This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Nice Kicks: You’ve produced for a ton of people. How is it different producing for yourself as opposed to producing for other people?

DJ Quik: I guess it’s different because I try to introspect when I produce for myself, and I overthink it sometimes. Producing for yourself is kind of hard. You have to change hats. You have to be the beatmaker, the engineer and when you have everything laid out for the music, then you have to put on the emcee hat. You have to write lyrics, and they have to mix in.

Nice Kicks: So, it’s safe to say it is much easier producing for others, right?

DJ Quik: That’s why I sold 3.5 million DJ Quik records and 97.5 million with other artists.

DJ Quik and Nate Dogg

Nice Kicks: When you’re wearing all of these different hats, sometimes you have to self-reflect when you’re wearing each one, right?

DJ Quik: Yeah, exactly. Especially when you don’t have anybody to bounce off of. Sometimes, solitude can play against you. Sometimes, you can spend too much time by yourself writing a stupid, wack song.

“Nate Dogg was a strong guy. He was not a coward. He stood up for what he believed in. When he relaxed, he was one of the more fun and funniest guys in the world.”

– DJ Quik

Nice Kicks: So, what’s next for the west coast and hip hop?

DJ Quik: Well, as soon as Dr. Dre drops Detox, we can celebrate. No matter what it sells, we want him to put the record out. I think we’re finally getting our shine. People probably didn’t like the gangbanging or the laid back, slow weeded out style we had, but I think now they’ve come to respect it as a part of our makeup. That’s who we are.

DJ Quik Official at the Nice Kicks shop for the SXSW Listening Party

Nice Kicks: Earlier, you said that you’re already thinking about the next album. Do you have that track that’s already starting to lay the groundwork?

DJ Quik: I have monsters. I’m in a zone right now. When I put out records that I believed in but didn’t blow, I was like let’s kill that business. Now, I’m in a comfort zone to where you can automatically hear what it’s going to sound like at the end of the song because of the way I know my equipment. I’m back to analog, and analog actually helps you make good records. When people use Pro Tools, it’s kind of hard. It doesn’t necessarily make a hit record.

Nice Kicks: How has technology influenced how you produce? Are you not happy with how much technology has advanced lately?

DJ Quik: Pro Tools sucked. It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t big. Our older ’80s and ’90s records were on tape. Tape automatically makes sh*t bigger than it is. Pro Tools doesn’t do that. It actually makes some things smaller. It took me a long time to even enjoy Pro Tools. But now, I have my technology together, and I can live out my dreams. That’s why the record took four months instead of two years like my first album did.

DJ Quik’s eighth studio album, The Book of David, will be available on iTunes tomorrow, April 20, 2011. Click here to preview The Book of David on iTunes now. Also, follow DJ Quik on Twitter for updates regarding his music.

Pages: 1 2