Dubcnn: Remembering Nate Dogg #7: DJ Quik Speaks

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

www.dubcnn.com



As promised, dubcnn returns with the 7th part of our "Remembering Nate Dogg" series. After speaking with E-40, Battlecat, Kokane, Frank Nitty, The Lady Of Rage and Fredwreck, today we catch up with the legendary DJ Quik.

Quik tells us about his experiences with Nate Dogg in the studio, recording such classics as "Black Mercedes" and "Medley For A V", and he explains what made Nate Dogg such a special person to collaborate with. Rest in peace!

DJ Quik: "When I first met him, Nate Dogg was quiet - but powerful. He always knew what he was doing, he was real confident, so he just stayed quiet until he was asked to perform his Nate Dogg thing, and whenever he did, it drove everybody crazy because they couldn't believe what they were seeing. He was a magical dude when it came to that music. I watched greatness, the same way that I felt when I saw 2Pac perform, it was no different. Actually, 2Pac wasn't a singer, so in some respect, watching Nate Dogg was more interesting from a R&B producers' perspective, if you can dig that

When we did the song "Black Mercedes", Nate Dogg took the lead. He's done it before on his own albums where he just sang the lead, but that record in particular… Put it this way, Nate is a church singer and his family is very religious. That record was secular and he kinda let his religious hair down and he went in on that record and made it phenomenal.

He's phenomenal, he did that shit in one take, almost like he had been saving that! I did that track in New York, came back out here, played it for him and he was like "You want it?" I was like "I don't know if it's good or not." He was like "Shit, if you don't think it's good, give me that muthafucka, sign it over to me and I'll go make it good."

So I gave him the mic and he didn't even write that shit down. He went in and sang that shit like it had been his song forever already. Dude was the best at that shit. And it really sucks, because now we're not gonna have that anymore. There's nobody else to do that shit so fuck, man…

He had his businesses running, he had his private life and he kept it all popping but when it was time for him to perform, he jumped on stage and he performed! When it was time for him to record, he'd get in there and record. Dude was the perfect workhorse. And you would never want to waste his time, because you knew that his time was valuable. You would already have the beat as good as you could have it before he got there, and when the runners would come back there and say "Nate Dogg is coming in", we were happy, just to know that he was coming in the studio.

The only other time I felt like that was when I was at Westlake recording studios and Michael Jackson had to come in and do an overdub. They was like "Michael Jackson is coming in" but my balls was so big back then I was like "So? I'm in here mixing my second single tonight:" But I felt that excitement about somebody coming into the studio, cause ultimately I'm a big Michael Jackson fan and to know that he was coming in and was in the next room and to get a chance to see him walking through the hallway… It was like "God!"

With Nate Dogg it wasn't that serious but you excepted the same quality of work. When Nate Dogg came in, it was blunts and fuckin' Hennessey time, and we're gonna kick it! And still get the work done! He had perfect pitch, he never ever once sang out of key. I never heard him out of key, ever, anywhere.

We also did this song called "What They Think Of You" for Dr. Dre and Truth Hurts that ended up getting bootlegged - actually the beat got stolen but that's old news. That was hot, "What They Think Of You". "Medley For A V" is the best shit ever with him and El Debarge singing together. We did that! Long live Nate Dogg!"

[Matty]

thanks that was cool. 'what they think' is an amazing track...i wonder what he means by beat got stolen? the 'official' disc was put out on the promo running up to trauma. good job it never went to dre cause it'd probably still be unreleased.

i'd like to hear him talk about making 'get up' too. seems like a slightly unfinished track, used in that nba videogame and another classic collab with nate

[Gamestarr]

Cool read. Quik spoke on somethin very similar in a video somewhere online. That Black Mercedes story.

[GangstaBoogy]

Black mercedes is a gorgeous song! Pure perfection. Not a single thing I would change about it

Medley for a v was dope as fuck too. Too bad quik had to ruin it with that 2 minute reverse at the end. Fuck was that for? Just rap the fuckin verse and mix it in normally


What does he mean the beat for "this is what they think of you" got stole?

[Elkoizm]

What They Think was on or supposed to be on the soundtrack of Head of State.
If you watch that movie, you'll hear alot of Quik's unreleased or throwaway beats.
I think he done the score for the movie too.

As far as being stolen, it still came out as a promo single with the instrumental and everything.

The lyrics to that song are dope and should be paid attention to.

There's only two beats I know that got stolen from Quik:
1. A beat Suga Free took and sold to Rappin 4 Tay which was what sparked the first beef between Q and Free
2. A beat that known as 'Slob 187' on the Bangin On Wax CD performed by the Crips.
Evil Batman (one of the Blood rappers) appears in G's & Loc's saying
"And DJ Quik I took ya beat now I'm lookin for you
What's up, to them Bloods and 'em PIRU's"

However that same beat was used for 2nd II None's - I Kant Wait To Do This.

I always wanted to ask Quik about that beat and how he got jacked for it.

[OG Snoopaveli]

www.dubcnn.com



Dude was the best at that shit. And it really sucks, because now we're not gonna have that anymore. There's nobody else to do that shit so fuck, man…

hell yeah

[Cross Em Out]

If you listen to the beat for Xzibits "Loose Your Mind", its more or less identical to the "What They Think Of You" beat. Seeing as Quik says it was meant for Dre and Truth Hurts, I wouldnt be suprised if Dre remade Quiks beat himself and sold it to Xzibit