DJ Doc Rodriguez reveals the history of My Christmas Bells:
It's not too often that a certified legend leaves a comment on this site, so today we're going to highlight one that we received from producer Ivan "DJ Doc" Rodriguez. Over the holidays, Doc stopped by to shed some light on the history behind Elf Elf and DokIm's My Christmas Bells, a track we featured last week.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the name, Doc was one of the first Hispanic producers to find success in hip hop (and disco), working on classics like Redman's Whut? Thee Album, Rakim's Paid In Full, BDP's Criminal Minded and Biz Markie's Just a Friend. Last week, Doc was kind enough to respond to my request for more information on the Elf Elf and DokIm track that we posted. He revealed a fact that I was unaware of: Doc was the MC on the song, giving voice to lyrics written by Spyder D.
Here's what Doc had to say:
"Lets Set It Straight For The Record. 20 years Ago, On A Cold October Evening In (1987) Power Play Studios Producer/Profile Records Recording Artist [and current owner of the CBA franchise Atlanta Krunk] Spyder D Wrote A Set Of Humorous Lyrics And Asked That I Produce The Song. Spyder D Was The Main Reason I Was In The Music Business In The First Place So I Obliged.
I Produced, Recorded And Mixed "My Christmas Bells" In The "B" Room At Power Play Studios, He (Being A Signed Artist Could Not Do The Vocals So) He Asked That I [DJ Doc] Do The Vocals For Him, That Is The Lead On The Record. The Intention Was To Use A Harmonizer In Order To make The Artist Sound Like An Elf But In Addition To Those Mixes The Original, Untouched Lead Vocal Was Also Included On The 12".
What Was Actually A Joke Played On ROTATION On 98.7 And Several Other Staions Nationwide, Not Bad For 1 Nights Work While Kidding Around, I Hope That You All Enjoy It. Thats The Way We Made Records Back Then, Grinding Out Ideas Right There, Live And Direct, Now It Takes Weeks For A Single...Riduculous!
This Very Month (Dec 2007) I Celebrate 20 Years In The Music Industry Proud To Have Been Involved In Some Os The Greatest Music Ever Recorded - I Begin My Next 20 Recording The Incredible Female Powerhouse 'LA BRUJA', I Will Continue The Legacy - Holla At Me Fam, Because I'm Still No. 1 !"
Big shout out to DJ Doc Rodriguez, an absolute legend in the hip hop game. To hear some of his more recent work, stop by his MySpace page. He's currently working with female MC La Bruja, whose music you can also hear on Myspace.
Here are two of my favorite tracks that Doc worked on (youtube links):
As I said before, it's an honor to have you come through the site. It's been hard for me to track down the details on some of these older records...not too many of the people involved ever really made the transition onto the internet. If there's any way I can talk you into it, I'd love to shoot you a few questions for a (extremely informal) interview. If you have any interest you can leave me a message here or shoot me an email at mrjones@33jones.com
Thanks again for coming through Doc!
1/14/2008 1:43:44 PM posted by fresh
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