Send "DJ Quik " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 For more than 20 years, DJ Quik has been the secret ingredient in the broth. Whether you know it or not, the gifted West Coast producer/rapper has worked on dozens of L.A. gangsta rap classics you've drunkenly screamed along to, often without even a liner-note credit to show for his efforts. Pop music's grumbling cast of neglected innovators is long, but Quik doesn't quite fit with that crowd: He's released platinum and gold records, as well as helped craft them for Tupac, Snoop, and Dre. Instead, he's stuck in that weird purgatory between Unknown Legend and Not-Quite-Star. It's a situation that could bog you down if you let it. But if you decide, one day, that you simply do not care anymore, something amazing can happen: You realize you can do whatever the hell you want.This realization has been dawning in real time in DJ Quik's music recently. On BlaQKout, his 2009 collaboration with fellow West Coast warrior Kurupt, he experimented with stylistic detours from electro to dub, letting his free-associative musical imagination run wild. On the surface, The Book of David feels more straightforward. A rich stew of warm disco, grown-and-sexy R&B, and classic g-funk, it sounds engineered to waft out over barbecues. But it's also riddled with idiosyncrasies: songs that dissolve into deep-dub fade-outs, vocal samples that pop up in unexpected places, astonishing statements of raw heartbreak and anger. It's as weird as it is crowd-pleasing, and it underlines what BlaQKout suggested: Unencumbered by commercial expectations, Quik is making some of the most inventive music of his career. Quik has always been quirkier than his gangsta-rap peers-- underneath the monstrous knock of his drums, he's snuck in all manner of odd little details. On The Book of David, though, he's a full-blown mad scientist of trunk-rattle. "Fire and Brimstone", the album's opening track, lurches out of the gate with a stumbling drum pattern. It's a pulverizing track that could transform a passing Jeep into a noise-disturbance complaint, but it's also a sprawling grid of counter-rhythms oddly similar to the rhythmic map of Radiohead's "Bloom". (Seriously.) "Poppin'", meanwhile, feels like a random collection of unrelated sounds accidentally colliding to form a perfectly coherent groove....full text |
| Djbooth |
| It’s not particularly difficult to drop a hit single. The right beat, the right hook, the right timing and suddenly cell phones nationwide are ringing with the sound of your hit. The list of rappers who had the spotlight shine on them while more deserving artists continued to wait in the wings is enough to make a serious music lover want to throw in the towel. But whenever I’m feeling particularly pessimistic about the state of the game, I just zoom out Google Maps style and look at the bigger picture. You see, time has a way of separating the truth from the lies. Anyone can have their moment, but to still have audiences eagerly awaiting your next album two decades after your debut you have to be truly talented. I guess that makes DJ Quik truly talented. If you were alive, on the west coast and listened to rap in 1991 you knew Quik. A staple of L.A.’s early rap scene, in the years since David Martin Blake first broke through with his smash debut, Quik is the Name, the DJ/producer/emcee has gone through more highs and lows than a Magic Mountain roller coaster, but along the way he earned something more than platinum plaques, he earned the undying love of SoCal. In fact the L.A. city council recently passed a resolution making including Quik on your barbecue playlist legally mandatory. (Ok, so not really, but think it over Mayor Villaraigosa.) Thankfully we finally have some more new Quik in our lives in the form of his eighth solo album, The Book of David, an album that finds the legendary DJ going back to his roots, and creating some nice music in the process. In recent interviews Quik admitted that on previous albums he had “got away from the music that made me want to get into the industry from people like Prince, The Time, The Force M.D.s, you know some of these 80’s hip hop kind of records,” and sure enough the album is unapologetically soaked in old school flavor, starting with single Real Women. As long as men have been making music they’ve been making ladies jams and thanks in no small part to some crooning from Jon B, who’s been around for a minute himself, Real Women has the kind of easily accessible appeal the ladies will eat up, although Quik manages to work in a few scratches while he’s at it. And of course if we’re talking about the old school I have to talk about his reunion with one time protégé Suga Free on the clapping and fast flowing Nobody, and of course the hypnotic Boogie Till You Conk Out, which in addition to an Ice Cube feature is a perfect example of Quik’s street but often hilarious rhyme style. Still, no track on the album can match the early ‘90s vibe of Do Today, a quickly bouncing record that you could have convinced me was originally a Morris Day & the Time instrumental. You don’t have to be an ‘80s baby (or earlier) to dig The Book of David, but I won’t lie, it will help. Of course Quik’s willingness to say anything he wants and make the music he wants to make, the larger world be damned, is exactly what we love about him, but that my way or the highway mentality can also sometimes backfire when it comes to his music. While beef lovers will undoubtedly love figuring out who Ghetto Rendezvous’ myriad shots are aimed at, ultimately it feels insular and almost petty, and its hard to imagine anyone but the most loyal fans enjoying the darkly unraveling Poppin, which just never really connects. Still, the album has no shortage of more universal offerings, most notably the aptly-titled Across the Map, featuring Bun B and Bizzy Bone, and Time Stand Still, which is one of the best r&b records he’s ever made. But hey, that’s Quik, love him or leave him. I’m sure in the time it’s taken me to write this review another overnight Internet sensation will have burst onto the scene, but even if he never regains the widespread fame he once did – and let’s be honest, he probably never will – DJ Quik will still be standing long after the world has forgotten who did that Party Like a Rockstar song. As long as he keeps making music like The Book of David we’ll be hearing his music in every rap loving city in America. After all, when it comes to appreciating dopeness and longevity, everywhere is really just like Compton....full text |
| Bamalovesoul |
| DJ Quik has been producing records in record time for years. And like many of his peers, Quik often takes a seat at the other side of the table, boasting of his versatility through raps on many of the tracks he’s produced for other artists. But, how many know of his personal discography? It all started with his debut album, Quik Is the Name, released in 1991. Many fans, and critics, regard it as one of the most acclaimed rap albums of its time, having a great impact on West Coast hip hop especially. The album went platinum and was included in the Source Magazine’s 100 greatest hip-hop albums. Since then, DJ Quik has had his hand in producing some of the most popular tracks of the past 20 years. He’s worked with damn near everyone—from Janet Jackson to Talib Kweli, Tony! Toni! Tone! to Nate Dogg, and the likes of Erick Sermon, Ice Cube, and even Will Smith. Quik has also released seven more solo albums. His latest of those, The Book of David, was released April 19. When listening to the new LP, certain tracks surely sound above the rest. Quik airs issues he’s faced over the years on “Fire and Brimstone,” an offbeat, knocking track that serves as an immediate exclamation point at the beginning of the album. “Luv of My Life” features a funky bassline and evokes the laid-back lifestyle of the West Coast. The horns on “Killer Dope” are, dare I say, dope—sharp lyrics and a killer chorus make for a fresh track. Then there’s “Nobody.” What’s not great about this cut? Its old school vibe, classic vocals, the witty lyricism of Suga Free and Quik, and an infusion of electric, funky sound are a delight to listen to. Further, “Boogie Till You Conk Out” features a nice mix of electric guitar, and native-like wind pipe vibes that will keep your ears interested. The lyrics of Quik, and the legendary Ice Cube, mesh easily with the unique sound. A few of the tracks featured on The Book of David show off Quik’s knack for producing, but lazy lyrics take down their quality a notch or two. “Do Today” and “Across The Map” both come off as catchy yet corny, the former having too many—weak—layers. The beat for “Ghetto Rendezvous” is potent but mediocre raps water it down. “Real Women” is smooth but cliché. As is “Time Stands Still,” as Quik rushes a love story à la spoken word, while Dwele perfectly croons the chorus. “Babylon,” “Poppin,” “Hydromatic,” and “So Compton,” can be skipped. All are fillers on an album that has more misses than it does hits. “Flow For Sale” and “So Compton” have a playful sound, with flavorful melodies including electric guitar playing. “The End” is incredibly smooth. Its choir-like vocals, transition into a smooth beat as Quik raps, as he should have done throughout the album, before the selection finishes with mesmerizing instrumentals—a somewhat compensatory conclusion....full text |
DJ Quik lyrics
|
| |||||||
