My homie Matthew Africa just put up this fantastic post on his (fantastic) blog I Wish You Would (bookmark it, guys) complete with a best-of mix celebrating the work of DJ Quik – “America’s Most Complete Artist” – in preparation for his new collabo record with Kurrupt of the Dogg Pound. Let the man tell it:

I made this mix because people sleep on DJ Quik. Maybe they’ve forgotten or maybe they never understood, but people don’t get the breadth or depth of his talent.

Quik’s commercial peak was his platinum 1991 debut, Quik Is the Name.

Here’s the thing, though– Quik never fell off.

Where most veteran artists either make the same record over and over until everyone stops paying attention or lose their identity scrambling to co-opt whatever other people think is hot, Quik’s career has been about devotion to his craft, steady growth and experimentation.

Church. You can download the mix HERE and check the tracklist below the fold.

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So I wrote this overlong email full of sappy memories and irrelevant details to my friend Andrew over at Cocaine Blunts & Hip-Hop Tapes, mostly concerning a group called Mixed Practice that I had a lot of love for back when I was coming up in the Bay Area Underground Hip-Hop Scene. Anyway, he liked it so much that he decided it to turn it into a blog entry and perhaps a running guest column called “Bay Area Rap Tapes” (aaahhh, we can haz acronym!). So if you’re into hip-hop obscurities, west coast underground tapes, microregional music scenes, slow blogging, homemade demos, or anything else along those lines head over there and check it out.

Easily my favorite joint off his White Van Music album. The beat sends a chill up my spine to be honest. Video is perfect… shouts out to Jake, Supreme, Vitamin, and the entire city of Seattle!

Wow, I had no idea there was tape of this. I was at this show, an album release held at the now-long-since-defunct Leopold’s Records. I think Mystik Journeymen opened. The “Fuck New York” diatribe really sounds crazy now, but back then it was quite serious! As someone going back and forth between the two places I most definitely felt the static.

Anyway, Saafir busts a freestyle, does three tracks off “Boxcar Sessions”, and the rare/unreleased “Killen Kydz”. Peep game…

Thoughts: I’m pretty sure that’s me yelling “yeeeeeaaaaaaaah!” at the beginning of “Battle Drill”. “Just Riden” was always, at its essence, some Town Shit. Saafir is in total control of his voice, his breath and his body; a great performer.