When it all comes down to it, Compton's Dr. Dre and DJ Quik are two of the greatest producers of our time. Yet prior to "Put It On Me," which released in 2001 via the Training Day OST and later resurfaced on Quik's Under Tha Influence, Dre and Quik had never linked up on wax. That is, until the clutch intervention of Knoc-Turn'al brought them together. When speaking with Knoc for our extensive reflection on Dr. Dre's 2001: The Creation Of A Classic (which you can and should read here), the former Dre protege revealed an interesting detail about the creation of Quik and Dre's X-rated banger.
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"People don't know I wrote [Dre's] lyrics for "Put It On Me," remembers Knoc. "The only song he and DJ Quik ever done. I asked Dre, why you never did a song with DJ Quik? I know ya'll both producers, but why don't you do a song? He called Quik, and Dre was like don't let this n***a rip me. Quik's style is cold. It was a challenge for me to try and match his style. Try to match the same intensity and same cleverness that Quik has. I had to create some stuff to make Dre not sound like he's the lesser. The point being, it was hard for me to write that song. The end result is they both stand toe to toe."
"It's two of the best west coast producers," he continues. "That was one of my biggest challenges while writing for Dre, when he got with DJ Quik. I listen to DJ Quik all the damn time. You already know he gon' come with the business, you hear me? Battlecat also helped me critique my style. He did a lot of music with me on LA Confidential. People ask me how I got into the business. There's nothing I did that was special. God blessed me and it fell into my lap."
Do you remember "Put It On Me?" And if so, do you feel that the song deserves more love? After all, the significance of Dre and Quik uniting on a track should not go unappreciated; should you need a refresher, the song has been embedded below. For more from Knoc-Turn'al, as well as many 2001 collaborators like Hittman, Xzibit, Scott Storch, and Royce Da 5'9", check that out right here!