Poll

well, is he?

Hell no, he's sonically/musicaly flawless
32 (45.1%)
Yes, a bit
17 (23.9%)
No
18 (25.4%)
Yes, very much so
4 (5.6%)

Total Members Voted: 69

  

Author Topic: Is DJ Quik overrated?  (Read 2654 times)

Z the laidback Virus

  • Muthafuckin' Don!
  • *****
  • Posts: 1881
  • Karma: 49
  • I'm as laidback as possible without being high
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #75 on: May 20, 2012, 10:25:16 AM »
If you ask me, people get confused regarding Quik because of this:

DJ Quik is great at making his type of beats, untouched in hiphop perhaps. But that's basically what he's limited to: He's a master at making smooth, melodious beats but beyond that he's simply decent. For example, his harder beats like, say, 'Fandango' or 'Justify My Thug', usually work (at least for me) but they are not on a different level. What's more, DJ Quik does not make tailormade beats for artists. Instead, the artist has to adjust to the type of beat DJ Quik makes.

With the overall greats, this quality is there. A Dr. Dre can adjust his sound to the artist and make it work even if it is outside of his normal work. Compare Dr. Dre's goofy production for Eminem to the generally weird and ergetic beats he gave Busta Rhymes to the thumping beats he gave Xzibit to the smooth beats he gave Snoop. A truly great producer uses his artist as an instrument and adjusts his other instruments to them. That's not to say Dr. Dre has not done his fair share of throw aways or passed beats along to different artists but...when he puts effort into it, his beats will fit the artist they accompany. The same is true of say, Timbaland or The Neptunes. They don't just deliver musical product, they create YOUR musical product.
DJ Quik on the other hand, makes his beats first and foremost for himself and if other artists want to use them, he'll consider it but they'll have to play between the fences in his musical playfield. He's not going to relocate those fences. I don't think it's a coincedence that, to me at least, Suga Free is DJ Quik's muse: They fit each other's styles perfectly but neither is very versatile, despite Quik's efforts to prove otherwise.

As for Battlecat, I'd say he's more like DJ Quik in this regard: Great at what he does, but limited to a small playfield.
I'd actually rate Fredwreck over both overall.
Z knows about ALL your inner conflicts..
 

Will_B

  • Guest
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #76 on: May 20, 2012, 01:31:20 PM »
Quality post^^
 

Matty

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #77 on: May 20, 2012, 01:52:24 PM »
i don't think it's fair or correct to say Quik doesn't adapt his production in the same way as The Neptunes or Timbaland do. these are producers i put in exactly the same the same bracket as Quik (and there's only a handful). they each have a distinct, highly articulated sound that has a signature quality and feel to it. this is beyond having a unique sound...they more than often bang out classic tracks, true timeless shit. Dre too.

there are plenty of other producers whose sound i love too, but lack the level of sonic mastery. yet amazing engineering/mixing doesn't automatically equate to great music, but if you happen to be strongly influenced by funk and 80s music, smoother grooves, there isn't really much competition.

and to those that think Quik's sound lacks divesity, all i can say is you're not listening to or able to hear the intricacies in his production properly. it is totally subjective, but i'm going to say it anyway, a lot of people just aren't tuned in :laugh:

Triple OG Rapsodie

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #78 on: May 20, 2012, 01:56:08 PM »
and to those that think Quik's sound lacks divesity, all i can say is you're not listening to or able to hear the intricacies in his production properly. it is totally subjective, but i'm going to say it anyway, a lot of people just aren't tuned in :laugh:

I think they mean diversity as in types of beats, not the diversity in the elements of the production itself.
 

Matty

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #79 on: May 20, 2012, 02:19:13 PM »
and to those that think Quik's sound lacks divesity, all i can say is you're not listening to or able to hear the intricacies in his production properly. it is totally subjective, but i'm going to say it anyway, a lot of people just aren't tuned in :laugh:

I think they mean diversity as in types of beats, not the diversity in the elements of the production itself.

that's kinda the point though, the different ways you can flip and what you do within a particular style communicating more than more obvious forms of variety. i've come to appreciate more with less as where masters stand out the most, even if most people are like 'eh?'. for people who don't love the particular style in the first place, i can understand why quik's seeming lack of variation is a negative. but there's a lot more substance to his production work than most people appreciate or can hear. that's why he's underated.

it's taken me a hell of a long time to really get into what's going on in his production...but the better my sensitivity for what/how things are being communicated sonically, the better my audio equipment, the more i can hear in his work and the more enjoyable it is. i can't say the same for many producers. what quik is able to do is of the highest difficulty.

that's pretty much what it is ppl.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2012, 07:16:17 PM by Matty »
 

IbblesAndBits

  • Muthafuckin' OG
  • ***
  • Posts: 403
  • Karma: 39
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #80 on: May 20, 2012, 03:37:08 PM »
I don't think the guy is overrated at all. From what I've seen on this board and other places, he seems to get an equal amount of like and dislike.
 

LAC/EASTSIDE

  • Muthafuckin' Don!
  • *****
  • Posts: 1191
  • Karma: 28
  • BORN AND RAISED IN THE SC to BG
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #81 on: May 20, 2012, 08:33:44 PM »
If you ask me, people get confused regarding Quik because of this:

DJ Quik is great at making his type of beats, untouched in hiphop perhaps. But that's basically what he's limited to: He's a master at making smooth, melodious beats but beyond that he's simply decent. For example, his harder beats like, say, 'Fandango' or 'Justify My Thug', usually work (at least for me) but they are not on a different level. What's more, DJ Quik does not make tailormade beats for artists. Instead, the artist has to adjust to the type of beat DJ Quik makes.

With the overall greats, this quality is there. A Dr. Dre can adjust his sound to the artist and make it work even if it is outside of his normal work. Compare Dr. Dre's goofy production for Eminem to the generally weird and ergetic beats he gave Busta Rhymes to the thumping beats he gave Xzibit to the smooth beats he gave Snoop. A truly great producer uses his artist as an instrument and adjusts his other instruments to them. That's not to say Dr. Dre has not done his fair share of throw aways or passed beats along to different artists but...when he puts effort into it, his beats will fit the artist they accompany. The same is true of say, Timbaland or The Neptunes. They don't just deliver musical product, they create YOUR musical product.
DJ Quik on the other hand, makes his beats first and foremost for himself and if other artists want to use them, he'll consider it but they'll have to play between the fences in his musical playfield. He's not going to relocate those fences. I don't think it's a coincedence that, to me at least, Suga Free is DJ Quik's muse: They fit each other's styles perfectly but neither is very versatile, despite Quik's efforts to prove otherwise.

As for Battlecat, I'd say he's more like DJ Quik in this regard: Great at what he does, but limited to a small playfield.
I'd actually rate Fredwreck over both overall.

Nice post. But this can be said about many legendary producers. Dj Quik originality is what makes him unique.
"Ask me why I'm high and my reply, till the day I die. Don't want to picture this cold world with sober eyes"
 

dnjp4life

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #82 on: May 21, 2012, 02:06:56 AM »
DJ Quik is perhaps overrated on this forum, which is understandable, but in wider hip-hop circles I don't think he is.
Someone mentioned that he hasn't reached out to provide beats for that many artists, but I reckon that if he wanted to he could do a beat for anyone, it's just that he's quite choosy about who he works with. 
And don't pretend that every artist on the west wouldn't want a beat from Quik - the argument that he's being ignored by rappers on his own coast is laughable.  As is the argument that him and Snoop aren't that close.
In terms of the Battlecat debate, Quik is easily better that Battlecat when it comes to production.  Don't get me wrong, I love Battlecat's beats it's just that some of them are very samey.  DJ Quik wins because he's the full package, MC, producer, DJ, engineer, whereas Cat isn't.
 

Z the laidback Virus

  • Muthafuckin' Don!
  • *****
  • Posts: 1881
  • Karma: 49
  • I'm as laidback as possible without being high
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #83 on: May 21, 2012, 08:13:50 AM »
I can see what was meant by Quik being a master at making beats...he is. But I wasn't saying that he wasn't. What I did say is that he's a master at making a certain type of beat. Complexity in beats is one thing and I value it greatly but complex does not equal a masterpiece. When Quik does his standard sort of beat, which in my book can be vaguely defined as 'melodious westcoast jam' he is the master. Untouched in his territory, definately. But complex though his other beats may be, they just don't work as well to me. Ask yourself if you prefer to listen to a beat like 'We Still Party', 'Tonite' or 'My Melody' on one hand, or to 'Trouble', 'Fandango' or 'Black Mercedes' on the other hand. Both types are good beats, but the latter category is what Quik can be good at, not what he's best at. Likewise, I'd say that Dr. Dre couldn't hold a candle to Quik when we're talking about smooth, melodious orchestrated beats...but overall, Dre takes the cake easily.

Perhaps it's true that Quik could make great tailormade beats for any artist. But if so, he hasn't proved it. (At least not for me.)

As for career, I don't think that says much about a person's abilities. One can be lucky, one can be poor at making business choices and one can be able or unable to connect to the right people. Even if Quik had never made beats that left his basement, the quality and his talents would still be there. Your connections are irrelevant.

I do think that, careerwise, there were at least four major balls Quik dropped.
One is not getting credit for his Death Row work.
Second is sticking to his crew. Quik's production for them looked good on their C.V., but not on his own. Suga Free and Mausberg had the most potential to get big, but that sadly didn't happen. Suga Free is much too radio unfriendly and Mausberg of course died.
Third is the 'Addicted' fiasco with the uncleared sample. If you ask me, that killed Quik's prospects with Aftermath.
The third is that he didn't properly connect to Snoop and Dogghouse. Snoop desperately wanted to prove how westcoast he was back in 1999/2000. Is it a coincedence that for 'No Limit Top Dogg' Snoop prominently teamed up with Dr. Dre, Quik's team, DPGC and Xzibit? How much more westcoast can you get than DJ Quik? There was Quik production on NLTD...and good production too. Hell, Snoop and Quik mesh well, Quik's protegé Suga Free was firmly connected to Dogghouse at the time. Where was DJ Quik during Dogghouse's succes years though? Certainly no where near those studios. I really think Quik should, if only for his own career, have tried to become one of Dogghouse's inhouse producers. I know Dogghouse sadly faded out, but don't forget it gave a boost to the careers of quite a few rappers...and more importantly, producers. Let me tell you this: If it weren't for Battlecat, Fredwreck and Jelly Roll becoming the main producers at Dogghouse, their resume would have been a tad less impressive. Now imagine what Quik's mixing could have brought Dogghouse or imagine Tha Eastsidaz, Kokane, LaToiya Williams or Butch Cassidy over an assortment of Quik's best beats. Dropped a ball the size of a beach ball there.

 

Z knows about ALL your inner conflicts..
 

Matty

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #84 on: May 21, 2012, 09:56:26 AM »
^^ the tailormade thing, quik clearly hasn't been so successful in the business or prolific (at least in terms of official credits) as say timbaland or the neptunes. i think that's a huge shame because i'm sure his range, or ability to make his sounds fit different artists, is pretty much as good as anyone else out there. if he had carved out the chance to work with a wider range of vocalists outside his crew, i'm sure there'd be way more undisputed classic tracks in his catalogue. as it is it's easy for people to say he hasn't worked with as many people because his sound is too niche. in fact that's pretty much the logical conclusion.

however...i'm certain his talent is more than that, based on hearing more or less every little thing he's laid his hands on (at least as far as official productions go). then we get back to the subjective side of things, cause i feel like every variation he's done is a unique and masterful take on that flavour, while remaining true to his sonic signature. i mean that addictive track is not your typical west coast groove, nor is a track like 'buck bounce', or jay's justify my thug (a lot of people dislike that one)...without getting into too detailed discussion on his productions.

i guess being all out diverse, ala neptunes, is most desirable in the music industry and as far as being a 'producer' in the usual sense. but for me, what quik articulates within his style (which is perhaps more than anyone else has been able to do) more than makes up for up for that. he's not the best at every style, but he's a candidate for the best artist with sound, which is kinda what music production is at a base level. all depends what perspective you're hearing things from...
« Last Edit: May 21, 2012, 03:56:49 PM by Matty »
 

Gamestarr

  • Muthafuckin' Don!
  • *****
  • Posts: 2949
  • Karma: 25
  • P
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #85 on: May 21, 2012, 12:13:14 PM »
Battlecat is overrated.

Quik is a fuckin beats on the boards! Quik defines smoothness in hip-hop  ;D


btw anybody got a couple of his smoothes joints in GOOD/KNOCKIN quality?

I have a collection but from several years ago when I didnt care too much about the bitrate
 

sunny_dadry

  • Lil Geezy
  • *
  • Posts: 44
  • Karma: 2
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #86 on: May 21, 2012, 01:07:19 PM »
Overrated? He's fuckin' dope!!
 

tha kid2012

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #87 on: May 21, 2012, 03:48:46 PM »
Skimming thru this topic while bumpin the instrumentals of youz a gangsta, up n da club, bring the funk remix, roger's groove, quik's groove 1, 2, 3 and 9 and something for the mood. Every last track mentioned is a classic by this man
 

GangstaBoogy

Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #88 on: May 21, 2012, 05:37:31 PM »
Compare Dr. Dre's goofy production for Eminem to the generally weird and ergetic beats he gave Busta Rhymes to the thumping beats he gave Xzibit to the smooth beats he gave Snoop. A truly great producer uses his artist as an instrument and adjusts his other instruments to them. That's not to say Dr. Dre has not done his fair share of throw aways or passed beats along to different artists but...when he puts effort into it, his beats will fit the artist they accompany.

Dre is the WORST example you could've reached for.

1. As much as I love Dre's music, its a proven fact that Dre has other producers make his beats and he tweaks/mixes them. God blessed the man with a platinum ear but still...

2. How many producers have claimed Quik took credit for their beats? Thank you. Actually the funny thing is in that complex article Quik flat-out admitted that the credits on Rhythm-a-lism were wrong for "Thinkin Bout U". When has Dre ever confessed improperly receiving credit for another artists' work?
"House shoes & coffee: I know the paper gone come"

 

Z the laidback Virus

  • Muthafuckin' Don!
  • *****
  • Posts: 1881
  • Karma: 49
  • I'm as laidback as possible without being high
Re: Is DJ Quik overrated?
« Reply #89 on: May 22, 2012, 09:41:23 AM »
I could and should have expected that using Dr. Dre was to open up a can of worms and the mouths of his detractors. Perhaps your sentiments of Dr. Dre taking credit for other people's work are justified, but they amount to rumour, gossip and exaggaration at this point. You might be right about them, but they're speculations and from often unreliable sources too. In this case, I'd rather believe Snoop who can be very harsh about people near to him yet praises Dre as a producer, than the likes of Big Hutch or 2Pac who were both out to tarnish or even destroy Dre's career at the time. Also, take note of the fact that Quik himself regrets doing 'U ain't fresh!' and acknowledges Dr. Dre as a producer superior to himself.

You're right that Dr. Dre is perhaps not much of a beatmaker...but then that would not really disprove my point that as a producer and mixer, which is his forte, he is very good, simple and plain. What Dr. Dre's critics about his alleged taking-credit-habit generally ignore or fail to realise is that he brushes up other people's beats and that this is just as much bringing greatness to a record is as making a skeleton beat.

You're right that, generally, Dr. Dre would not create beats from scratch whereas Quik does, but Dre's final touch lifts beats up to the level of productions. Quik does make beats from scratch and yes, he does add his own producer's touch...but, to me at least, he's more limited in the latter department than Dr. Dre is. And please, don't assume that beatmaking equals producing because it does not.

As for the suggestions that DJ Quik would have shone more if he hadn't stuck too his crew...that might be true, but that also amounts to speculation. We can't judge him or anyone on things they might have created but didn't.

I have to admit I don't like how this thread has now turned into a Dr. Dre is better/DJ Quik is better contest, but there you are.

Any takers for or takes on my 'DJ Quik should have joined Dogghouse' thought?
Z knows about ALL your inner conflicts..