BlaQKout

West Coast hip-hop icons DJ Quik and Kurupt have both been around forever and were key players on a long list of California gangsta rap classics. Quik is a producer/emcee best known for his breakout albums *Quik Is the Name* and *Way 2 Fonky*, making beats for everybody from Tupac to Jay-Z and for discovering and mentoring artists like Mausberg and Suga Free. Kurupt debuted on *The Chronic*, shined on *Doggystyle*, is half of Tha Dogg Pound/DPG, and has a deep catalog of both solo and collabo records. On *BlaQKout*, the longtime homies connect for a whole album of post-millennial G Funk, rhyming about making money, doing dirt, waxing females, and being Golden State rap royalty, over Quik\'s gooey bass lines, huge drums, and rich melodies. Though relatively slept-on upon its 2009 release, this is a fantastic effort from two of the West\'s elder statesmen. \"Do You Know,\" \"F\*ck Yall,\" and \"The Appeal\" are highlights.

Underrated hip-hop vets combine to make a surprising, disparate, and frequently brilliant record.

Compton, California’s DJ Quik has long been one of the most consistent producers in hip-hop, as well as a skilled (though sometimes ridiculously sexist) MC. But he’s seldom been in the lean, adventurous form he explores on BlaQKout, a collaboration with ex-Dogg Pound member Kurupt. Quik’s tracks are head-turning…

Just like the similarly titled 2009 album from Method Man and Redman, DJ Quik and Kurupt's Blaqkout is a throwback triumph that succeeds thanks to the hip-hop veterans' superior chemistry and informal attitude.