An early landmark of
West Coast rap
,
the D.O.C.
's debut album,
No One Can Do It Better
, remains sorely underheard today, largely because the car crash that destroyed the rapper's voice also cut short his time in the spotlight before he'd had a chance to really cement his reputation among the general public. When
was released the West Coast had just started to break nationally thanks to the
gangsta
movement and wasn't known for much outside of
N.W.A
and
Ice-T
. In
, however, the scene found a new level of credibility: a highly skilled battle rhymer who could hold his own with any East Coast lyrical virtuoso. Though his chops are rarely mentioned in the same breath,
clearly ranks up near the master technicians of the era,
Rakim
Big Daddy Kane
; while he may not be as smooth as the former or as spectacularly wordy as the latter, he has a distinctively rough, commanding voice and an aggressive, hard-hitting flow all his own. There's another important reason to hear
: it's where
Dr. Dre
's legend as a producer really begins.
Straight Outta Compton
notwithstanding,
Dre
truly comes into his own here, crafting funky, varied tracks that blend synths, drum machines, samples, and live instrumentation. You won't hear anything that resembles a blueprint for
The Chronic
, but sonically, they're as rich as anything around at the time. Both
are remarkably consistent throughout, so special mention has to go to the rousing
posse cut
"The Grand Finale,"
which even features
DJ Yella
on live drums. It's a shame that
never got the chance for a proper follow-up, but in
, he at least has one undeniable masterpiece. ~ Steve Huey