Quik Is the Name

One of the most important figures on the burgeoning early nineties Hip-Hop scene in Los Angeles, DJ Quik’s talents as a producer approached those of Dr. Dre and played a major role in defining the components of the West Coast G-Funk sound. Quik began his career recording with The Penthouse Players Clique but perfected his production technique with his debut solo release, Quik Is The Name, an album that stands alongside The Chronic and Amerikkka’s Most Wanted as one of the high points of West Coast Hip-Hop. Quik spits rhymes in tribute to his Compton neighborhood, the joys of custom cars, and summertime cookouts over a series of leisurely paced, sleigh bell laden beats that must have sounded absolutely revolutionary at the time of their release. Though he was primarily a producer Quik was also a talented and self-assured MC, and his agile, Jamaican inflected cadences nicely complement the laid back G-funk of tunes like the anthemic “Born and Raised in Compton” and the Zapp sampling “Loked Out Hood”. Quik is the Name is essential for anyone looking to explore the origins of the West Coast Sound.