Quik Is The Name
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Album Summary
Back in January of 1991, a young man out of Compton, California stepped onto the national stage and made sure nobody forgot his name — and that name was DJ Quik. Released on Profile Records, 'Quik Is The Name' arrived as a fully realized debut, remarkable not just for its confidence but for the sheer breadth of talent behind it. Quik was still a teenager when he laid this thing down, yet he served as the album's primary producer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist, weaving self-taught beatmaking instincts into a rich tapestry of funk-influenced sampling and live instrumentation. What emerged was something distinct from the hardcore gangsta rap dominating the West Coast at the time — a Compton sound all its own, rooted in the spirit of Parliament-Funkadelic but speaking the language of the streets with clarity and soul.
Reception
- The album proved to be a genuine commercial triumph, earning RIAA platinum certification — a powerful statement for a debut release from an independent-leaning label in the early 1990s rap landscape.
- Critics and tastemakers were quick to single out Quik's production sophistication as something special, with his funk-heavy, melodic arrangements drawing comparisons to Dr. Dre while carving out a sound that was unmistakably his own.
- The single 'Tonite' became a fixture on urban radio stations across the country, driving album sales and extending Quik's reach well beyond the West Coast audience that first embraced him.
Significance
- 'Quik Is The Name' stands as a cornerstone of West Coast funk rap, one of the earliest and most fully formed fusions of Parliament-Funkadelic-rooted grooves with Compton street narratives — a blueprint that shaped the regional sound deep into the 1990s.
- Quik's approach on this album, layering dense samples over live bass lines and melodic arrangements, helped push West Coast rap production toward a more musicianly and song-oriented sensibility that would echo through the decade.
- As one of the first successful solo debuts from the post-N.W.A Compton scene, the album was living proof that West Coast rap held commercial power and artistic depth that stretched far beyond any single style or subgenre.
Samples
- "Tonite" — sampled by numerous artists throughout the 1990s and beyond, one of the most revisited tracks from this album in hip-hop production circles.
- "Quik's Groove" — sampled by later West Coast and R&B producers drawn to its deep funk instrumentation and rhythmic foundation.
- "Born And Raised In Compton" — sampled by subsequent artists referencing Compton's musical identity, lending the track an enduring legacy in regional hip-hop.
Tracklist
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A1 Sweet Black Pussy 102
4:20
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A2 Tonite 105
5:23
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A3 Born And Raised In Compton 181
3:25
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A4 Deep 97
3:42
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A5 Tha Bombudd 73
3:47
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A6 Dedication 93
1:30
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B1 Quik Is The Name 118
2:46
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B2 Loked Out Hood 111
2:50
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B3 8 Ball 185
3:30
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B4 Quik's Groove 104
1:50
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B5 Tear It Off 123
3:46
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B6 I Got That Feelin' 77
3:38
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B7 Skanless 161
2:54
Artist Details
DJ Quik, born David Marvin Blake in 1970, came up out of Compton, California, and hit the scene in the early 1990s with a smooth, Parliament-Funkadelic-drenched brand of West Coast gangsta rap that set him apart from the harder edges of his contemporaries. His 1991 debut *Quik Is the Name* announced a man who could produce, rap, and groove all at once, earning him deep respect in the hip-hop and R&B worlds as one of the West Coast's most gifted producers and lyricists. DJ Quik's legacy lives in the way he kept the funk alive in hip-hop, influencing generations of West Coast artists and proving that Compton's story had more sonic colors than the world gave it credit for.
