dallas producers and launched a solo album of his own in 1991
under the pseudonym Fela Fresh Crew. The Fela Fresh Crew recorded a song called "Out Of K's" which ended up on Dr. Dre
's compilation album "Dr. Dre 2003".
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, self dubbed, "the only pop-locking DJ in L.A.", in Lonzo's Wreckin' Cru during the early '80s. This group included Andre "Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
" Young, who would later achieve fame as both a rapper and a producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
in the group NWA
NWA
-Nwa:*Nwa, Kale, a village in Burma*Nwa, Cameroon, a commune in the Nord-Ouest region of Cameroon-Groups or organizations:* Northwest Airlines, a defunct U.S...
and later in his solo career. When the crew made the transition from being a mobile DJ group to recording and performing music, Turner left the group and relocated to Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Once in Dallas, Turner took local listeners by storm by being the first DJ in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to feature turntablism (Mixing, Scratching, Rotations, etc.) as part of his regular mix shows which aired every Friday and Saturday nights on radio station KNOK-FM beginning in 1984. Turner also had DJ stints in clubs and skating rinks in Dallas including the Twlight Skating Rink in Pleasant Grove, the Shamrock Skating Rink in Lancaster and Club Countach in Garland.
Dr. Rock was constantly joined at the hip to fellow Radio Mixshow DJ Ushy Eron. DJ Ushy, as he was simply called, was the most popular mixshow DJ locally until the emergence of Dr. Rock. Other than both being party DJs who vocally augmented their performances, Ushy's show featured more party and go-go music in which he believed in "straight R&B" mixes without scratching while Rock played hip-hop music and included more turntable tricks.
Dr. Rock worked with many artists and deejays such as, Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, The D.O.C.
The D.O.C.
Tracy Lynn Curry , primarily known by his stage name The D.O.C., is an American rapper from Dallas, Texas. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and a creative force behind the gangsta rap group N.W.A, where he co-wrote many of their releases. He has...
, The Fila Fresh Crew, Sean "Barney" Thomas, Dezire and DJ Willie Fressh.
Dr. Rock scooped the local hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene and gathered rapper Fresh K and rapper Doc T
The D.O.C.
Tracy Lynn Curry , primarily known by his stage name The D.O.C., is an American rapper from Dallas, Texas. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and a creative force behind the gangsta rap group N.W.A, where he co-wrote many of their releases. He has...
to form the Fila Fresh Crew
Fila Fresh Crew
The Fila Fresh Crew was a rap group based in Dallas, Texas and consisted of Fresh K, Dr. Rock and The D.O.C. . Dr. Rock's association with Dr. Dre during his stint as a DJ for the World Class Wreckin' Cru helped land the Fila Fresh Crew a spot on the N.W.A. and the Posse compilation album in 1987...
. Dr. Rock is not a legally certified doctor, the title is merely an embellishment of his DJ name, as was common in the rap scene in the '80s and '90s. Other examples of falsified titles include Inspector Deck, Professor Griff
Professor Griff
Professor Griff is an American rapper and spoken word artist. He is a member of the hip hop group Public Enemy and head of the Security of the First World.-Early years in Public Enemy:...
, and Master Killer. Dr. Rock who DJed alongside Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
in the days of the Wreckin' Cru, called up the west coast producer to check out his new group. Dre was impressed with the trio and invited them to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to work on the "Dunk The Funk" single. The Fila Fresh Crew released several singles and a full-length album in the late 1980s before splitting up. Former member Doc T remained with Dre and the new N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
group and launched a career of his own under the name The D.O.C. Before fading into obscurity, Dr. Rock gathered some local Dallas producers and launched a solo album of his own in 1991
1991 in music
See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
under the pseudonym Fela Fresh Crew. The Fela Fresh Crew recorded a song called "Out Of K's" which ended up on Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
's compilation album "Dr. Dre 2003".
Discography
- "Tuffest Man AliveTuffest Man AliveTuffest Man Alive is an album by the Dallas rap-group Fila Fresh Crew, released in 1988 on Macola Records. "Dunk the Funk", "Tuffest Man Alive", "3 The Hard Way" and "Drink It Up" were also added to N.W.A's N.W.A. and the Posse.-Track listing:...
" (Fila Fresh CrewFila Fresh CrewThe Fila Fresh Crew was a rap group based in Dallas, Texas and consisted of Fresh K, Dr. Rock and The D.O.C. . Dr. Rock's association with Dr. Dre during his stint as a DJ for the World Class Wreckin' Cru helped land the Fila Fresh Crew a spot on the N.W.A. and the Posse compilation album in 1987...
) 1987 - "N.W.A. And The PosseN.W.A. and the PosseN.W.A. and the Posse was a 1987 Macola Records release that compiled various Dr. Dre-produced tracks and was marketed as an album by N.W.A. It includes previously released tracks by N.W.A, Eazy-E, the Fila Fresh Crew, and Rappinstine. The cover photo is the same as N.W.A's "Panic Zone" single and...
" (N.W.A) 1987 - "The Posse Chapter 2" (Various) 1988
- "Taking ChargeTaking ChargeTaking Charge is an album by Dr. Rock's Dallas rap-group The Fela Fresh Crew. Not to be confused with The Fila Fresh Crew which was Dr. Rock's first group...
" (Fela Fresh Crew) 1991