DJ Quik created quite a firestorm in the media this week when he spoke up and offered his honest opinion about Kanye West’s new album The Life of Pablo and West’s recent musical output period.
In an interview with the #NOAHTV show, DJ Quik called Kanye “scared” and claimed that “his celebrity supersedes his talent right now.” He even went on to challenge Kanye to make better music.
Of course, Kanye stans and people who may not be all that familiar with DJ Quik‘s contributions to music thought that he was way out of line and did not consider him qualified to make such blasphemous remarks about Yeezus.
But, as a producer and rapper who has been in the game since 1987, worked with everyone from 2Pac to Tony! Toni! Toné! and has one platinum and three gold albums under his belt, DJ Quik is actually one of the few Hip-Hop artists walking the planet that can call out Kanye.
If you need some proof and reminders in audio form, check out this list of “10 Reasons Why DJ Quik Can Talk Sh*t About Kanye West.”
Photo: WEEN.com
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DJ Quik Produced “Addictive”
2002 gave us a lot of hits. Clipse’s “Grindin’,” Missy Elliot’s “Work It,” Nelly’s “Hot In Herre,” and Cam’Ron’s “Oh Boy” were among them. But you can’t debate about the best song and beat that year without bringing up Truth Hurts’ “Addictive.” Where Black music is usually known for sampling itself [i.e. Jazz, Blues, Funk, Hip-Hop] DJ Quik went all the way left, well east actually, and sampled some Hindi music. Unfortunately, the “Addictive” is largely remembered for producing a $500 million lawsuit from the creators of the song that was sampled from. But hey, the beat is so epic that it might have been worth it.
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Those Are DJ Quik’s Drums On 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”
Industry circles have known it for years, but there are still dozens of fans who do not know that DJ Quik did the percussion on 50 Cent’s breakthrough hit “In Da Club.” Quik has always had his hand in some of your favorite productions but never got proper credits, many times because his record label Profile cockblocked his every move, forcing him to use his birth name and not his stage name.
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He Made “Jus Lyke Compton”
To let Hollywood, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube tell it, Compton might as well be named named after N.W.A., because yes, they put it on the map. But DJ Quik is from there too and he did his part in representing the city well. On his 1992 hit “Jus Lyke Compton” Quik displayed superior storytelling and analytical skills to show the impact that the small California town was having on cities all over the country. Where N.W.A. showed the impact that, poverty, crooked American politics and racism was having on their hometown, Quik flipped it and showed that Compton was perhaps the most influential place in Hip-Hop at the time.
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You Still Dance To “Tonite” When It Comes On
There are two rap songs where the opening synths make you stop what you’re doing where ever you’re at and look for a dance floor. One is Juvenile’s “Back Dat Azz Up” and the other is DJ Quik’s party anthem “Tonite.” You know you’ve done a sample justice when people almost forget the original. It’s Kleer’s “Tonight” if you’re wondering.
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DJ Quik’s Grooves
DJ Quik is still the only Hip-Hop artist to treat listeners to jazz instrumentals on his albums. His “Quik’s Groove” series are sometimes the main reason why people still buy his albums. The first three are automatic classics while each one after that is good depending on what mood you’re in. Quik is a master composer disguised as a rapper and he proves it with each of these.
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DJ Quik Engineered 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me
DJ Quik doesn’t reveal much about his behind-the-scenes work. When he does share details he usually slips them in real fast and almost acts like he didn’t say them. For instance, he has mentioned that he engineered the entire All Eyez On Me album here and there but he rarely tells a long story. All we know up to now is that he completed the task in 48 hours, supposedly on a vodka and Bidi cigarette binge. So yes, while Dr. Dre and Daz are credited for supplying the music, Quik is the man that cleaned it all up and made it sound like the classic that it became. (Skip to the 21:00 minute mark)
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DJ Quik Was One Of The First Rappers To Get Signed Off A Mixtape
Mixtapes have garnered record deals for everyone from 50 Cent to Drake. Artists like Lil Wayne and Fabolous have used them to feed the streets between albums. Hell, Clipse lived off of them for years while they were in record label limbo. But DJ Quik’s The Red Tape will go down in history as one of the first self-produced mixtapes to ever get a rapper signed. He dropped the tape around 1989-90 and after it spread throughout Southern California, Profile Records came knocking with a contract and a bag of money. The tape also featured a track called “Real Doe” that is said to have started the years long beef between him and his rival MC Eiht.
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DJ Quik Worked With El DeBarge, First
Kanye West got pats on the back for recruiting R&B legend El DeBarge to lend his voice to “Highlights” on The Life of Pablo. But DJ Quik had El on one his albums almost 20 years ago. DeBarge appeared three times on Quik’s 1998 album Rhythm-Al-Ism, including the lead single “Hand In Hand.” Feeling slighted, Quik brought this to everyone’s attention on Twitter after Kanye’s Saturday Night Performance in March.
https://twitter.com/djquik/status/705617665025421312
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DJ Quik Made One Of The Illest Diss Tracks Of All Time
DJ Quik essentially ended his beef with MC Eiht when he made this song. Not ending as in burying the hatchet, but as in burying Eiht so far under the ground that he’d never return to the level that he was at before. “E-I-H-T, now should I continue?/Yeah, you left out the G because the G ain’t in you.” D*amn.
DJ Quik Is One Of The Few (Successful) West Coast Rappers To Build A Career Outside of the N.W.A. Family Tree
As it was stated earlier, Compton might as well be named after N.W.A. But Quik managed to make a name for himself without any affiliation with the group, which is hard to do in California. Outside of Bay Area acts like E-4o, Too $hort and Hieroglyphics and underground Los Angeles names like Murs, it is hard as hell to blow out of Cali without an N.W.A. connection. It’s true even now when you see rappers like Kendrick Lamar and The Game’s popularity in comparison to peers like Nipsey Hussle and Dom Kennedy. The closest Quik got to an N.W.A. co-sign was Eazy-E offering him $1 million to sign to Ruthless Records. However, Quik had already signed with Profile Records, which proceeded to send Eazy cease and desist papers.
