DJ QUIK  (December 2004) | Interview By: Justin

       Dubcnn.com had the amazing opportunity to interview "America's Most Complete Artist" aka DJ Quik. He spoke on so many different topics, from his new album, his new label, Petey Pablo, 50 Cent, Amir, being The Game's DJ, the Rap Game, his retirement plans, who he'd like to work with, and much much more. Check out this exclusive Video interview. Please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: justin@dubcnn.com

Huge thanks to DJ Quik for taking time out to answer the questions fans wanted to know! (Interview was done by camcorder in December 2004)

Questions Asked By : Justin

Filmed by: Justin

DJ Quik Video Interview: Here

DJ Quik Dubcnn Shoutout: Here

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dubcnn.com: I'm from DubCNN.com and we try to bring the realest west coast music news to the site. We've interviewed people like Butch Cassidy, Amir, Suga Free, people who have all worked with you.

Hey Amir doesn't like me. Amir's mad at me. Did he diss me on the interview ?


dubcnn.com: I didn't read it. I think this is from like a year ago.

He said he was going to diss me.


dubcnn.com: I'm sorry to hear about that.

Thats alright man. There are just some things that he has got to learn about the industry and how it works, but Amir you'll never be eminem. NEVER...haha.. whats up dogg?


dubcnn.com: The last heard that we've heard from you, you were planning to retire after Under the Influence. I was wondering what was going on through your life at that point?

What was going on through my life? I was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. My friend that got killed. And I never gave myself to grieve properly. Time, I never gave myself time to grieve and heal. I tried to carry on like nothing had ever happened, but in my mind and my heart, I was suffering. I tried on the outside, I just tried to keep it hip hop, like that happens. but slowly on the inside, I was dying. I was fucked up. I was suicidial. I was wrecking motorcycles and shit, crashing, bruising my body up, ending up in the hospital every fuckin other day. These were the things that were going on behind the scene, and I know it has something to do wtih Bungalo Records, because it was a real negative label. They was trying to be the new Death Row but they suck.


dubcnn.com: And you're referring to Mausberg right?

Yeah I love Mausberg. Mausberg was righteous. Mausberg was ready.


dubcnn.com: Yeah definitely. Non ficition was one of the great albums.

We didn't even get a chance to finish it. If we would have finished it it would have been a great idea, but we couldn't. They robbed that boy and kill him, but shit happens though. Hip hop is a sad genre. Hip hop is the only genre that has haters. You dont see haters in rock and roll, you know?


dubcnn.com: Like what inspired you,.. I know you're coming out with a new album, I was wondering what we could expect from that?

What inspired it? Being off Bungalo. We call it bung hole. like i need T.P. for my bunghole.


dubcnn.com: Actually what label are you on right now?

I'm on my own label right now. I got a label called Mad Science recordings through Warner Brothers records.


dubcnn.com: And do you have any artists that are signed to the label?

Yeah, my label, yeah I got this guy named Shawn Anthony. He's real dark, his music is dark. Its like.. he is from Baton Rouge. His story is just sad, it really sucks. He has seen a lot of tragedy man and he is rapping about it. So if people who know tragedy, then they'll know that he has got one of the best records around. His records real dark and sad, but it's still funky and hip hop at the same time. You can relate. He sound like... this dude sounds.. this dude real country. Sounds like Devin the Dude.


dubcnn.com: So is that the only person you have signed to the label?

Nah I'm trying to sign this female artist named Tiara Heart. She's like a little young child star. She's tight. She's already rich, so money does not matter to her. She just wants to be the opportunity to be out there like everybody else and be appreciated for her talent. She's gorgeous and shes talented.


dubcnn.com: I was just wondering since you've been in the spotlight a lot more. you've been djing for The Game. I was wondering how that relationship with the Aftermath developed. and how you feel about it?

Actually, kevin black , I don't even know what his position is. I just know he is real important. Kevin Black suggested it. and to me it was a great idea. Because you know, finally we got somebody from Compton thats dope, that people like, can really rap... that could continue the tradition of funky hip hop from Compton. From Compton being like the greatest, you know, mecca of hip hop ever to me. If you think about everybody that got spawned, its like Compton is the best . So it just seemed like a great idea. And I loved the idea, and I liked dude. I met him and dude was great. I was with him immediately.


dubcnn.com: Since your actually DJing and you're not actually on the mic, do you feel that you're in the backseat?

I'm Dj Quik. I always wanted to be in the backseat. I always wanted to be in front of people like 2nd II None and AMG, and just DJ while they was getting down. *starts imitating scratching* Thats all I wanted do, but they was like you should rap, because I had this weird voice like Eazy..*starts imitating eazy e "Cruising..."* and its like "man you should rap", so I started rapping. Fuck it. Playa Hamm inspired me and I did it.


dubcnn.com: Cool . Thats Real cool

You all going to love this new album too.


dubcnn.com: Whats it called actually?

It doesn't have a title yet. Doesnt even have a title. Nope.


dubcnn.com: Do you know when you plan on releasing it?

Yeah we going to get it out in March, February or March


dubcnn.com: 2005 ?

Five..


dubcnn.com: Looking forward to that.

Thank you.


dubcnn.com: Recently you did a collaboration with Nate Dogg, "What They Think of You".. You know Petey Pablo, he was recently at the Key Club.

Yeah, and he dissed us. You know why? Cause he loves me. He wished that I would've gave him that beat, so he didn't have to just keep rapping on the shit that he's rapping on. Because he needed a hit for his new record. So I didn't take it personal. Its like you know..I worked with him and I just wish I would've read him better. You know I wish that he would've been more confident in the studio. Dj Pooh introduced me to him. If his hair would've been done, and he would have felt better about himself, then he probably would have been cool. But you know, what does he know?


dubcnn.com: Just hating...

I wouldn't call it hating. Maybe he was just unsure. Maybe he doesn't really know what's going on, you know. I know if I would have been at the Key Club that night when he said it.. I would've just walked right up to him, asked him what the problem was. And if he would've disagreed with me, we'd just been two fighting motherfuckers in the club, and I would've wooped his ass because I'm taller. I would beat your ass Petey Pablo. You better quit playing with grown folks. People mad at you especially Nate Dogg. I heard Nate Dogg punked you. Petey is it true that Nate Dogg told you, you'z a bitch? Cut that bullshit out. Well you'z a bitch. If he said you a bitch.. and you know it takes a lot to get Nate Dogg mad. If Nate Dogg calls you a bitch, motherfucker you a bitch. Fuck yeah.


dubcnn.com: When did that happen?

Immediately there.


dubcnn.com: Right after that? Damn. I'm sure LA wasn't happy to hear that. That's disrepsectful.

Fuck Petey Pablo. Fuck Petey Pablo.


dubcnn.com: Well to me you're like a west coast legend, or just a legend in music generally...

Thank you sir


dubcnn.com: I was just wonderng.. in my opinion I feel that you're slept on by a lot of people.

You know why? Because I don't go out there and take it. You don't really see me in videos too much. You don't really see me doing a whole lot. So now I'm starting to make myself more accessible. Like I get out of the studio now. I learn to leave the studio, and go outside, and be outside as opposed to just being here in front of this board, baking.... you'll see me a lot. you'll see me a lot more.


dubcnn.com: Thats good to hear. In past interviews, your attitude towards your old work, like Safe and Sound , Rhythmalism, Way 2 Fonky..you've always been criticizing them. It seemed like weren't too happy with the albums.

It wasn't the albums. It was the labels. Imagine you go do a record, you spend all your money, all your time on doing this record. And then you put it out, you give it to the record company, and you put it out and it sells, but you never get paid for it. How would that make you feel? Would you care about your record if you wasn't getting paid for it? You've spent your own money and did all your hard work for it, and then go out and get into arguments with motherfuckers in the club and shit. You gotta go through all that bullshit with haters and the people that love you. It's like a whole thing. You gotta go out and promote the record. And you come home at the end of the year, and you don't get a check from the record company. How would you feel? I was like fuck Safe and Sound, fuck Way 2 Fonky. Fuck them records if I'm not going to get paid for them. My thing was that I just wanted to wait until I got into a situation where I get paid for doing what I do. Now I'm in a situation where I get paid for what I do. So I appreciate those records for what they did, and how they let me...they were my outlets for my frustration when I was younger, I didn't know how to handle certain things. now I do, you know. You live and you learn.


dubcnn.com: Outside your genre.. you usually have a Quik's groove on every album...

I'm going to have one on this one too. Its a staple.


dubcnn.com: Quik's groove number 8 I believe.

Its going to be 8 or 9 or whatever.


dubcnn.com: Basically its a lot of jazz and funk influenced, so I was wondering if you were planning to expand your horizons and do production for other genres besides hip hop?

Yeah I like music for movies. I like to do movie scores now. Film scores. I like classical now, and you'll see me in a lot of other things, like even in country and western. I ain't going to say too much. but y'all about to start seeing a whole lot of things going on that are going to be real interesting.


dubcnn.com: Its all in the works right now?

Yeah..


dubcnn.com: Do you have any plans to release any more Mausberg material?

I don't own the masters. and the songs I did do on them, I buried them away in a vault. If i find them, then I'll mix them and put it out. But it just hurts. if u think about it. How would u feel if your artist ...you're Mausberg's homeboy and you're producing his album. July the 3rd, you know... what was it...nineteen... it was 2000... july the 3rd, 2000. You go in the studio and you're working on his record,
right. July the 3rd.. y'all partying, having a good time, y'all drinking, y'all eating, recording, got the faders up, the studios beautiful like this...you shake his hands, and you say 'Alright man I'll talk to you tomorrow. We'll take tomorrow off cuz tomorrows fourth of July. Have fun with your family, and then on the fifth, we come back and finish it and get on down.' and he was like 'Alright cool cool cool.' We
all leave the studio. Fourth of July comes, you know the whole day passes, everybody go do what they do . The fourth of July is over, you go to bed, you getting ready to go to the studio the next day. You sleeping in bed and you get a phone call 'Hey.... what?..... Mausberg is dead, but the studio is still booked, You still gotta go to the studio the next day" and its like .... well... show must go on. so I got up, went to the studio, and started working. His food was still in the room. his drink cup right there. and I gotta do the album, I gotta finish his album without him. I can't even ask him which one of these should I not use. 'Do you like this vocal take or this one?' He's gone. How does that make you feel?


dubcnn.com: I don't know..it's shit you gotta live with..

Thats why I started.. I tried to learn how to ride motorcycles. I was trying to do anything to keep from thinking about it. Everything that I was doing was failing, even my own songs. I was was trying to do my own songs. not thinking about Mausberg, and all I could keep thinking about was Mausberg, Top Dogg, Bundy and 2pac. It just got too much, and thats why i wanted to quit. I realized I wasn't making good records. I was making bad records because I suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. I never got a chance to get over that stuff. It didn't heal
and it healed all fucked up. We're much better now. I understand what's going on, and Hennessy to anybody that ever lost someobdy in their life. Make it spin like this. Ask God to give you focus so you can move on with your life, because you've got a big plan. Take it, dont be afraid. Mausberg, we love you.


dubcnn.com: Also kinda related to Mausberg. I was wondering if you were planning on releasing a Konnected Project Volume 2?

No, never. Because the Konnected Project, when we did it was good. When they reissued it. it sucked. It sounded terrible.


dubcnn.com: The second printing?

Yeah the second print sounded like garbage. Sounded like shit, but the first printing that I was involved with, it was good . You know Suga Free and everybody sounded good on them. We was having fun. It was a regional record, didn't go further than Las Vegas, it was west coast. Its like fuck that. Lets go to New York and make a record. Lets go to Atlanta and make a record. Lets go to the midwest. Lets go to St. Louis. Lets go to Chicago. Hell lets go to Cincinatti. If you can't, lets go to Texas. If you can't do records that are not going to break out of your region , then why do records? Do something else. Go mow the lawn, go swimming. go work a day job... you know....... is Suga Free dead? I heard a rumor that Suga Free is dead? Have you heard that rumor?



dubcnn.com: I was actually just about to ask you how things were going with him.

Someone said he was dead... but then.. somebody at Power 106 told me. Fuzzy from Power 106.


dubcnn.com: This just happened today?

Nah like a couple days ago and I'm scared to really find out the truth. I don't think I want to know.


dubcnn.com: Damn you haven't been in contact with him recently?

No. and they saying he's dead. so I'm going to call around and see if that true. I hope its not . I don't wish death on nobody. Thats the last thing we all need is another motherfuckin dead b..... I was thinking maybe you know..


dubcnn.com: Nah..

Ok Justin ... he doesnt know. (talking to someone else)


dubcnn.com: I was wondering out of your catalog, your discoragphy, I was wondering what was your favorite song and album?

My favorite song and albums? All my first three. Quik is the Name, Way 2 Fonky, and Safe and Sound. All my favorites, and my Greatest Hits that BMG put out. That was tight too.


dubcnn.com: What about your favorite song? Do you have one?

My one favorite DJ Quik song.. probably Tonite.


dubcnn.com: Thats a classic..

Twenty-one year olds are always going to get drunk, and I was nineteen when i wrote that, so nineteen years are always going to get drunk.


dubcnn.com: Thats cool, do have you any other artists that you want to work with in the future ?

New hot artist. New hot artist. Undiscovered talent. Thats what I want to work on. I want to find some new hot young undiscovered talent.


dubcnn.com: Anyone in particular though?

Anyone in particular that I want to work with that I haven't worked with.. Eminem. uh Lauryn Hill. I want to fuck Lauryn Hill.


dubcnn.com: I heard Crooked I actually wanted to work you now that he is off Death Row...

Really? I like... Crooked I is tight. I give Crooked I props. I'll go on the radio and give that dude props.


dubcnn.com: So would you be willing to work on a project with him?

Hell yeah, Crooked I is tight.


[INTERUPTION. DJ QUIK SPEAKS WITH SOMEONE ELSE ABOUT SUGA FREE RUMOR]


dubcnn.com: I was also wondering if you were on tour ?

Yeah I'm fuckin with Game . I'm going out there to DJ for Game.


dubcnn.com: When will that be?

Probably next year. starting Monday.


dubcnn.com: And you're showing up at the House of Blues on Monday right?

I'm showing OUT at the House of Blues on Monday.


dubcnn.com: Yeah I'll be there. I got my tickets.

Guess what we gone do? We going to have a big riot. Motherfuckers going to get busted in the head with champagne bottles. I'm going to get stitches that night.


dubcnn.com: How long since your last show?

Long....I don't even remember. I gotta start rehearsing now. I probably forgot all my lyrics.


dubcnn.com: Will you be performing any new songs from your upcoming album?

Probably promotions.. I got this song called "Pussy is Good Until your Dick Starts Burning" . It's like a ballad. Its a love song..


dubcnn.com: Featuring anyone ?

Featuring the bitch that burnt me..


dubcnn.com: From the past ?

She's french, her names guinnerea [gonorheah]


[EDIT: INTERUPPTION. SOMEONE CAME IN TO TELL QUIK THAT HE WAS ON TV WITH 50 AND GAME ON ACCESS GRANTED]


dubcnn.com: I heard down at a show in Mexico, you were actually making some comments towards 50 Cent about him not being a gangster.

I didn't say that. .. I said something like... what I didn't understand... I looked at his dvd, there were some things that I didn't understand until I met him, and I spoke out. It was like you know, did he get really shot in his mouth? Cause if I got shot in my mouth, I think that a bullet in my mouth would have destroyed all my teeth, but he only had one tooth missing. That was my point. Did he really get
shot in his mouth, or did that tooth fall out because he ate too many Now and Laters. And I was wondering if my audience maybe thought the same thing.. cos hmm.. i dont know ..if you do get shot right here in the check, it should blow up, you know. Where's the exit wound? These were my questions. Wheres the exit wounds? You know a bullet is moving fast like 1650 feet per second, especially a big old heavy 45 or 9mm slug. The bullets going to go somewhere, so that was my thing. Once I met him and seen the bullet hole in his face and it wasn't the chicken pox, then I knew it was the truth . so I had to meet him for myself, and I'm probably going to have to apologize for speaking on his business .. I'm probably going to have to apologize to him if he took that the wrong way. I don't think he's going to take that the wrong way. I'll tell you the one thing about 50, 50 Cent got the only gangsta rap record that my kids can listen to on Sunday. It's a fly ass commercial record that I could listen to. I like "Many Men". When I met him, and realized he was a superstar. 50s like Pac. Thats the closest thing I can relate him to.


[EDIT: WATCHING ACCESS GRANTED FOR GAME "HOW WE DO" VIDEO FOR A LITTLE BIT]


dubcnn.com: Have you done any future production for the Games album?

Its a secret...


END SHOUTOUT FROM QUIK:

"Fuck you. This is DJ Quik. Dubcnn.com. Hip hop Forever. Pour more Hennessy. Your Momma. Good Bye. 2pac Rest in Peace"