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Every relationship has its ups and downs.
In the late 1980s Hip-Hop progressors Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick had a falling out.
Before the stage name Slick Rick The Ruler, Rick was the other MC of Doug E.’s The Get Fresh Crew. Outsiders believed jealously was the culprit that led to the breakup of their former NYC-bred friends. Some believed MC Ricky D’s ambition pushed him away before pursuing a solo career.
In 1986, MC Ricky D became Def Jam’s third artist ever to be signed to their roster. With the production help of Russell Simmons’ management company, Jam Master Jay and The Bomb Squad, Slick Rick The Ruler was unleashed onto the world. 1988’s The Great Adventures of Slick Rick was released and the legend of Slick Rick was born. Doug E. and Get Fresh Crew members, Barry Bee and Chill Will, continued to gain success with their 1988 album The World’s Greatest Entertainer.
Rick and Doug only spent one year of releasing music together before their solo careers became the focus.
That one year in 1985 The Get Fresh Crew produced two of the greatest Hip-Hop records ever spun, “The Show” and “La Di Da Di”.
Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew – “The Show”
Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew – “La Di Da Di”
In 2010, Chill Will spoke to OldSchoolHipHop.com about his journey through music. Of course, the conversation headed into the direction of what happened to Rick.
Chill Will said the following about Rick’s departure.
Well the thing that a lot of people didn’t know was we weren’t a group, you dig what I am saying? We weren’t like Salt -N- Pepa. People thought because the first time they seen us, Rick was with us, so we were all together. Rick wasn’t actually in the group, he was a solo artist.
I think Rick was always ambitious to do his own thing. I think that was what he always wanted to do. It just so happened that this was a platform to get it started, and once he got it started, he did what he wanted to do. Plus maybe he felt he could do it the way he wanted to do it.
When you got four people with four personalities, everybody is pulling different ways. But when it’s just you, it’s yours. Like when he did “Children’s Story”, it came out just like he wanted it to be.
Chill Will also mentioned that Doug and Rick “really didn’t have any beef”.
Skipping now to current day, Doug was invited to Jalen Rose’s podcast, The Renaissance Man Podcast. The former baller/sports analyst and Doug E. Fresh reminisced about the early days of Hip-Hop. Of course, the conversation led back to Rick departure from The Get Fresh Crew.
Doug E. Fresh came out to reiterate the same sentiments as Chill Will.
[We were] creating new styles that never existed. So what happened?
I think personally that we were young. We were two different entities who needed room to breathe.
We still family. We have grown, and we close.
Back in 2012, Doug E. Fresh made an appearance on Sway In The Morning. Sway, being the remarkable interviewer that he is, had to press Doug to reveal anything about the situation.
Doug E. Fresh was a bit sheepish about answering then, but eventually gave way to the question.
Sway In The Morning – Doug E. Fresh Interview
Also during Jalen’s conversation with Doug E. Fresh, Doug spoke about his relationship with the late Biz Markie. Doug has the last verse ever recorded of Biz on his 2021 album, This One’s For Chuck Brown: Doug E. Fresh Salutes The Godfather of Go-Go.
“I didn’t know that this would be the last recording of Biz,” he explained. “Biz would make you laugh, joke around, make you feel good. I appreciate it. He was a good brother, so his spirit will live on.”
You can check out the full interview below.
Jalen Rose: Renaissance Man Podcast – Doug E. Fresh Interview
It is great to know that The Get Fresh Crew still keeps in touch with each other in a genuine way. There are plenty of music groups that cannot stand the sight of each other. Even at 55 Doug E. Fresh is still kicking it. As a member of Hip Hop Public Health, he and fellow artists like Chuck D and Ariana Grande are using music to spread the word about healthy living.
