Having written for the likes of N.W.A and Dr. Dre, The D.O.C. is an unsung hero of gangsta rap—and a hip-hop titan in his own right. Born Tracy Lynn Curry in 1968, he began his career as part of the Fila Fresh Crew, a group that initially surfaced on N.W.A’s 1987 compilation album, N.W.A. and the Posse. After they dropped Tuffest Man Alive in 1988, he released No One Can Do It Better, a 1989 solo LP that crystallised his knack for dexterous rhyming and authoritative cool (“It’s Funky Enough”). After he severely damaged his vocal cords in a 1989 car accident, he wrote for Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and other Death Row Records albums through the early and mid-1990s before releasing his 1996 comeback album, Helter Skelter. The D.O.C.’s voice was nearly unrecognisable, but his dexterity and natural charisma shone through (“Sonz O’ Light”), evidence of a talent designed to endure.