David Blake doesn’t care what type of adjective you use to describe his musicianship, as long as you acknowledge the fact that he’s more than just beats and rhymes. Even in during the early portions of his career when rappers from California were expected to narrate on the crime-riddled streets of their neighborhood, DJ Quik always made sure his records had a touch of jazz, class and Roger Troutman.

Four decades in and Quik ain’t switching it up for any trend or marketing schemes. Beware & I received one of the first look of the pages contained in his eighth solo album, The Book Of David and he recently held a listening session out in L.A. with guests like Dom Kennedy and Kurupt stopping by for co-signs.

Sounds like this could win a rap literary award.