Description

DJ Quik – Rhythm-al-ism (2LP Reissue) [Be With Records BEWITH098LP]

DJ Quik is a giant of West Coast hip-hop. With his fourth album ‘Rhythm-Al-Ism’, he created his masterpiece, a perfect hip-hop album. As Quik explains, “the name Rhythm-Al-Ism alone tells you what I was doing. I was mixing up rhythms. I was meshing R&B with hip-hop and jazz. And a little bit of comedy”. It’s absolutely sensational and as with a lot of mid-90s albums those original vinyl copies are now rare so here’s the Be With re-issue.

Originally released in 1998 on Profile, ‘Rhythm-Al-Ism’ was the closest Quik ever got to making a commercial splash. “You’z A Ganxta” and “Hand in Hand” made radio waves across the country and the less radio-friendly tracks like “Medley For A ‘V’” were bumping out of car stereos. Combining his soulful, jazzy P-Funk/G-Funk beats with his effortlessly smooth flow, the album was the quintessential West Coast Party with squelchy synths, bouncy bass, monstrously knocking drums and freaky keys – this is peaking acidic party-rap, straight out the gate.

DJing and producing hype beat-tapes from age 14, Quik’s tracks blended the languid funk and rubbery synths of Zapp and George Clinton with a gangsta aesthetic, creating a more danceable foil to Compton’s more typical nihilistic hedonism. Ultimately, his records sound custom-engineered to drift out over sun-soaked barbecues.