Few eras of Hip-Hop are filled with as much mystique and intrigue as the 90s. Much of that is due to crazy and hard-to-believe stories around Death Row Records. Death Row’s appeal stems as much from the insane behind-the-scenes stories about the label as their myriad of classic albums do. What is even more impressive is that such stories keep coming out. This is despite the now numerous documentaries and tell-alls about Death Row. One such story recently got attention following its telling on Talib Kweli’s People’s Party podcast.
DJ Quik’s Lost CD
In the episode, famed west coast rapper and producer DJ Quik revealed that he almost died during the production of Tupac’s renowned All Eyez On Me album. Dj Quik served as a mixer on the album and produced the song “Heartz Of Men.” Because of his involvement, he frequently found himself in possession of demo tapes and unfinished cuts of the LP. He then explained how at one point, a security guard under his employee took an incomplete CD of the album out of the car he shared with DJ Quik. With the album in hand, he passed it around to his friends. Unfortunately, this resulted in the album leaking locally.
Confronting The Leaker
Eventually, Death Row’s infamous CEO, Suge Knight, got wind of the breach. Quik alleges that Suge called a meeting that ended in a physical fight in the Death Row office. Following this, DJ Quik and his security guard confronted the man who had leaked the album. Upon arrival, Quik fought the man, which according to Quik, resulted in some spilled Hennessey, which Quik alleged is what escalated the already heated situation. The man called for one of his friends to pull a gun. As Quik puts it in the interview, “…my man just pulled out a TEC…Like ‘I’m dead over this…2Pac Tape.” Thankfully the security guard took possession of the firearm, and no one was shot. Somewhat humorously, the physical fighting continued, and Quik later arrived at a Death Row party injured and beaten.
As far as Quik is concerned, the situation ended well. He revealed he made amends with the leaker later on. He likewise added that the problem strengthened his bond with Tupac. Quik claimed they became incredibly close after Tupac’s learning of the altercation. Quik’s sadness about Pac’s untimely passing is evident during the interview.
Hidden Stories Uncovered
Despite the tragedy of Pac’s death, it speaks to his character that stories about his short life still retain such rampant virality. Stories like these continue to draw in new listeners because of the magnitude that both Tupac and Death Row Records had on the culture. Thankfully, with the increase in rappers appearing on podcasts, such stories will no longer be stuck in the once small circles they used to be. Now every rap fan can learn the incredible untold stories of hip-hop’s fascinating past.
Ryan Fields
