DJ Quik
DJ Quik (born January 18, 1970 in Compton , California ; actually David Martin Blake ) is an American rapper and producer. He is also known as Dante Blake, Da Quiksta, or just Quik.
Life
David Blake was born as the youngest of eleven siblings. He grew up in the poor district of Compton . Here he joined a street gang called the Bloods as a teenager .
In addition to the gang crime, which determined his everyday life, he gradually discovered his preference for turntables and DJ equipment. At the age of twelve he started producing his own hip-hop tapes under the name DJ Quik and even made some money selling them on street corners. According to his own statements, he did not produce the tapes in order to initiate a professional music career, but in order not to have to earn his living selling drugs.
Career
Fortunately, one of these tapes came into the hands of the A&R head of Profile Records, Dave Moss. He saw in DJ Quik a very talented young rapper. Shortly thereafter, 19-year-old David Blake got his own record deal with Profile Records.
In January 1991 his first solo album Quik Is the Name was released . In the 1990s, so-called gangster rap was particularly widespread in the hip-hop industry. Instead, however, DJ Quik developed an individual fun and party sound that stood out from gangster rap . Quik Is the Name achieved platinum status . This makes it DJ Quik's most successful album to date.
In addition to the release of his second solo album Way 2 Fonky in 1992, DJ Quik formed the group Penthouse Players Clique with rappers Playa Hamm and Tweed Cadillac. The band released their first and only album Paid the Cost in 1992 on Ruthless Records . Way 2 Fonky went gold, while Paid the Cost fell far short of expectations and flopped commercially.
The following period was marked by personal problems and financial disputes with his record company. However, Profile Records was bought by Arista Records after the release of his third album Safe + Sound (1995) . DJ Quik released his fourth album Rhythm-al-ism (1998) under Arista Records .
Shortly after the album was released, he suffered a serious loss with the sudden death of his best friend Top Dog. In addition, there were also disputes and disputes with the management of his new record company Arista. Thus, with his fifth album Balance & Options (2000) , DJ Quik deliberately produced a bad and poorly thought-out album in order to get out of the contract with Arista.
In 2000 he also suffered another heavy loss with the murder of his friend Mausberg . DJ Quik's last release on Arista Records in 2002 was Da Finale , a greatest hits CD.
DJ Quik released his last two studio albums on two different American independent labels . The sixth album Under tha Influence was released in 2002 on Bungalo Records and his seventh, to date last album, Trauma on Mad Science Recordings in 2005. In 2006, Mad Science also released his first live album Live At The House Of Blues .
Between June and October 2006, DJ Quik served a five-month sentence for threatening his sister with a gun in 2003.
After his release, Quik, who hadn't added the word “DJ” for some time, worked with West Coast rapper AMG on a new band project called “The Fixxers”, whose debut album was released in 2008 with the title Street Masterpiece . The single was Can U Werk Wit Dat . DJ Quik and AMG released a joint track called Bitch Better Have My Money back in the 1990s .
Discography
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
US | |||
1991 | Quik is the name |
US29
platinum
(42 weeks)US |
Release date: January 15, 1991
|
1992 | Way 2 Fonky |
US10
gold
(14 weeks)US |
Release date: July 20, 1992
|
1995 | Safe + sound |
US14th
gold
(16 weeks)US |
Release date: February 22, 1995
|
1998 | Rhythm-al-ism |
US63
gold
(29 weeks)US |
Release date: November 10, 1998
|
2000 | Balance & Options |
US18 (13 weeks) US |
Release date: May 16, 2000
|
2002 | Under tha influence |
US27 (7 weeks) US |
Release date: June 4, 2002
|
2005 | trauma |
US43 (3 weeks) US |
Release date: September 13, 2005
|
2009 | BlaQKout |
US61 (2 weeks) US |
|
2011 | The Book of David |
US55 (2 weeks) US |
Release date: April 19, 2011
|
2014 | The Midnight Life |
US63 (1 week) US |
Release date: October 14, 2014
|
2017 | Rosecrans | US-US |
Release date: April 20, 2017
Collabo album with problem |
Compilations
- 2002: The Best Of DJ Quik: Da Finale
- 2004: Platinum & Gold Collection
- 2005: Born And Raised In Compton
- 2006: Greatest Hits Live At The House Of Blues
- 2006: Born And Raised In Compton: The Greatest Hits
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
US | |||
1991 | Tonite Quik Is the Name |
US49 (9 weeks) US |
|
1992 | Jus Lyke Compton Way 2 Fonky |
US62 (11 weeks) US |
|
1995 | Safe + Sound Safe + Sound |
US81 (10 weeks) US |
swell
- ↑ a b DJ Quik - Chart history. Billboard , accessed April 30, 2017 .
Web links
- http://www.djquik.org/ - Official website of DJ Quik (English)
- http://www.dj-quik.de/ - Official German website of Dj Quik
- DJ Quik at Discogs (English)
- DJ Quik at Allmusic (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | DJ Quik |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Blake, David Martin (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rapper and producer |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 18, 1970 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Compton , California, USA |