The son of West Coast hip-hop legend DJ Quik has been charged with first-degree murder.
Police stated that David Blake Jr., 27, allegedly shot and killed Julio Cardoza, 33, following a fight on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Downey, California, which is 15 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Officers were already responding to a report of a fight when they received additional calls that a shot from a gun had been fired.
The Downey Police Department released a statement on its Facebook page reporting that officers had arrived on the scene to find that Cardoza had been shot once in the chest. Cardoza was immediately transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officers soon identified Blake as the alleged shooter and arrested him at approximately 4 a.m. on Thursday in Porter Ranch.
— D Blake (@DavidBlakejr_) April 27, 2022
Blake is being held in the Men’s Central Jail on $2 million bail and is due to appear in Downey Municipal Court on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The Los Angeles Times also reports that Blake was working as a liaison for Compton City Councilman Isaac Galvan.
DJ Quik, 52, who was born in Compton under the name David Marvin Blake, exploded onto the music scene back in the early 1990s through his debut album, Quik is the Name, featuring the scorching club bangers “Born and Raised in Compton,” “Tonight,” and “Black P—-,” which powered the album past certified platinum status. The prolific rapper, songwriter and producer is credited with helping to popularize the West Coast G-Funk sound.
Quik’s son, David Blake Jr., was in the process of trying to follow in his father’s gigantic musical footsteps. Rapping under the moniker D. Blake, he appeared on his father’s albums, including 2014’s Midnight Life, and dropped a few singles on his own, including “Rollin” and “Official.” The video can be viewed below.
