In a clip from his interview on Thanx4askin, rapper Doc of Darcsyde takes listeners on a raw journey through his upbringing in the heart of South Side Jamaica Queens. Born into a chaotic family dynamic, Doc’s childhood was marked by the absence of a stable home life. His mother, heavily involved in drugs, and his father, a notorious pimp, left him to be raised by his great-grandmother, while his sister was taken in by a different relative.
“I grew up with my grandmother and my nana, but I didn’t have a typical family bond,” Doc shares, reflecting on the early years that shaped his perspective. “My mom was a drug addict, and my dad was a pimp. My sister was with her father’s family, and I was left with my grandmother.”
Growing up in the streets of Queens, Doc experienced first-hand the harsh realities of life in one of New York’s most notorious neighborhoods. He recalls his early days in the streets, where frustration, anger, and crime were a way of survival. “I was in the streets for real, doing a lot of dirty stuff. That’s how I lived for years.”
Despite the hardships, Doc reveals how the influence of his great-grandmother became a stabilizing force in his life. She stepped in to care for him after he was initially placed in foster care at a young age. However, life with his mother was tumultuous, as she struggled with addiction and was often absent. “At one point, my mom wanted me back, and she tried to clean up her life so they could give me and my sister back,” Doc explains. Yet, the fractured family dynamic persisted, and the instability remained.
Adding complexity to his family situation, Doc’s relationship with his father was shrouded in mystery for much of his life. He grew up believing a man named Ike was his father, only to later discover another potential father figure. The revelation came after he stumbled upon a Bible in his grandmother’s home, which contained a different last name for him. The journey to uncover his true paternal lineage would unfold years later in a twist of fate.
In his teenage years, Doc learned that his real father’s name was Russell, and upon meeting his sisters, he found out that they too were part of his long-lost family. “When I first met my sisters, they were crying. I didn’t know what was going on, but they were like, ‘We found you! We found you!'” he recalls. The emotional reunion marked a turning point for Doc, who was finally able to confront the questions he’d been asking about his family for years.
Despite the rough upbringing and tumultuous family relationships, Doc’s resilience and connection to his roots remain strong. His story is a testament to survival, the complexity of family, and the challenges of growing up in one of the most difficult neighborhoods in New York.
“I couldn’t let it break me. I had to keep going,” Doc reflects during the interview. And in doing so, he eventually turned his pain and experiences into his art, finding solace in his music career.
