Seminal West Coast rapper The D.O.C. will return with his first album in five years, "Deuce," in early 2002 on the artist's independent label, Silverback Records. The record will feature guest spots from the likes of Xzibit, Kurupt, MC Ren, and Ice Cube. Kurupt is featured on the first single, "Concrete Jungle."

The D.O.C. was one of the original West Coast rappers, working with Dr. Dre prior to the formation of N.W.A. and collaborating as a lyricist on that group's "Straight Outta Compton" album. He later had a hit with his solo album "No One Can Do It Better" (Ruthless), which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in September 1989.

However, in November of that year, the rapper was involved in a car accident that crushed his larynx and almost killed him. Reconstructive surgery allowed him to speak again, but his voice was very different, evidenced by a guest spot on Dre's classic 1992 album "The Chronic" (Death Row) as well as his own 1996 comeback album "Helter Skelter" (Giant).

"Deuce," his third album, will also features contributions from 6Two, an MC from his Dallas hometown who is part of a crop of young MCs the D.O.C. hopes will put the city on the hip-hop map. "We need to find the next generation in hip-hop," the D.O.C. said in a statement, "and that's what I want to do here in Dallas."