jGerson
Waking up to the Capone-N-Noreaga classic, The War Report, Doc Ish escapes his dreams of Hip Hop’s golden era and attempts to make them a reality. It’s just an average day for the Virginia-by-the-way-of-Connecticut producer, as he hits the studio to parlay with the likes of Kool G Rap, KRS-One, and Inpsectah Deck. “I started producing in high school” explains Doc, who got his name on the map with the help of another reputable doctor. “My big break that I’m most known for is the Eminem’s ‘We Made You‘. Doc Ish is as honest as he is hardworking, explaining that “We Made You” doesn’t contain Eminem’s best performance, citing “Lose Yourself” and “Stan” as his personal favorites. Yet, Doc is quick to add that the combination of production, Charmange Tripp on the hook, and the riotous music video made the song a hit.
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Seemingly overnight, Doc Ish went from in-house experimentations with samplers (MPC-2000, ASR-10, SP1200) and live instruments to a fledging producer heralded by Dr. Dre. Receiving placement on a project by Bizarre (of D12) allowed Ish to gain exposure to Eminem, who requested the now famous “We Made You” instrumental. Despite the fact that Dr. Dre mixed down the beat, Doc Ish received credit for the song on Relapse – a rarity in the Aftermath camp, as Dre has had notable producers such as Scott Storch and Jake One give up their credits to ghost-produce for the West Coast legend. “I had to fight for something” explains Doc Ish, who would not take ‘no’ for an answer.
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Since then, the music world has treated Doc Ish pretty well. On Demember 14th, he released his first solo project, The First Treatment, digitally through Universal Records. The album, which features Saigon, Joe Budden, KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Sean Price, Max B, Joell Ortiz, Kool G Rap, Crooked I, among others, received lukewarm reception. “I tried to go as far out the box as possible on putting people together but..I don’t know how successful that was.” In the meantime, Doc continues to work with Hip Hop greats and legends such as Mic Geronimo and the up-and-coming Abormals, in between scoring films.
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Doc Ish has seen everything from Eminem laying vocals over his beat to “an artist getting head while he was spitting his verse.” However, in regards to aspiring producers, Doc has one message: “Publishing…Publishing is the most important thing. Never give it up, don’t do the deal if they wont give it to you…you will regret it forever.”
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Listen:
Doc Ish “Is It A Dream” ft Joe Budden, Talib Kweli & Sean Price
Doc Ish “These Streets” ft Max B, Red Cafe & Quan
Purchase The First Treatment on iTunes (dope album!)
