West Coast icon DJ Quik dropped his debut album 23 years ago on this date

DJ Quik is undoubtedly one of the most talented emcees and producers from California who helped launch Cali’s ‘gangsta rap’ movement in the early 90s. One of the coast’s most influential projects during that era was Quik’s 1991 debut, Quik Is The Name.

Released on Profile Records, Quik revealed that the album was originally supposed to be a mixtape, being that it was originally recorded on a makeshift four track. Profile gave the Compton based, Blood affiliated artist $30K to record the album over. The album was recorded and mastered in Westlake Studios in Santa Monica, the same studio where Michael Jackson recorded his epic Thriller album.

The lead single, “Born And Raised In Compton”, was actually released at the end of 1990 and spent 16 weeks on the Billboard charts. The follow up single, “Tonite”, which was released in the summer of ’91, is his most successful single to date, peaking at 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album went gold within four months of its release and went platinum within four years of its release.

Quik Is The Name appeared on The Source‘s 100 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time.

Shout out to Quik for giving Hip Hop a classic album that will always be recognized. Salute!

-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)