DJ Quik ruminated about his status as an artist in a string of Twitter posts on Tuesday (December 6).
The Hip Hop legend felt he should be regarded as highly as Dr. Dre. DJ Quik said he knew why he never reached the same heights as his West Coast contemporary.
“I deserve to be where Dre is,” he wrote. “I don’t think it’s fair, but I understand why. I’ve never had a machine behind me, that always hurt my friends more than it did me.”
He added, “My friends have come to me in confidentiality to say ‘do your music like you want to. Just be DJ Quik! People love that s###!’”
DJ Quik stressed his love for Dr. Dre, downplaying any perceived slight against the fellow producer. The 52-year-old artist claimed he was explaining himself as “neutrally” as he could.
“There is no automatic winning lottery ticket for everyone Periodt,” he wrote. “On this planet, you get what you get. But it’s what you do with what you have been given to work with that makes you a star.”
DJ Quik concluded, “I know I’ll never be as popular as I need to be, but I have 10s of artists superstars! And when they shine, I just smile. The janitor doesn’t get all the glory, but he keeps the backstage, clean as a triage.”