The D.O.C. Says His Split with Erykah Badu Happened After Dr. Dre Asked Him to Write for an Album

The D.O.C. Says His Split with Erykah Badu Happened After Dr. Dre Asked Him to Write for an Album

The D.O.C. is opening up about the moment his relationship with Erykah Badu came to an end — and how a call from Dr. Dre played a key role in their split.

During an appearance on the Willie D Live podcast, the Dallas-born rapper and songwriter reflected on his breakup with Badu, explaining that it happened after Dre reached out and asked him to help write for an upcoming project. The former couple, who share a daughter, Puma Curry, now 21, had been together for about four years in the early 2000s.

The D.O.C., known for his classic track “It’s Funky Enough,” said he had returned to Dallas following a “huge blowout” with Dre and was still working through how to “write a happy ending” to his story after his career-altering car accident in 1989. Around the time their daughter was four, Dre called him to collaborate. “Erykah and I had been together for three, four years. She cleaned me up. No more drugs and alcohol. You know, I’m a father now,” he said. “I still had a desire to be somebody. And I hadn’t figured out how to create art again yet. So, when Dre called, that feeling came back — and I wanted to go. She didn’t want me to go. She thought it was a bad decision.” Badu warned him that returning to Los Angeles would land him “in the same hole” as before. “But she said, you know, if you going to go, then just go,” he recalled, admitting that despite his belief that things would be different, “she was right.”

The D.O.C. added that he doesn’t believe Badu felt “betrayed” when he left because he had “given so much” to their family during their time together. He acknowledged, however, that both knew his departure would mark the end of their romantic relationship. “We both knew when I left that we weren’t going to be able to come back to what it was. And we acknowledged that and just moved forward.” Badu — who also shares son Seven Sirius Benjamin, 27, with André 3000, and daughter Mars, 16, with Jay Electronica — continues to maintain a close friendship with The D.O.C., much like she does with her other children’s fathers.