''Rhythm-al-ism'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

West Coast hip hop West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the ea ...

recording artist and producer DJ Quik, released on November 24, 1998, by

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

and was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on July 7, 1999. It peaked at number 63 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. He recorded the album at Skip Sailor Recordings in Los Angeles, and worked with producer G-One. The album featured the singles "You'z a Ganxta", " Hand In Hand" featuring 2nd II None & El DeBarge, and "Down, Down, Down" featuring Suga Free, Mausberg (deceased) & AMG.

Background and recording

In an interview with Complex, DJ Quik spoke on the background and recording process of ''Rhythm-al-ism'' stating, “With the ''Rhythm-al-ism'' album, even though it didn't have a home because Profile Records was going through something and I was fighting them for back royalties and they had me on suspension because they didn't want to pay me. I understood, those were some big checks, I wouldn't want to pay DJ Quik either. "I think that's when I lost my rough edges, I lost the gangster and became like an R&B pretty boy. "The name ''Rhythm-al-ism'' alone tells you what I was doing. I was mixing up rhythms. I was meshing R&B with hip-hop and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. And a little bit of

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

". The cover art and some aspects of the album were inspired by L.A. rock band

the Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

, confirmed by Quik himself via Instagram.

Critical response

Rhythm-al-ism received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. People at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

rated the album at 2 and a half stars and wrote that Considering its guest list—packed with enough star power ( El DeBarge,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the ...

Peter Gunz Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz were an American hip hop duo, composed of rappers Sean "Lord Tariq" Hamilton and Peter "Peter Gunz" Pankey, from The Bronx, New York. They are best known for their 1997 single "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)", which reached th ...

, Hi-C, AMG, and

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

gave the album 3 stars.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number sixty three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and spent 29 weeks on the chart. It also debuted at number thirteen on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

charts and spent 39 weeks on the chart as well. The album was certified Gold on July 27, 1999 by the

for selling over 500,000 copies.

Track listing

(co.) Co-producer ;Sample credits *"We Still Party" contains samples of "Verb: That's What's Happening" by Zachary Sanders. *"Speed" contains samples of "Mom" by Earth, Wind & Fire, "Rapper Dapper Snapper" by

Edwin Birdsong Edwin L. Birdsong (August 22, 1941 – January 21, 2019) was an American keyboardist and organist, known in the 1970s and 1980s for his experimental funk/ disco music. Birdsong did not achieve much chart success, but developed a strong fan bas ...

and "You and Love Are the Same" by The Grassroots. *"Whateva U Do" contains a sample of "So In Love" by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

. *"I Useta Know Her" contains a sample of "Flash Light (Extended)" by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. *"Down, Down, Down" contains a sample of " So Fine" by Howard Johnson. *"You'z a Ganxta" contains a sample of "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang. *"Get 2Getha Again" contains a sample of "Do It, Fluid" by The Blackbyrds.

Personnel

Credits for ''Rhythm-al-ism'' adapted from liner notes. *

2nd II None 2nd II None is a rap group from Compton, California. It consists of cousins KK (born Kelton L. McDonald) and Gangsta D (born Deon Barnett). They were members of the Elm Street Piru Bloods.AMG – composer, performer, primary artist * Del Atkins – bass * Robert Bacon – guitar * Agnes Baddoo – stylist * Kenneth Crouch – fender rhodes, piano * El DeBarge – composer, guest artist, performer, primary artist * Dee – background vocals * DJ Quik – bass, composer, drums, executive producer, mixing, percussion, primary artist, producer, synthesizer * Sheppard Lane – executive producer *

– composer, guest artist * Charles Green – horn * Bernie Grundman – mastering *

– composer, guest artist, performer, primary artist *

Playa Hamm ''Penthouse Players Clique'' was an American hip hop duo that consisted of rappers Playa Hamm (born Wilbert Bryan Milo) and Tweed Cadillac. They were signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, for which they released their debut and only album to date ...

– guest artist, performer, primary artist * Anthony Harrison, Jr. – art direction * Hi-C – composer, guest artist, performer, primary artist * Stan Jones – guitar * Dionne Knighton – background vocals * Mausberg – guest artist, primary artist * Eric McCaine – percussion * Chris Puram – assistant engineer *

– composer, guest artist, performer, primary artist * Suga Free – composer, guest artist, performer, primary artist * Ron Townsend – flute * Marvin Watkins – guitar *

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

– composer *

Verdine White Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Early lif ...

– composer * Michael Wong – photography

Charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1998 albums DJ Quik albums Profile Records albums Albums produced by DJ Quik Albums produced by G-One