Legendary Compton-born rapper/producer
DJ Quik returned with ninth studio album
The Midnight Life three years after 2011's
The Book of David. The album, produced almost entirely by
Quik himself, is a fun-loving affair, frequently switching styles from jazzy, sophisticated R&B workouts like "Pet Cemetery" to heavier trap and gangsta rap beats. In interviews during the album's release,
Quik said it was his "ode to having fun in the midnight hour," and the carefree production and moments of humor throughout the album support that statement. Guests appear on many of the record's 16 tracks, including cameos from
El Debarge,
Mack 10,
Bishop Lamont, and even
Quik's son David Blake. ~ Fred Thomas