Quik Is The Name | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 15, 1991 | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Studio | Westlake (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:21 | |||
Label | Profile | |||
Producer |
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DJ Quik chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Quik Is the Name | ||||
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Quik Is The Name is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist and producer DJ Quik,released by Profile Records on January 15,1991. The album was produced by DJ Quik and his executive producers Courtney Branch and Tracy Kendrick. The recording sessions took place in 1990 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles,California,with a production budget of $30,000. [1]
The album debuted and peaked at No. 29 on the US Billboard 200 chart,selling over 50,000 copies in its first week in America. The album was certified Gold four months after its release on May 30,1991,and Platinum four years later on July 26,1995. [2] As of 2005 [update] ,the album has sold over 1,068,203 copies in United States. [3]
DJ Quik was signed by Profile Records in the summer of 1990,after they heard his 1987 mixtape "The Red Tape". He was the most expensive signee that Profile had ever acquired and was also the first artist to have got a six figure deal on the label. [4] Quik revealed to Vibe that "Quik Is The Name was originally supposed to be a mixtape that I was going to sell in the ‘hood. I recorded it on a Tascam four-track. I did all the over-dubs,all the blending,and mixed it down on one of those Maxell metal tapes they used to sell. But along comes Dave from Profile Records looking for me like,‘Hey dude,I heard your cassette,man. Come sign with us.’[laughs] There was a bidding war between Fred Munao at Select Records and Cory Robbins and Profile. Cory ultimately ended up beating Fred out and I signed with Profile." [1]
You're taking this from the man that wrote the synthesizer part to the song that I did released and fucking in 1991, called "Tonite", that's him!
In an interview Quik revealed, that Profile Records gave him a $30,000 budget to mix the record over. He said: "If you do the math: a $1000 a-day studio…if we get Quik is the Name done in less than a month, that’s more money in my pocket. So we got it done in 17 days. We dumped everything out of the SP-1200, brought the turntables into the studio, scratched all the hooks, did all the overdubs and brought in a bass guitar player to fatten up the sound because we would lose a lot of the bass from sampling. We recorded some of the album at Westlake Recording Studios in Santa Monica, which is where Michael Jackson did Thriller . It was a trip being in there mixing "Tonite" on those big boards knowing that Michael was coming in and out of there". [1] The "Tonite" synth was programmed by LA Dream Team's former member and producer, the Real Richie Rich.
The album's lead single, "Born and Raised in Compton", was released on December 4, 1990. It peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and spent 14 weeks on the chart. [5] The album's second single, "Tonite" was released on June 10, 1991. It peaked at number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the US Rap Songs chart. [6] The song became his most successful and highest charting single to date. [7] The album's third and final single, "Quik Is the Name", was released in 1991. The single did not chart.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
Robert Christgau | [9] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [10] |
RapReviews | 8/10 [11] |
Alex Henning of Rhapsody wrote that "Quik's debut set the groundwork for the G-funk era, largely due to the success of "Tonite." Much like Warren G, Quik focuses less on violence and more on mind-altering substances, ladies and cold chillin'. The optimistic "Born and Raised in Compton" offers a remedy to the hard life in the ghetto. [12] Alex Henderson of AllMusic wrote that "in 1991 begged the question: does rap really need yet another gangsta rapper? Indeed, by that time, rap had become saturated with numerous soundalike gangsta rappers -- most of whom weren't even a fraction as interesting as such pioneers of the style as Ice-T, N.W.A, and Schoolly D. Nonetheless, rapper/producer Quik turned out to be more noteworthy than most of the gangsta rappers who debuted that year. Lyrically, the former gang member (who grew up in the same L.A. ghetto as N.W.A, Compton) doesn't provide any major insights. His sex/malt liquor/gang-banging imagery was hardly groundbreaking in 1991. But his hooks, beats, and grooves (many of which owe a debt to 1970s soul and funk) are likeable enough. [8]
Quik Is the Name appeared on several critics' top albums lists. In 1998, the album was listed on The Source 's list of the 100 greatest Rap albums of all time list. [13] The album was listed at number 28 of "The 50 Greatest Debut Albums in Hip-Hop History" by Complex . [14] In 2022, Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 156 on its list of The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. [15] American rapper Kendrick Lamar named it as his favorite album of all time. [16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Sweet Black Pussy" | David Blake | DJ Quik | 4:20 |
2. | "Tonite" | Blake | DJ Quik | 5:23 |
3. | "Born and Raised in Compton" | Blake | DJ Quik | 3:25 |
4. | "Deep" (featuring 2nd II None & AMG) |
| DJ Quik | 3:42 |
5. | "Tha Bombudd" | Blake | DJ Quik | 3:47 |
6. | "Dedication" |
| DJ Quik | 1:30 |
7. | "Quik Is the Name" | Blake | DJ Quik | 2:46 |
8. | "Loked Out Hood" | Blake | DJ Quik | 2:50 |
9. | "8 Ball" | Blake | 3:30 | |
10. | "Quik's Groove" | Blake | DJ Quik | 1:50 |
11. | "Tear It Off" (featuring AMG) |
| DJ Quik | 3:46 |
12. | "I Got That Feelin'" | Blake | DJ Quik | 3:38 |
13. | "Skanless" (featuring AMG, Hi-C & 2nd II None) |
| DJ Quik | 2:54 |
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Chart (1991) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [17] | 29 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [17] | 9 |
Chart (1991) | Position |
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US Billboard 200 [18] | 64 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [19] | 17 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [20] | Platinum | 1,068,203 [3] |
N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential acts in hip hop music.
Lorenzo Jerald Patterson, known professionally as MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain Entertainment.
Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by American gangsta rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by N.W.A members Ice Cube and MC Ren along with Ruthless rapper and unofficial member The D.O.C. Not merely depicting Compton's street violence, the lyrics repeatedly threaten to lead it by attacking peers and even police. The track "Fuck tha Police" drew an FBI agent's warning letter, which aided N.W.A's notoriety, with N.W.A calling itself "the world's most dangerous group."
Aaron Bernard Tyler, better known by his stage name MC Eiht, is an American rapper. Many of his songs are based on his life in Compton. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's name. He chose Eiht for its links to "hood culture", including Olde English 800 and .38 caliber firearms. He is the de facto leader of West Coast hip hop group Compton's Most Wanted, which also included fellow Compton-based rappers Boom Bam, The Unknown DJ, Tha Chill, DJ Mike T, DJ Slip and Ant Capone. He is also known for his role as A-Wax in the 1993 film Menace II Society, as well as voicing the character Ryder in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Compton's Most Wanted (C.M.W.) is an American gangsta rap group and part of the early West Coast hip hop scene. The leaders of the group are MC Eiht and Tha Chill.
David Marvin Blake, better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and record producer from Compton, California, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Tupac, Chingy, R. Kelly and Shaquille O'Neal, among others. As a recording artist himself, he is perhaps best known for his 1991 single "Tonite", which within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Blake's stage name refers to his ability of producing songs in a short period of time.
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Balance & Options is the fifth album by West Coast rapper and producer, DJ Quik. It was released on May 16, 2000, on Arista Records. The album debuted at number 18 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, with 68,000 copies in its first-week of sales. It was his first album not certified by the RIAA. It features the single "Pitch in on a Party" whose video was directed by photographer Patrick Hoelck.
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This is the discography of DJ Quik, an American hip-hop artist and Record producer. This list includes all of the official album and single releases, including his albums, Quik Is the Name, which debuted at No. 29 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1991. Way 2 Fonky, which debuted at No. 10 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and No. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1992. Safe + Sound, which debuted at No. 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1995. Rhythm-al-ism, which debuted at No. 63 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and No. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1995. Balance & Options, which was his first album not to chart and not to receive a RIAA certification in 2000. Under tha Influence, which debuted at No. 27 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and No. 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 2002. Trauma, which debuted at No. 43 on the US Billboard 200 chart, No. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, No. 9 on the Rap Albums, and No. 1 on the Independent Albums in 2005.
"Born & Raised In Compton" is the debut single by American rapper and producer DJ Quik, released as the first official single from his debut major-label studio album, Quik Is the Name. The track was written and produced by DJ Quik himself. The song features samples from "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes, "Hardcore Jollies" by Funkadelic, "She's Not Just Another Woman" by 8th Day, and "Compton's N the House" by N.W.A. The song was released as a single on January 15, 1991.
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