Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), primarily known by his stage name The D.O.C., is an American rapper from Dallas, Texas. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and a creative force behind the gangsta rap group N.W.A, where he co-wrote many of their releases. He has also semi-frequently worked with Dr. Dre, who is one of the founders of N.W.A and produced two of his solo albums. D.O.C. also appeared on a skit called "The $20 Sack Pyramid" on Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic.
In December 2006, The D.O.C. revealed that he was working on his fourth album, entitled Voice Through Hot Vessels, and stated that it would be released after Dr. Dre's upcoming third album Detox. In a May 2008 interview, The D.O.C. stated that he and Dre were working on the album, explaining "There is an album, and you got the title, but that's also because that's the title Dre likes. Dre and I decided to do another D.O.C. album after this Detox record. We decided to do one more together and end our story the right way."