DJ QUIK: One of the most revered figures in rap since his early-’90s debut, DJ Quik emerged as a formidable rapper/producer and extended his career working primarily as a funk-inspired beatmaker for stars and protégés alike. Quik, born David Marvin Blake, made a name for himself in his native Compton, California by compiling mixtapes that also featured AMG, 2nd II None, and Hi-C. On the basis of these tapes, he was signed to Profile and debuted with Quik Is the Name (1991), on which he produced all the tracks and rarely shared the mike — a rare solo rap artist to do so. The album spawned the Top 20 Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart hits “Tonite” and “Born and Raised in Compton” on its way to RIAA platinum certification. Through the ’90s, DJ Quik added to his solo discography with Way 2 Fonky (1992), Safe & Sound (1995), and Rhythm-al-ism (1998), all three of which were certified gold. During this decade, Quik racked up outside production credits as part of Penthouse Players Clique and granted beats to several fellow rappers, mostly West Coast associates, but his most successful collaborative effort was Tony! Toni! Toné!‘s “Let’s Get Down,” a Top 30 pop hit for the R&B group.

SUGA FREE:

Suga Free was born in Gardena^[1] and raised in Oakland, California,^[2] later becoming based in Pomona, California.

He began his professional rapping career working with DJ Quik, with Quik serving as the producer on his debut album, Street Gospel, released in 1997, which reached number 37 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[3][4][5]

He made guest appearances on Xzibit‘s Restless and Snoop Dogg‘s Tha Last Meal in 2000, and released a second album in 2004, The New Testament, which peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200.^[4][5] Just Add Water followed in 2006, described by AllMusic: “Just Add Water may not be the complete handbook to being a pimp, but it certainly is a kind of missive on the life of Suga Free”.^[6] The album saw Suga described as “charismatic and funny, with a rapid- fire-yet-conversational style” by the Chicago Tribune.^[7]

After a ten-year break Suga Free released the album The Resurrection on May 5, 2019.^[8]