DJ Quik & Kurupt: Big Bang Theory Interview

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1343/title.dj-quik-kurupt-b...

Jadakiss once rhymed, “Gangstas don’t die, they get chubby and move to Miami.” As it concerns West Coast gang culture, that humorous yet partially true line by ‘Kiss points to the very real image of minorities killing each other for control of drug territories and street gang affiliations long before retirement age. It’s a world artists like DJ Quik and Kurupt have been providing an insight into for years, despite some of its members being reduced to caricatures in the tradition of the Bangin’ On Wax participants.

Kurupt and Quik have reached the point where even those not familiar with Hip Hop or Southern California gang culture know who they are. All of which creates an interesting debate, because there isn’t exactly a retirement program for G’s.

Revisiting a friendship 17 years in the making finds both men evolving beyond something more revered than OG status. These days you’re more likely to find them being inspired by Morocco than Crenshaw and Slauson. And the venom and drama of “Dollaz N Sense” and “Callin’ Out Names” is all but gone. None of which means you should expect them to get lazy, pack on the pounds and relocate to the Sunshine State. Musically they’re more active than ever. Darwin would be proud.

HipHopDX: You guys made this record about a year ago. Now that it’s about to come out, have you had a chance to reflect on it?

DJ Quik: When we listen to it now, it’s almost like the first time. When the record starts over again, it feels cyclical. It’s a record that I can personally listen to over and over again, like [Stevie Wonder's] Songs In The Key Of Life. And it’s not that I’m comparing it to Stevie, but it’s just a smart Hip Hop record. It’s not threatening anybody, it’s music the way we do it and it’s our sound. We created a new sound. It’s not really a Kurupt sound, and it’s not really a DJ Quik sound. We took some of both of those and managed to create something else. It’s almost like when you meld chemicals or colors together. We made a new hue in a sense.

Kurupt: I’m very proud of the album, because it’s a step in a different direction for me and for Quik. We didn’t come in to make a record that we thought people wanted to hear from us. We didn’t make a record to try and be better than other records out. We just came in to have a good time and make a record that we enjoy. When we put it out there, hopefully it will gain new fans; hopefully our original fans will grow with us, because this album is growth. Mentally, lyrically and musically we went in different directions with the music that Quik did.
Then we took the lyrics we delivered and tried to create a whole different sound and a whole different vibe.

From my years making records, we had a signature sound where you could say, “Hey that’s a Dogg Pound [click to read] record,” and Quik had his own signature sound. From Snoop Dogg [click to read], N.W.A. [click to read], Dr. Dre—and the list goes on and on—everybody had a signature sound. And on this one right here, we created the DJ Quik and Kurupt signature sound. That’s what’s gonna be so exciting about it. In music, you have to wear many hats. From the executive chair to being in the studio, you have the choice to go in so many directions. Right now, it feels good to know I have different choices of what sound to go to. I can go to a Dogg Pound sound, a Kurupt solo sound and now I can go to the DJ Quik and Kurupt sound. The same thing applies to my friend Terrace Martin [click to read]. Me and Terrace created a whole different sound for Kurupt as a solo artist.
DX: Let’s backtrack for a second. You guys are just now doing an album together, but between all the work with Death Row, you’ve crossed paths a lot right?

Read the whole interview here..............
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1343