DJ Quik is the essence of West Coast hip-hop, having been there from the early days when Compton was asserting itself as the voice of rap as the 1980s bled into the '90s, and
Trauma, the rapper/producer's seventh album and first in three years, finds
Quik as relevant and potent in both lyrics and beats as when he dropped
Quik Is the Name. Never flashy,
Quik finds art in simplicity, as with the laid-back groove of "Black Mercedes," and the rapid-fire spitting about relationships and distractions on "Catch 22."