Ambassador Digital Magazine Editor-in-Chief Musa Jackson interviews one of the “World’s Greatest Entertainers” and the “Original Human Beatbox,” pioneering Hip Hop artist Doug E. Fresh.
Raised in Harlem, New York, Doug E. Fresh went from a local underground phenomenon to a nationally recognized talent after appearing in Harry Belafonte’s 1984 cult classic film “Beat Street.” The following year, he became one of hip-hop’s biggest international stars with the success of his classics “The Show” and “La Di Da Di,” recorded with the great Slick Rick. “La Di Da Di” holds the distinction of being the third most-sampled song in the history of music, used by Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus, LL Cool J, Will Smith, and more than 1,000 other acts.
Over his nearly 40-year career, Doug E. Fresh has carved his place in music history with the creation of the human beatbox art form, yan enduring legacy that continues to push boundaries. He has performed at the request of U.S. Presidents, foreign dignitaries, and Saints. As a television personality and producer, he has appeared as a performer and musical mentor on Fox’s “American Idol,” hosted HBO’s “Bad Boys of Comedy,” served as a celebrity judge on BET’s “Showtime at the Apollo,” and earned three consecutive executive producer credits for BET’s reprised “Soul Train Awards.”
Doug E. Fresh has spearheaded marketing campaigns for McDonald’s, Toyota, and Febreze. As an entrepreneur, he has launched several commercial ventures, including an eponymous restaurant in New York City and multiple real estate development projects.
In 2008, Doug E. Fresh’s multi-generational influence inspired the breakout hit “Teach Me How to Dougie” by L.A. rap collective Cali Swag District. The song launched a viral dance phenomenon, The Dougie, an ode to moves Doug E. Fresh created in the 1980s. The dance has since been performed by personalities ranging from journalists Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Walters to global superstars Justin Bieber and Beyoncé.
He has accumulated numerous honors, including induction into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame, BET Hip Hop Awards’ Icon honor, and a Lifetime Achievement award from The Source Awards. Doug E. Fresh made history as the first rapper booked to perform in Africa and to perform at the United Nations, alongside his longtime friend and collaborator Stevie Wonder.
He authored the children’s book “Think Again,” part of Scholastic’s Hip Kid Hop series. A tireless and well-documented activist, Doug E. Fresh has fought against racism, drug abuse, illiteracy, police brutality, and homelessness in underserved communities worldwide. A vocal advocate for artists’ rights, he served on the board of the Artist Empowerment Coalition—an organization founded by his friend Prince to help artists retain their intellectual property.
Doug E. Fresh is the co-founder and honorary board chair of Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH), a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying health literacy through music and promoting positive health behaviors beginning with school-aged children. He worked directly with former First Lady Michelle Obama on her “Let’s Move” campaign, co-producing the soundtrack for the initiative.
Doug E. Fresh remains one of the most actively touring musicians across all genres, averaging 200 live domestic performances per year for the past two decades. A tireless performer who remains highly relevant and continuously innovative, he plans to keep using his gifts in service of others uplifting communities, educating at a higher level, and driving change through Hip Hop.
You’ve been dubbed by your peers “World’s Greatest Entertainer”. That’s a major acknowledgement. Who were some of your influencers?
I’m glad you said it. I actually struggled with the fact that was the name they were calling me. They were calling me that because in the world of Hip Hop performances were never really taken to the level they could have been taken to. Nobody was investing in stage props. I was one of the first to have props. I had a pyramid onstage. I had a globe, DJ sets, magic. A series of things that I invested into the performance of the show aspect of Hip Hop. Between Chuck D. from Public Enemy and a brother from Harlem called Matthew Turner who was the Councilman at the time and Hank Shocklee from the Bomb Squad. All the other artists would come out and watch me when it was time to perform. They would hear the audience response and it was so loud that it made them say what is this. For me it needed to be upgraded to increase the integrity and increase the value of Hip Hop. I’m glad I was motivated to do that. I always enjoyed watching James Brown, Stevie Wonder. The energy and the frequency they brought to the stage. The Jackson Five. Michael Jackson as a soloist. Prince and The Revolution. Bob Marley. Soca Artist such as, Machel Mantano. A Jamaican artist called Ninja Man who was an incredible performer. My influences come from so many dimensions. In the world of Hip Hop it was DJ Hollywood, The Cold Crush Brothers, Grandmaster Flash from the Furious Five, LA Sunshine from The Treacherous Three. I used watch Lovebug Starski practice with the microphone on the side of stage. Kurtis Blow use to command the stage. Chick Corea in the world of jazz or Al Jarreau skatting. My fellow artists I acknowledge because they showed how to push the bar. The energy that they created just made me know in order for Hip Hop to live to what it has become now it needed to have a great performance. It couldn’t just be regular. I’m on the board of Motown. Just the infrastructure, learning how to perform, how to dress, how to do the proper interview. Learning how to sing your songs and act appropriately on the road. And don’t loose yourself. They had a whole school for that. So I was fortunate enough to learn it from the original school in Hip Hop. They don’t teach what I learned anymore.
Tell us what it was like for you as kid growing up in Harlem?
Growing up in Harlem was a beautiful time. I still have a house on 122nd street and Manhattan Avenue. Right up the block from Morningside Park and Sydenham Hospital was right on the corner. My grandmother and grandfather were around. They came up from Barbados. My Grandfather from Trinidad. It was a beautiful thing. It was neighborhood filled with love and respect.
As a true pioneer of Hip hop legendary for helping originate the human beat box sound. Tell us how that come about?
That came about because I was in I.S. 201 on 127th street and Madison Avenue. I had music teacher named Brother Lee. He was teaching me how to play the trumpet. After he taught me a few lessons I came back and found out that they cut the music program in the school. As they were doing with most schools in urban communities. So what I did was go on 125th street and they had a lot of Mom and Pops record shops. And I used to hear the music. I was able to mimic the sounds of the music. I was able to do was one, two, five, seven sounds at the same time. That started me in making this up. And then my DJ Barry B. came to me one day and said, “Yo what you’re doing is amazing. I’ve never anybody do that before.” He said that I should do that and call it the “Human Beatbox”. I said to him I only do this by myself. He said if you get on the mic it’s going to be crazy. So one day in front of Lincoln Projects I got on the mic and I did it. The whole neighborhood and even people looking out the windows went crazy. Like thousands of people started running to the schools saying they saw this kid doing the human beatbox. And that was the introduction of what we call the “fifth element in Hip Hop”.
“Be who you really are. Don’t wear a mask and expect someone to eventually pull it off to see the real you. Just be genuine, and people will appreciate you for it. “
You grew up a few blocks away from the legendary Apollo. Tell us what that was like gracing that fabled stage for the first time?
Oh my God. My sister got into Amateur Night. When I went there to go see her and that’s when I first saw DJ Hollywood and he blew my mind. But I never thought that later I would be in The Apollo and win Amateur Night. Then come back to perform and sell out The Apollo multiple times. It was right up the block from where I grew up. I didn’t realize the magnitude of it but when my sister got in, it opened my mind and it made me realize that I was supposed to be doing this. From seeing my sister at The Apollo, to being the winner of Amateur Night to selling out The Apollo multiple times to being a judge on Amateur Night At The Apollo TV show. It’s crazy.
…I met Harry Belafonte. When we met we locked in. He’s from Harlem. He said I’m going to make sure you’re in this movie no matter what. What you do is something I’ve never seen before. Me and Harry Belafonte became close friends from that day in 1984 to the day he passed.
I remember hearing about you in the parks in Harlem when the DJs would plug into the lamppost and kill it. Next thing I see you in the now 1984 cult classic Beat Street which was one of the first movies to introduce hip hop. Did they find you or you find them?
They found me. I did a show with the promoters named Mike and Dave. They were the ones who introduced the group the Krash Crew that came out of Lincoln projects. They would do shows locally and kind of spread out a little bit. They did a show at The Savoy Manor that was in the Bronx. I performed at The Savoy Manor that day and there was a talent scout named Pat Golden. She came up to me after I came off stage and gave me her card. What you did was amazing. Would you like to do a movie? I said sure. But I thought she was lying. I took the card and made the call and that’s when I met Harry Belafonte. When we met we locked in. He’s from Harlem. He said I’m going to make sure you’re in this movie no matter what. What you do is something I’ve never seen before. Me and Harry Belafonte became close friends from that day in 1984 to the day he passed. Later on when they did Harry’s 93rd birthday party at The Apollo I came on to surprise him. Then Usher jumped onstage and we killed it. It was amazing.
You know you’re an icon when “Teach Me How to Dougie” becomes a viral cultural dance movement. You had everyday people from around the world doing this tribute dance, along with celebrities as diverse as Beyoncé and Barbara Walters. How did that feel?
The craziest story of all is when I was invited to the White House. I’m there taking pictures, and they tell me the First Lady is dying to meet me. I meet our First Lady Michelle Obama and say, “It’s an honor to meet you.” She looks at me and says, “I just want to know one thing. Am I doing the Doug E. right or what?” I told her, “You’re doing it so well, I’ve never seen it done better.” The wildest part of all this is that you make something up—you create it from Harlem. That’s how we danced at the Rooftop. That’s how we danced at the parties. You take it with you, and you end up sharing it with the world. A kid in Dallas watches the movie Paid in Full and sees Cam’ron doing the Doug E. In L.A., Cali Swag District does it. They come to Harlem, come back to my house. They go up to Rucker Park, and they’re doing it there too. Some things take care of themselves. What I’ve learned is all you have to do is keep creating, and the rest will take care of itself. You just have to be patient. You can have it right, or you can have it right now. It’s up to you.
You’ve performed at the request of U.S. presidents to foreign dignitaries. The first rapper booked to perform in Africa. But most don’t know about your savvy business acumen as you have marketed campaigns for mega brands like McDonald’s, Toyota and produced the Soul Train Awards. You are avid about acquiring property with many real estate holdings. Why is it important to be adamant about diversifying your portfolio?
I’ve learned over the years that diversifying your portfolio is a good thing. I definitely feel that you should do the thing that you love the most. When my grandfather came from Trinidad he bought brownstones. He owned so many it was unbelievable. My aunts and uncles sold them off. I inherited some of his energy on the process of buying houses. There was a man from Harlem who taught me a lot about buying brownstones. There was the late Dr. Barbara Ann Tier, who was a gift from God. She bought up the block for the National Black Theater. When you have these types of spiritual beings around you instead of buying five expensive cars I bought 5 brownstones. I got into real estate so I bought property in Florida and Harlem. When everyone left Harlem I stayed. I built a rehearsal studio in Harlem. I got into natural food. I went and got me a farm in Costa Rica and got me a house out there. Real estate for me is my base but I have friends who are into stocks.
“I’m very thankful for the things that I’ve gotten but that’s not why I did it. I did it because I wanted the people to enjoy the creation, the process, the fun. I wanted people to have a good time.”
With so many artists having been taken advantage of through bad contracts, you’ve become a strong proponent of artists’ rights. You served on the board of directors for the Artist Empowerment Coalition, founded by your friend Prince, which helped artists retain their intellectual property. Can you elaborate on that for us?
One of the things Prince and I had in common was that we were all about independence and the freedom of creative artistic expression. At the same time, we wanted to empower other artists to think this way, because it wasn’t a common mindset. Sometimes when the herd is being guided by the leader, everyone just follows. And any time somebody breaks away and does something different, they get looked at as bizarre. Prince and I had that in common we were willing to break away. We wanted artists to own their masters, which I do. I wanted them to own their publishing exactly what I own. Prince got all his publishing and masters back. I learned this lesson early on, growing up around Sugarhill Records with Joe and Sylvia Robinson. They taught me how important it was to own your masters. I took that information and used it as the blueprint for my life. Work hard for whatever you create. Even if you don’t own all of it, own enough to know you have a real stake in it. And sometimes sharing ownership works well too if the other person is bringing something great to the table. Collaboration. That’s actually the name of this new show I’m doing: Collab. Because it’s all about collaboration. Nothing on this planet exists without collaboration
How did you and Slick Rick meet?
We met at an MC battle. He was in the contest and I was a guest. I thought he had skills. Then we didn’t meet up until months later on 145th street in Harlem. I brought him to my boy Chill Will’s house. That’s when we got together and the magic started.
Did you know that “The Show” and “La Di Da Di” was going to become the 5th most sampled song in music history by the likes of Mariah Carey, Will Smith, LL Cool J and Snoop to name a few?
I had no idea because back then sampling didn’t exist. We didn’t even see that coming. The only thing we knew and the only thing that still stands true for me today is staying creative. It was about having fun and making something that could make people feel good. That’s it. That was the formula.
You have been the recipient of so many honors; Hip Hop Inductee, The Source Awards Lifetime Achievement Honor, BET Hip Hop Awards Icon Honoree. What does it feel like to be recognized by your peers?
It’s always a blessing to be recognized by your peers. But the one thing that I never get caught up in is that sometimes people make these awards more than what they should mean. I feel like sometimes people don’t appreciate what they have and they always search for what they believe they need. They find out when they get it you might have gotten everything you want but you didn’t want everything that you get. So psychologically I’ve watched artists destroy themselves by saying I don’t have this, I didn’t get this, I don’t have that. I’m very thankful for the things that I’ve gotten but that’s not why I did it. I did it because I wanted the people to enjoy the creation, the process, the fun. I wanted people to have a good time. If I’m able to give another person an opportunity like I did with Slick Rick, Miss Jones or Biz Markie. You wanna be able to be that bridge that helps other people excel to keep the creativity going. Awards are great but I think sometime we emphasize to much on an award and we forget the process. And how much the people should be appreciating the creative process. You know what I mean. You got thirty Grammy’s but you didn’t get the one Grammy for whatever. You got all these awards but you don’t get the Oscar. Stressed about that. I think we put to much attention on things. When we should be more conscious of creation.
You’ve had many collaborations but you and the icon Stevie Wonder? What’s that like to work with that musical phenomenon?
Man, it was nothing but fun. Nothing but enjoyment. No thought. Just pure creation. Working with Stevie was a lot like working with Prince. There was no thought, all they go on is the energy. When you do it they either feel it or they don’t. So it was real simple. Because you gonna feel it when I finish. ( laughs)
You are the co-founder of Hip Hop Public Health a non profit. Can you tell us some of the things you’ve been able accomplish with your organization?
Hundreds of thousands of kids throughout New York City, many of them from Harlem have been reached. We’ve taught them about childhood obesity so they can take better care of themselves at a very young age: exercising, playing, going outside like we used to when we were younger, and being more thoughtful about their food choices.
If they see symptoms of a stroke in their grandmother, they know how to recognize it and do something about it. They’re able to help their families. Me and Dr. Williams created this because we knew our people needed it. Black and Latino communities needed this information. And because of it, kids have been able to save their own lives and the lives of their grandparents and parents just by having this knowledge.
I can attest you are one of the most touring performers in show business with 200 live shows annually. What’s some of the best investments you’ve been able make with your earnings?
The best investment I’ve ever made has been real estate. For example, in 1997 I bought a house in Harlem for $250,000, and by 2020 it was worth $3 million. You lived in it, kept your family in it so it wasn’t just an investment that grew in value, it also served your life. That’s an incredible return. Another major investment is owning your masters. It’s similar to how you own Ambassador Digital Magazine. As you build the brand and people fall in love with the content, the events, and the world you’ve created around it, it becomes so powerful that eventually someone will want to buy it and carry on what you started. That’s what “La Di Da Di” did. It’s the most sampled Hip Hop song of all time, top three overall because people are still sampling it. Since I own the masters and the publishing, that’s intellectual real estate.
Hip Hop is now an elder at over 50 years old. What’s your thoughts about is legacy and the direction it’s headed?
I think the direction is going to be good. This TV show I’m doing, called Collab on TV One, pairs a seasoned artist with a new artist and brings them together to create something that’s never been done before. We’re using the core components of Hip Hop in a fresh way. Things have gotten a little stagnant with what’s happening in the new generation, and some of the older generation may feel like people don’t want to hear them anymore. But when you put them in the studio together the legend and the new artist and you train them and give them the tools, like Motown did, you’re going to create new legends.
You are the one of the most beloved entertainers. What do you attribute your good health, positivity and longevity too?
Great question. I would have to say God. It’s the humility of knowing there’s something greater than yourself, or that there are others around you who can help you become greater if you allow them to assist you. Never let your ego get the best of you. I always say ego stands for “Easing God Out.” Most of the time, we do that because we start to believe the hype. We start thinking, “It’s all me, follow me.” I’m not saying you shouldn’t give yourself a pat on the back, but when you go too far and don’t respect the people around you, that’s when problems arise. The last thing is to share. Share what you make. I think it goes a long way. Holding it all, taking it all, trying to keep it all to yourself. I think that will make you sick, I really do. Be who you really are. Don’t wear a mask and expect someone to eventually pull it off to see the real you. Just be genuine, and people will appreciate you for it. No matter what generation of Hip Hop I represent, I’m always myself good or bad and I’m still learning as I go along.
–Musa Jackson
Cover Star: DOUG E. FRESH @therealdougefresh
Photographer: @courtneydouglasphotograpby
Creative Director & Writer: @iammusajackson
Executive Assistant to Doug E. Fresh: @janellsnowden
Looks courtesy of N. Peal & YSL
Shot on location: Thank you to
The Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel @rennewyorkharlemhotel & the historic Apollo Theater @apollotheater
NY TEAM:
Founder & Editor In Chief:
Musa Jackson @iammusajackson
Art Director/ Cover & Editorial Graphics:
Paul Morejon @Paulmorejon
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