DJ Quik David Marvin Blake is an American rapper, composer, DJ, and music producer. Blake was born on January 18, 1970, in Compton, California, to unidentified parents. He went to Centennial High School in Compton with Andre Romelle “Dr. Dre” Young and Kendrick Lamar Duckworth. In the early 1970s, the Bloods street gang was created at Centennial High School in opposition to its rivals, the Crips. Blake joined the Bloods when he was a teenager.
During this time, he became friends with fellow rapper and Bloods gang member Crawford “Hi-C” Wikerson, as well as Hip-Hop group 2nd II None, which included Bloods members Deon “Gangsta D” Barnett and Kelton “KK” McDonald.
Blake dropped out of school at the age of 16 to pursue a music career. He was also homeless for three years after his mother’s home was foreclosed on. In order to support his family, he began selling mixtapes such as The Red Tape in 1987. Blake’s mixtapes eventually gained attention from record labels like as Profile Records and Ruthless Records. At the age of 20, he signed with Profile Records. Blake’s debut album, Quik the Name, was released a year later and featured the singles “Born and Raised in Compton,” “Tonite,” and “Quik Is The Name.”
When more than one million copies of the album were sold, it was certified platinum. Blake released his second album, Way 2 Fonky, in 1992, which was certified platinum and sold over a million copies.
Blake’s third album, Safe and Sound, was released in 1995 and featured the singles “Dollaz and Sense” and “Safe And Sound.” The album sold 500,000 units and was certified gold. Rhythm-al-ism, his fourth album released in 1998, featured the singles “You’Z A Ganxtsa,” “Hand in Hand,” and “Down, Down, Down,” and was certified gold after selling over 500,000 units. Blake’s other albums include Balance and Options (2000), Under Tha Influence (2002), Trauma (2005), The Book of David (2011), and The Midnight Life (2012).
Blake has also collaborated with many artists during his career including Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, 2 Pac, Erick Sermon, Shaquille O’Neal and others.
Despite his musical prowess, he was embroiled in a number of issues throughout his career. Blake was involved in a high-profile rap rivalry with fellow Compton rapper Aaron “MC Ehit” Tyler and his rap group Compton Most Wanted in the 1990s. The conflict included insults exchanged on so-called “diss” recordings such as “Def Wish” and “Dollaz and Sense.”
The conflict was heightened because both rappers were members of street gangs, with Blake belonging to the Bloods and Taylor to the Crips. Later in his career, Blake had a rap feud with his former associates in the rap group 2nd II None. Blake’s controversial life was further complicated by a five-month prison sentence in 2006 for an assault on his sister in 2003.
Blake is still active in the music industry in 2021. He married Alica Hill in 2005. David Blake Jr. and Davienna Marina Blake are the couple’s children. Blake’s daughter was charged with the murder of her two-year-old child in 2013.