DJ Quik

One of the most revered figures in rap since his early-’90s debut, DJ Quik emerged as a formidable rapper/producer and extended his career working primarily as a funk-inspired beatmaker for stars and protégés alike. Quik, born David Marvin Blake, made a name for himself in his native Compton, California by compiling mixtapes that also featured AMG, 2ND II None, and Hi-C. On the basis of these tapes, he was signed to Profile and debuted with Quik Is the Name (1991), on which he produced all the tracks and rarely shared the mike — a rare solo rap artist to do so. The album spawned the Top 20 Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart hits “Tonite” and “Born and Raised in Compton” on its way to RIAA platinum certification. Through the ’90s, DJ Quik added to his solo discography with Way 2 Fonky (1992), Safe & Sound (1995), and Rhythm-al-ism (1998), all three of which were certified gold. During this decade, Quik racked up outside production credits as part of Penthouse Players Clique and granted beats to several fellow rappers, mostly West Coast associates, but his most successful collaborative effort was Tony! Toni! Tone’s “Let’s Get Down,” a Top 30 pop hit for the R&B group.