"I Want to be Able to Dance to Your Rhyme": The Story Behind Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew's

Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew’s The World’s Greatest Entertainer turned 30 on May 31st, 2018. Though the project has faded from our collective consciousness over time, it’s fascinating album that is begging for rediscovery. Between the Bomb Squad-produced “On The Strength”, the Three 6 Mafia sampled “The Plane (So High)”, and the talking drum infused “Africa (Goin’ Back Home)", The World’s Greatest Entertainer features a unique mix of beatboxing, heavy sampling, live musicianship, and turntablism that doesn’t sound quite like any other album from 1988.

The YouTube version of Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew’s “The Plane (So High)”.

Part of what helped Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew sound so distinct was the fact that their group composition was unlike anyone else before them. Featuring Doug with his dual beatboxing and rapping skills and Barry B/Chill Will as a talented DJ duo to accompany him, the trio of artists used their combined talents in impressive ways. In addition to beatboxing, DJing, and rapping, they also helped co-produce much of their first two albums.

Furthering their one of a kind sound was group manager Dennis Bell, an accomplished musician in his own right who helped introduce the group to industry heavyweights like keyboardist Bernard Wright. In addition to being a close friend of the group, Wright was a consistent presence in the studio throughout the making of The World’s Greatest Entertainer and provided them with invaluable connections to other respected studio musicians.

“They had a facility that was set up like a library, but it was all records set up in alphabetical order. And you’d walk through isles and isles of records.” — Chill Will

The World’s Greatest Entertainer also stands out as one of the first times the group leaned on outside producers. According to an interview I conducted with Doug E. Fresh for my Okayplayer Secret History article on the album, the suggestion to reach out to other producers first came from Heavy D. Though Doug ultimately ended up heeding Heavy D’s advice, he admitted that he was hesitant at first. “I come from a generation where, when I made ‘The Show,’ I produced it. When I made ‘La Di Da Di,’ I produced it,” he told me.

The YouTube version of Bernard Wright’s “Who Do You Love?”.

The decision to go outside The Get Fresh Crew’s inner circle proved to be invaluable, as Doug and company were able to connect with Public Enemy’s in-house production team The Bomb Squad. Though they were already good friends with The Bomb Squad and Public Enemy after extensive touring together, this was the first time the two units joined forces on a piece of recorded music.

The Bomb Squad ended up co-producing two songs for the project, “On The Strength” and the album’s sole hit record, “Keep Risin’ To The Top”. To record both songs, Barry B, Doug, and Chill Will made the trek to The Bomb Squad’s studio space on Long Island. When they arrived, Will was blown away at the ridiculous stash of vinyl they housed in their studio. “They had a facility that was set up like a library, but it was all records set up in alphabetical order,” he explained in my Okayplayer article. “And you’d walk through isles and isles of records. They knew where everything was.”

“We would cut the music off and say the rhyme. I had to change up my flow. And when I changed it, it kind of just made the whole record feel good.”— Doug. E Fresh

As absurd as The Bomb Squad’s sample library was, it was actually Doug E. Fresh who brought them Keni Burke’s “Risin’ To The Top” and asked them to sample it. “I thought that the Keni Burke record was classic underground and nobody was really acknowledging it to the fullest,” Doug told me. “It was big in Queens.”

The YouTube version of Keni Burk’s “Risin’ To The Top”.

Though the Keni Burke samples are the backbone to Doug’s hit, there’s another key element to the song that Hank Shocklee brought about through his advice and feedback. According to Doug, Shocklee wanted to make his voice work as another musical element in the song. “I remember when I wrote the first verse and Hank Shocklee said, ‘Yo man, you need to go back. If I cut this music off, I want to be able to dance to your rhyme. That’s what Rakim is making people do,’” Doug told me.

Shocklee was so specific about Doug’s delivery that The Bomb Squad would cut the music out altogether and have him rhyme acapella to make sure his flow was in sync with what they wanted to achieve with the song. “We would cut the music off and say the rhyme,” Doug told me. “I had to change up my flow. And when I changed it, it kind of just made the whole record feel good.”

“I come from a generation where, when I made ‘The Show,’ I produced it. When I made ‘La Di Da Di,’ I produced it.” — Doug E. Fresh

In additional to making Doug’s raps dance-friendly, Hank was also conscientious of the fact that “Keep Risin’ To The Top” had to translate well to Doug’s legendary live shows. “That record needed to sit very well behind ‘La Di Da Di’ or ‘The Show’ or ‘All The Way To Heaven’. It had to feel the same in terms of energy,” Hank told me.

The official music video for “Keep Risin’ To The Top”.

The final results of the combined efforts between Doug E. Fresh, The Get Fresh Crew, and The Bomb Squad speak for themselves. “Keep Risin’ To The Top” spent 17 weeks on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and peaked at #4. It remains an enduring classic 30 years later and one of the best-known songs from Doug’s entire catalog.

Even more importantly, Doug believes his hit single carved out a new lane for radio-friendly rap records. “I feel like that song is an important part of transitioning hip-hop,” he told me. “I was trying to let people know that there’s another lane that y’all are not looking at.”

Sadly, with the passing of The World’s Greatest Entertainer’s 30-year birthday, “Keep Risin’ To The Top” is the only song currently available on digital and streaming. Regardless, the rest of the album is well worth tracking down. With the recent 30th anniversary, there has never been a better time to revisit this well produced, well performed, and project.

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://selfscroll.com/i-want-to-be-able-to-dance-to-your-rhyme-the-story-behind-doug-e-fresh-and-the-get-fresh-crews/

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