Quik Is the Name

Alongside Dr. Dre, DJ Quik has been one of the foremost architects of the gangsta rap sound ever since he landed with his 1991 debut, Quik Is the Name. Dipping into the traditions of L.A. party funk of the ’70s and ’80s, Quik’s production style always foregrounds the melodic without neglecting a healthy bottom bump. The album’s main hits, “Tonite” and “Born And Raised In Compton,” are well-earned standouts but the whole LP grooves, especially on “Dedication,” “Loked Out Hood’” and album closer, “Skanless.”