G-funk pioneer DJ Quik made a career out of casting the low-boiling squeal of LA’s definitive gangsta-rap sound right in his backyard, Compton—and, importantly, right along Compton’s main drag, Rosecrans Avenue. “Every spot in Compton’s got something going on, but Rosecrans is the common denominator,” rapper-producer Problem told the LA Times for a story about the 27-mile stretch of pavement that provides the foundation for many of the city’s best rap songs. The street is also the muse of one of Quik’s best releases of late—last year’s Rosecrans, a collaborative album with Problem that grew out of a 2016 EP of the same name. Mixing G-funk grime with modern-funk sleekness, Rosecrans is built on the knowledge that entire worlds exist within this one piece of land, and that for some people who live in the area, it’s their only connection with the universe. The album succeeds not only because it acknowledges where it came from, but because Quik and Problem harmoniously bridge LA’s past with its present state as a vital home to hip-hop. On “Move Something,” which rests on a minimal ratchet beat that bounces like a quarter on a new mattress, Quik shows his ability to saddle up with the sound of the times and bring his past to the foreground while making a case for his future by working with a bright young artist as equals. v
Fri 5/25, 8 PM, Arie Crown Theater, 2301 S. Lake Shore, $35-$125, all-ages
