Balance & Options

1	Change Da Game / Mausberg 4:04
2	Did Y'all Feel Dat? / Mausberg 3:27
3	We Came 2 Play / James DeBarge 3:49
4	Pitch in on a Party 4:07
5	I Don't Wanna Party Wit U 5:04
6	Moteh Records I (Interlude) 1:43
7	Sexuality 4:03
8	How Come? 3:53
9	U Ain't Fresh! / Erick Sermon 3:54
10	Roger's Groove 2:48
11	Moteh Records II (Interlude) 0:36
12	Quikker Said Than Dunn 3:34
13	Straight from the Streets (Interlude) 1:30
14	Speak on It / Mausberg 2:32
15	Do Whutcha Want / Digital Underground 5:07
16	Well / Mausberg 5:41
17	Quik's Groove V 4:59
18	Do I Love Her / Suga Free 4:10
19	Tha Divorce Song / James DeBarge 4:32
20	Balance & Options (Outro) 1:08

Barnes & Noble

When DJ Quik emerged in 1991 with his straight-outta-Compton gangsta rap, the last thing hip-hop music needed was another MC spouting predictable rhymes about sexual conquests and 40-ounce guzzling. Yet fans excused Quik for being a poor man's Snoop Dogg, embraced his G-funk knockoffs, and gassed him on to sell gold records. On his fifth platter, BALANCE & OPTIONS, Quik has tightened his mike skills and evolved into a top-notch producer. He updates his gangsta prose with party anthems such as the slinky "Pitch in on a Party," funky instrumentals such as the Roger Troutman-dedicated "Roger's Groove," and loose remakes of classic rap songs such as "Quikker Said than Dunn," Quik's eerily authentic sounding tribute to Eazy E's "Eazy-Er Said than Dunn." Yet Quik's lazy rhyme skills are flexed best over compu-beats on "U Ain't Fresh!" featuring Erick Sermon and Kam, while his production wizardzy shines brightly on the acoustic-guitar accented "Tha Divorce Song," featuring James DeBarge. Since the title of this 20-track disc alludes to stock-market fever, let's extend the metaphor: BALANCE & OPTIONS finds Quik long on slick rhythm tracks and oft-vocoderized vocals and short on the gang-bang clichés of his past efforts. Instead, he cooks up a batch of laid-back grooves and Cali-licious brag rhymes better suited for a barbecue than a drive-by. In other words, his portfolio is sounding strong. Brett Johnson

All Music Guide

Like 1998's Rhythm-al-ism, Balance & Options is yet another star-filled joint for DJ Quik. Featuring appearances from AMD, Erick Sermon, Skaboobie, James DeBarge, the long-lost Digital Underground, and Raphael, Quik comes correct with tracks like "U Ain't Fresh" and "Do Watcha Want." John Bush