Compton producer, rapper, and talkbox aficionado DJ Quik seamlessly infused vintage funk into ’90s West Coast gangsta rap, helping to create the G-funk sound.
• A young Quik received a turntable and began releasing homemade mixtapes. His standout 1997 collection The Red Tape helped him become the first six-figure signee to Profile Records.
• Featuring the hit singles “Tonite” and “Born and Raised in Compton,” his 1991 debut album, Quik Is the Name, achieved platinum sales.
• His 1995 album Safe + Sound was executive produced by Suge Knight, who then commissioned Quik to produce on 2Pac’s 1996 LP All Eyez On Me.
• Weary of the music industry, Quik retired in 2002. However, he returned the following year to produce on JAY-Z’s classic The Black Album.
• In 2017, Quik teamed up with Compton rapper Problem to release Rosecrans, an EP boasting features from California artists like The Game, MC Eiht, and Dom Kennedy.