The Book of David

iTunes Review

DJ Quik has been a seminal figure in West Coast hip-hop since the release of his debut Quik is the Name in 1991. His concise, hard hitting production work helped define the sound of Los Angeles rap in the G-Funk era and since that time he has remained one of the most reliable and sought after producers of his generation, providing expertly crafted beats to an incredibly diverse roster of MCs, including industry heavyweights like Jay-Z and 50 Cent, regional legends like Suga Free and AMG, and underground stars like Murs and Talib Kweli. The Book of David is Quik’s ninth solo album and boasts a slightly more traditional sound than its immediate predecessor 2009’s BlaqkOut. While that project saw Quik adopting a electro-inflected sound that was at least partially indebted to the futuristic sounding productions of bay area figures like Droop-E and Rick Rock, The Book of David is pure G-Funk classicism, particularly the album’s stand out track “Nobody,” an out-and-out burner that finds perm-coiffed Pomona veteran Suga Free spitting joyously self-involved party rhymes over one of Quik’s best productions in years.