DJ Quik has an incomparable resumé that needs no explanation — and the MC, producer, and DJ continues to prove his relevance with his latest track, “Class.”
The track, which is off his forthcoming 10th album, is the opening salvo in a campaign that includes the Cali Classic Tour set to kick off on April 15 and concludes with the album dropping in the summer of 2023.
The album — the name of which has not been released as of press time — is also reportedly Quik’s final album, and will cap off a three-decades-long career.
“Bounce it, drop it, roll it round/ Still make bangers, but I don’t bang/ Sometimes rhyme, then I sing,” he raps over a sample of 1972’s “This Love’s For Real” by The Impressions.
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DJ Quik told Rock the Bells that snagging the rights to the sample from Leroy Hutson — one of the surviving members of The Impressions — was an easy feat.
“[My attorney] asked [Hutson] if he was down to clear this record,” he told the outlet. “He asked for one change, and I did it — and I did it in record time. He just so happened to like the record so he can’t play against me. That was awesome.”
But not every artist has been welcoming of DJ Quik’s brand of music. Last March, the West Coast pioneer recounted the time he first (sort of) met with the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, explaining that the weird interaction happened at Jackson’s studio while Quik was in the process of recording his 1991 single, “Tonite.”
“We taking a break from the studio, and these guys come in, and they was like, ‘We about to bring somebody through here, can you turn and face the wall?’” Quik told All The Smoke hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “It’s like damn, Mike didn’t want anyone to look at him, the fuck is this?”
On that same podcast, Quik recalled the time he almost came to blows with 2Pac over what turned out to be a silly misunderstanding.
“Outside of the studio he was a jokester – bagging on n-ggas — joking, fun — we toured a little bit,” he began, reflecting on the time the duo spent on the road together. “He got in my ass one time too — we were about to get into a fight because he thought I was stealing his stage show — like when he would rap and jump up on the speakers.”
DJ Quik recently announced a series of shows as part of the Cali Classic Tour, which will also feature Mack 10, Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Suga Free, Amanda Perez, and Kid Frost.
Get tickets here and check out the dates below:
APRIL 2023
15 – Odessa, TX – Ector Theater
29 – El Paso, TX – Ceasar Chavez Theater
MAY 2023
12 – Tacoma, WA – Temple Theater
13 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
26 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
27 – Spokane WA – Knitting Factory
JUNE 2023
10 – Beverly Hills, CA – Saban Theater
JULY 2023
28 – Montclair, CA – Canyon
29 – Oxnard, CA – PAC
30 – Santa Maria, CA – Elks Event Center