DJ Quik talks sampling John Travolta, 'The Book of David' and Powerhouse appearance

(LA Times) A discography full of gun-toting gangsta rap, gritty street tales and sunburnt Compton swagger aren’t necessarily the most dangerous things swirling around in the mind of DJ Quik, who's been crafting archetypical West Coast hip-hop for 20 years. The things he can do with a song from one of America’s most beloved teen musicals will shake you to your core.

It took a year to clear a smooth-talking sample of John Travolta from “Grease” for the glistening, Superfly funk of his song “Hydromatic,” from his most recent album, "The Book of David," but getting the expensive permissions was worth it, he says. The veteran MC, who co-headlines Powerhouse on Saturday in Anaheim sandwiched between Ice Cube and Wiz Khalifa, remembers running across the sample after buying the movie soundtrack on vinyl at Amoeba Music on Sunset on a whim.

On record, Travolta’s opening lines on “Grease Lightning” sounded delectably more rhythmic than in the film: “This car is automatic! It’s systematic! It’s hyyydromatic!”

“I just kept running [the record] back on that part,” Quik said, then mimicked the sample with a smirk and the exaggerated baritone of a sportscaster: “‘It’s hyyyyydromatic.’” Sitting at a Japanese restaurant booth in Hollywood in black jeans, fresh white T-shirt and cornrows, the 41-year-old rapper born David Blake uses his left hand over a sampler bowl of sashimi to suggest a DJ scratching a record.

Within hours of plucking the sample, Quik assembled collaborators Jon B., Dave Foreman and longtime co-producer George “G-1” Archie and put the entire track together in-studio, an example of the seemingly effortless mix of wizardry, industry know-how and outside-the-box thinking that allows Quik to center himself in the multifaceted position of rapper/producer/DJ.

For 20 plus years, DJ Quik’s ability to remain relevant in the rap world has relied on occupying a strange middle ground. Navigating the ill-defined purgatory between local legend and mainstream star has allowed him the kind of freedom to experiment and create innovative production chops that mingle with pimpish, permed-out bravado -- beat-knocking, G-funk anthems. In L.A.’s dynamic rap terrain, Quik’s strolling, summertime sound is the not-so-missing link between Dr. Dre and Dom Kennedy.

“What I’m really doing is balancing between all the music that I’ve learned and all the music that I’ve learned to teach,” Quik said.

He's had plenty of education. By the time he was 21, Quik had broken out of the underground circuit and the gang violence of crack-era Compton with his 1990 platinum Profile Records debut, “Quik Is the Name," which blasted its way into mainstream consciousness. Charismatic vocal delivery and his gang affiliation with the Tree Top Piru faction of the Bloods combined the street cred and radio marketability needed to climb. He went on to craft a trifecta of gold albums -- “Way 2 Fonky,” “Safe & Sound” and "Rhythm-Al-Ism," between 1992 and 1998.

As well, he's been a consistent behind-the-scenes presence on tracks by, among others, Nate Dogg, E-40, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Janet Jackson.

Dropped from Arista Records in 2000 (which bought Profile in 1996), DJ Quik formed his own label, Mad Science Recordings. He released a crop of critically appreciated albums like “Trauma” (2005) and “Greatest Hits Live at the House of Blues” (2006), and also, in 2005 a re-released version of “Under tha Influence.” A collaborative album with Kurupt, “BlaQKout,” appeared in 2009.

Between albums, a multitude of personal and legal issues kept Quik from the limelight. Most noted among them was a five-month prison stint in 2006; he was convicted of assaulting his sister in November 2003 after altercation in which Quik says she threatened to kidnap his children.

But prison, which he describes as “overrated,” was only a partial answer for his recording hiatus. A few years ago, the rapper and father received custody of his 13-year-old daughter. The opportunity to take a break from his hectic lifestyle presented itself.

“I took time to raise my kid,” Quik said. “I got to know her likes and dislikes, her quirks, what she wants to be in life. I became a dad … being an MC.”

It's a big change from his experience familial relations in the past. “My family was my Achilles' heel,” said Quik. One particularly bitter saga is distilled into a caustic tongue-lashing in “Fire and Brimstone,” opening "The Book of David" with terse keyboards, a stumbling drum track and lyrical venom aimed at his family tree and naysayers in the hip-hop world who fail to recognize his lasting impact on West Coast rap.

Other than revisiting his past, Quik’s latest music commands an orbit of old school influences and hungry new talent. Besides featuring fellow Powerhouse headliner Ice Cube and longtime collaborator K.K. of 2nd II None, Quik employed the P-funk aura of the late Parliament guitarist Garry Shider and newcomers Jon B. and Detroit-born rapper Gift Reynolds, recently signed to Mad Science Recordings.

“The the beauty of Quik is that he never jumps outta his lane,” said Reynolds, 24. “He does what feels good for him. That’s how he stays relevant.”

-- Nate Jackson

Photo: DJ Quik. Credit: From DJ Quik

Danish sound dominates Lady GaGa-album

Lady GaGa`s second studio album Born This Way. The title track is written in collaboration with Danish songwriter Jeppe Laursen, who used to be a part of the sensational pop group Junior Senior (the guys with “Move Your Feet”). But with the unveiling of the album track list it was furthermore unveiled that another collaboration between the pop star and Laursen can be heard on the album.

A side from Born This Way Laursen is also the writer of the song "Bad Kids". This track was one out of four tracks that the songwriter had made for Lady Gaga, after which she chose to write lyrics for two of them.

Four days with Lady Gaga

But Laursen doesn’t hold the only Danish touch on the album. Wednesday November 17^th at 5 pm, the phone of Danish studio owner Lars Falck rang. The call came from a contact at a big American record label with which Falck had previously collaborated on of the Black Eyed Peas album.

- The woman asked me if I could help her. She needed a studio in Copenhagen for the following morning. I told her I would helpher anytime – after all, they’re great customers, says Lars Falck, who owns the studio Baby factory

When Lars and his right hand, sound engineer Danny Krøger, heard that the deal came with a confidentiality clause, they knew that something big was happening. And something big did.

- I gained huge respect for her while she was here, he says. She participates in the writing process of every single one of her songs. Think about what huge hits they have all become. Her team works incredibly competently. She is so talented – she only needed four hours a day in the studio. She nailed it every time.

During her four days at the studio, Lady Gaga recorded four songs – among these was Bloody Mary.

The Business Of Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga isn't the music industry's new Madonna. She's its always on call to carry the business.

- She is the only pop star who is actually in the papers every single day. She decides herself if she wants to wear a dress of meat or walk through Paris with no pants. She knows the media wants to play along, and that gives her the power, Lars Falck says.

He and Baby Factory have, however, almost gotten used to visits from the big stars. Previously, the studio has been working with big names such as Dr. Dre, One-republic, Black Eyed Peas and Danish Soulchock.

In American music circles, Baby Factory has a reputation for combining the rough American hip-hop sound with the fluffy, soft Scandinavian beats. They call it The Scandinavian Sound. But what constitutes this?

- GaGa wrote on her Twitter profile, that she was glad she had gotten the Scandinavian sound. To be honest, I have no idea what that is. We don’t do anything differently. I’m thinking about getting a little box with the words Sandinavian Sound on it. Then I could put a few buttons on it, and people might think “Oh, so that’s where it comes from!”, Falck says jokingly.

.... Lars Falck & Danny Krøger

So what pleases American artists?

- They trust us. They know we’ll work until we are a hundred percent finished. The US is full of bullshit. To Americans Denmark is a fairytale country. I mean, some of them even think we walk around wearing elves’ outfits. They don’t understand that we have money of our own, Falck says.

The album Born This Way, and the Scandinavian sound that – apparently – comes with it, have now sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Read also: Lady Gaga Recording New Album 'Born This Way' in Europe

Prisoner confesses to shooting Tupac Shakur in 1994

(the guardian) Man serving life sentence on unrelated charges claims he was hired to rob Tupac Shakur, setting off a fatal chain of events

A man has admitted to the non-fatal 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur, claiming he was paid $2,500 to rob the rapper at Manhattan's Quad studio. Dexter Isaac, currently serving a life sentence on unrelated charges, said he was hired by hip-hop manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond to ambush and mug Shakur, setting off three years of reprisals that left Shakur and Notorious BIG dead.

"Jimmy, I say to you: I have kept your secrets for years," Isaac told AllHiphop. "I have stayed silent in prison for the past 13 years, doing a life sentence like a real soldier should, when you and everybody have turned your backs on me ... Now I would like to clear up a few things, because the statute of limitations is over, and no one can be charged, and I'm just plain tired of listening to your lies. In 1994, James Rosemond hired me to rob 2Pac Shakur at the Quad studio. He gave me $2,500, plus all the jewellery I took, except for one ring, which he wanted for himself."

Isaac has spent the past decade behind bars, serving time on a 1998 indictment for murder, robbery, fraud and witness intimidation. He and Rosemond have long been linked with Shakur's robbery, though neither man was ever charged. In 2008, the LA Times published – and later retracted – an article contending that Rosemond and other associates of Sean Combs (AKA Diddy) arranged the attack as payback for Shakur's rejection of Combs's record label. The LA Times ultimately admitted their allegations were based on fabricated FBI reports. But Shakur himself had made these claims before his death. "Promised [to] pay back Jimmy Henchman in due time," he rapped on Against All Odds. "Heard the guns bust, but your tricks never shut me up ... All out warfare, eye for eye."

Now a manager for stars including Sean Kingston and the Game, Rosemond is allegedly on the run. He disappeared in May, amid federal drugs charges, complaining that events had "caught [him] off guard" in a letter to XXL magazine. "I came up from nothing and made some mistakes early in my life, of which I have already served time," he wrote. "Since then I have worked hard to establish my career in the music industry only to be targeted by these opportunistic prosecutors with a personal vendetta against me." Rosemond asserted he was being smeared by scurrilous informants, including Isaac.

Isaac now says it was this allegation that prompted him to come forward about the events of 30 November 1994. "I have never been a rat for anybody," Isaac replied. Instead he alleges that Rosemond himself is a "turncoat rat". "If I was an informant like you, I would've been home years ago with my family," Isaac wrote.

Isaac did not admit to the September 1996 murder of Shakur, and also refused to comment on the March 1997 slaying of his "friend" Notorious BIG. Both these crimes remain unsolved. "But I would like to give their mothers some closure," he wrote. "It's about time that someone did, and I will do so at a different time. Jimmy, you and Puffy like to come off all innocent-like, but as the saying goes: you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

Had he lived, Tupac Shakur would have celebrated his 40th birthday today.

Flo Rida Arrested For Drunk Driving

FIo Rida was arrested in Miami Beach on Thursday (June 9) and charged with a DUI as well as driving with a suspended license, the Miami Beach Police Department has confirmed.

According to a police report provided to Billboard.com, the rapper was swerving while driving through South Beach early Thursday morning in a 2008 Bugatti, when he was stopped by authorities and given a sobriety test.

"I can't do this. I don't think I can walk a straight line. I had a few drinks," Flo Rida (real name: Tramar Lacell Dillard) told the police while, according to the report, a large crowd gathered and tried to persuade the officers to let him go.

"Let's do another test. I live on the other side of the bridge. I can make it home."

A spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Department confirms that Flo Rida's blood alcohol level was .185, which is over twice the legal limit in Florida (.08).

In May, Flo Rida told Billboard.com that he was spending the majority of his time in the studio, prepping the sequel to his "Only One Flo" album, "Only One Rida." "Right now it's about going in the box and picking out what I think are the hardest records," he said. "For the most part I'm just staying in the studio, on top of touring. I'm on planes recording on my iPhone, things like that, and just basically focusing on the album."

Music producer Martin Rushent dead at 63

Music producer Martin Rushent, who worked with bands including The Human League and The Stranglers, has died aged 63. A BBC journalist who was among the last to interview him recalls his stories of life at the mixing desk.

Hearing of Martin Rushent's death has left me saddened and surprised.

In March this year I interviewed the 63-year-old about his forthcoming plans, at a rehearsal space Hurst, Berkshire, used by Reading band Amy's Ghost, with whom Martin was going to work after seeing them live a month before.

This was exciting for the band, as Martin had worked everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis and Marc Bolan to Fleetwood Mac and The Stranglers.

Martin was sitting having a roll-up cigarette on one of the old sofas. He looked, as always, a little dishevelled, but appeared to be in rude health.

As usual, Martin had lots of things going on at the same time. He showed me his studio in a spare room upstairs. You could barely move for all the computers, cables and screens.On a previous encounter, as I found him busy packing for France, he had just finished working with disco pop outfit The Pipettes - using his bathroom as one of the recording spaces.

He swivelled round to turn up a dial, and soon the room boomed with his latest project, a track called The Monkeys Are Coming by Does It Offend You, Yeah?, a Reading band fronted by his son James.

"It's great isn't it!" he shouted over the track, his bearded face grinning.

Downstairs in his living room, he relaxed into his leather sofa and reminisced about his younger days.

Rushent was around 25 in the mid-1970s when he worked with Shirley Bassey as a sound engineer and co-producer.

"It filled me with dread," he said. "She arrived and swept through reception looking like thunder and disappeared into the studio.

T.Rex album

"I walked in and I said, 'morning Miss Bassey, my name is Martin Rushent and I'm going to be your new engineer and co-producer'. Whereupon she threw a mic stand at me. She told me to get out! She apologised afterwards, I hasten to add."

During his time working as a sound engineer at Vision Studios in London, Rushent worked with producer Tony Visconti on T-Rex's Electric Warrior album, released in 1971.

Rushent sealed his reputation as a producer when he worked with The Human League on Dare, released in 1981, which featured the huge hit Don't You Want Me.

"I said, 'no I'm not doing that, we're starting again', which was a bit of a shock for Phil [Oakey, lead singer]. He argued about that but I said, 'no, if I'm going to produce you, you're going to do what I tell you to do'. This is my attitude to everybody I produce, it's a sort of democratic dictatorship!"Rushent recalled how he made it clear who was boss: "They were under the impression that I was going to work on what they'd done so far and improve that and carry on.

After the single became a hit Rushent was assigned to producing the album, which won him a 1982 Brit Award.

Despite the novel sound Rushent was not expecting the album to have such global and long-lasting success.

"We couldn't believe it," he said. "We were just making a record and suddenly it just exploded all over the world and has since become a legendary record. It's just mad!

"If somebody had told me then, 'do you realise you are making history with this record?', I'd have said, 'yeah alright, calm down and have a cup of tea!'."

Lady Gaga poised to sail past 1 million on Billboard 200 next week

(QNDT) She worked hard for every single copy sold, but it looks like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” will join the rarified club of artists whose album sells more than 1 million copies in its opening week.

Original predictions were that “Born This Way” would move around 800,000 copies, but that was before Amazon sold it for 99 cents for two days. The promotion, as troubled as it was by some downloading problems, will help send the album over the 1.15 million mark, predicts Billboard. The last artist to surpass the mark was Taylor Swift with "Speak Now" last fall.

Brad Paisley’s “This Is Country Music” comes in at second place on the Billboard 200 with sales of around 155,000, meaning Adele’s “21” slips to third place, but still tops the 100,000 mark.

In addition to Lady Gaga and Paisley’s sets, five other titles bow in the top 10: “Glee Cast: Vol. 6” flies in at No. 4 with sales of around 80,000; Maybach Music Group Presents: Self Made, Vol. 1,” a collection of artists on Mayback, debuts at No. 6. The co-joined New Kids on the Block and Back Street Boys combo comes in at No. 7, as NKOTBSB's self-titled setis poised to sell around 40,000.

Journey and Walmart prove the strength of both brands as “Eclipse” starts at No. 8, despite being available only at the mass marketer. Up-and-coming Los Angeles band Foster the People benefits from a long, well-developed set-up by Columbia Records as “Torches” begins its chart life at No. 9 with sales of 30,000. Mumford & Sons’ “Sigh No More” hangs in there at No. 10, moving around 30,000 copies.