Editing DJ Qbert

{{Short description|American DJ}}
{{About|the DJ|the arcade and computer game|Q*bert}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image           = Qbertconcert.jpg
| caption         = Qbert at the [[Nuits Sonores]] festival in France, 2006
| image_size      =
| landscape       = yes
| birth_name      = Richard Quitevis
| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|1969|10|7}}
| birth_place     = [[San Francisco]], [[California]], U.S.
| genre           = {{Hlist|[[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]|[[psychedelic rap]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/dr-octagon-playing-nyc-release-show-for-first-lp-in-two-decades/ |title= Dr. Octagon playing NYC release show for first LP in two decades
|last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=February 20, 2018 |work=Brooklyn Vegan |access-date=August 17, 2023 |quote=lead single "Octagon Octagon" is an awesome dose of the same kind of surreal, psychedelic rap they were doing in the '90s}}</ref>|[[turntablism]]}}
| occupation      = [[Disc jockey]], [[composer]]
| years_active    = 1990–present
| associated_acts =
| label           =
| website         = {{url|http://djqbert.com}}
}}

'''Richard Quitevis''' (born October 7, 1969) known by his stage name '''DJ Qbert''' or '''Qbert''',<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zhao |first1=Xiaojian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3AxIAgAAQBAJ |title=Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History |last2=Ph.D |first2=Edward J. W. Park |date=November 26, 2013 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-240-1 |pages=394 |language=en}}</ref> is a Filipino American [[turntablism|turntablist]] and [[composer]] who has heavily influenced the [[History of DJing]]. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, was [[DMC World DJ Championships|DMC]] USA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in 1992 and 1993.

==Early life==
Richard Quitevis was born on October 7, 1969, to [[Filipinos|Filipino]] immigrant parents hailing from [[Bacolod]], [[Negros Occidental]] and [[Ilocos Sur]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DJ Qbert: Musician of the world |url= https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/music/dj-qbert-musician-world |website=[[Rappler]] |last=Imbong |first=Peter |date=December 21, 2013}}</ref> Growing up in [[San Francisco]]'s [[Excelsior District]] on Moscow Street, he graduated from Luther Burbank Middle School and in 1987 from [[Balboa High School (San Francisco)|Balboa High School]].<ref name="CHONIN">
{{Cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/11/01/PK84287.DTL| title=A Dilly of a Career / The Bay Area's Invisibl Skratch Piklz have become world stars of turntablism| access-date=April 10, 2007| date=November 1, 1998| last=Chonin| first=Neva| work=San Francisco Chronicle}}
</ref><ref name="DELEON">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.thudrumble.com/images/headlines/RuckusMagazineArticle.pdf 
 |title=Get on your P's and Q's : Ten Things You Don't Know About QBERT 
 |access-date=April 10, 2007 
 |publisher=www.ruckusmag.com 
 |year=2005 
 |author=de Leon, Krishtine 
 |work=Ruckus - Bay Area Rap Culture: July/August 2005 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929002826/http://www.thudrumble.com/images/headlines/RuckusMagazineArticle.pdf 
 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
}}
</ref> Qbert started playing with [[gramophone record|records]] at the age of 15, although he got his first [[Fisher-Price]] turntable as a toddler. He was influenced by the street performers and graffiti artists of the local hip hop community in the mid-1980s. It was at Balboa's school cafeteria that he first met [[Mix Master Mike]] in a DJ battle; the two have been good friends ever since.<ref name="BANJOKO">
 {{cite web| url=http://www.lyricalswords.com/articles/mixmastermike.html| title=The Trigger Man: Face to Face with Mix Master Mike| last=Banjoko| first=Adisa| access-date=April 10, 2007 | quote=(Mix Master Mike): In a cafeteria lunchroom, at Balboa High School in San Francisco, CA. Then we battled again in Stockton, CA. He won in Stockton. I won at Balboa.}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:DJ Q-bert in France (cropped).jpg|thumb|DJ Qbert at the [[Disco Mix Club|DMC]] World Championships 2006 in [[Lyon]], France]]
[[File:DJ QBert at Rainbow Warehouse, Birmingham UK.webm|thumb|DJ Qbert in Rainbow Warehouse in [[Birmingham]] (video with close-up photography at the DJ mixer, though without sound)]]
Qbert started his musical career in a group called FM20 with Mix Master Mike and [[DJ Apollo]] in 1990. In [[New York City]] when playing a show, FM20 was spotted by [[Crazy Legs (dancer)|Crazy Legs]], who invited them to join the [[Rock Steady Crew]]. They accepted the offer to join the crew. Going by the name Rock Steady DJs, they then proceeded to take the 1992 [[DMC World DJ Championships|Disco Mix Club World DJ Championships]] (DMC) world title.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080421205012/http://www.beastiemuseum.com/web/skratchpiklz/ ''DJ Qbert: A Legend In His Own Time'']}}</ref> Qbert was also one of the founding members of the band [[Invisibl Skratch Piklz]]. Although there were other turntablist crews before the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the Skratch Piklz were the first to apply the band concept to [[turntablism]], layering drums, basslines, and scratch solos on top of each other.

Qbert, along with other Skratch Piklz, created a series of videos entitled ''Turntable TV''. Now out of print, the first 5 episodes were released on VHS and contained demonstrations, showcases, skits, and other DJ related content.

Qbert's solo efforts include 1994's ''[[Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik]]'', and 1998's ''[[Wave Twisters]]''. The latter album was created mainly with samplers and beat machines versus the turntable, and later turned into an animated feature of the same title. 2001's ''[[Wave Twisters]]'' movie was somewhat unusual in that the animators and digital artists had to invent images and movements to the pre-recorded music, as opposed to the other way around (Disney's ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' was made the same way).

More recently, he has worked with Vestax to develop the QFO, an all-in-one scratching instrument. The QFO combines a turntable with a mixer's crossfader.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vestax.com/v/products/players/qfo.html |title=Vestax Corporation |access-date=July 8, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704141543/http://www.vestax.com/v/products/players/qfo.html |archive-date=July 4, 2007 }}</ref> In 2006, he introduced the Qbert turntable cartridge, a model put out by Ortofon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.djdeals.com/ortofonOMQBERT.htm |title=Ortofon OM Q-BERT Cartridge Free Shipping! |publisher=Djdeals.com |access-date=December 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122012711/http://www.djdeals.com/ortofonOMQBERT.htm |archive-date=January 22, 2013 }}</ref>
[[File:QbertInBerlin.JPG|thumb|Performing at a gig in [[Berlin]], February 2008]]

In May 2009, Qbert launched the Qbert Skratch University, an interactive online learning school and community for DJs through the ArtistWorks website.

At the 2016 edition of the DMC World DJ Championships, DJ Q-Bert was awarded with a DMC Legend jacket.

==Personal life==
In a 2011 interview with the website WeBeVegan.org, Qbert stated that he is a vegan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webevegan.org/2011/11/16/dj-qbert/ |title=DJ Qbert: Connecting hip hop with veganism « |website=Webevegan.org |date=November 16, 2011 |access-date=December 19, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425231558/http://webevegan.org/2011/11/16/dj-qbert/|archive-date=April 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Media appearances==
Qbert's music was featured in the video game ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground]] ''and he appeared as himself on the Slam City Jam level. He also appeared as himself in ''[[DJ Hero 2]]''.

==Awards and credentials==
* America's Best DJ 2010
* DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo)
* DMC World Champion 1992 – Rock Steady DJs (Qbert, Mix Master Mike & Apollo)
* DMC World Champion 1993 – Dreamteam (Qbert & Mix Master Mike)
* DMC DJ Hall of Fame (along with Mix Master Mike)
* Featured in ''[[Hang the DJ (film)|Hang the DJ]]'' by [[La Villa brothers|Marco & Mauro La Villa]]
** [[Cannes Film Festival]], France
* Appears in the documentary film ''Modulations''
** [[Sundance Festival]], Utah
* Appears in the documentary ''[[Scratch (2001 film)|Scratch]]''
** [[Sundance Festival]], Utah
* Appears in his own animated/live action movie ''Wave Twisters''

==See also==
* [[Pinoy hip hop|Filipino hip hop]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|DJ Q-bert}}
* [http://www.djqbert.com Djqbert.com]
* [https://artistworks.com/skratch-lessons-dj-qbert Qbert Skratch University]
* {{IMDb name|0702579}}
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/DJ+Q-Bert Full Discography]
* [http://www.vimeo.com/6579455 Video of Q-Bert Live Set in UK]
*[https://www.twitch.tv/djqbert Twitch page]
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/dj-qbert DJ Qbert Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2020)

;Interviews
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061021012335/http://www.djtimes.com/original/djmag/mar01/qbert.htm Interview with ''DJ Times'', 2001]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927065921/http://thecareercookbook.com/article.php?article_id=157 The Career Cookbook Interview with Qbert]
* [http://www.some-assembly-required.net/blog/2008/12/episode-221-some-assembly-required_13.html Radio Feature] The [[Some Assembly Required (radio program)|Some Assembly Required]] Interview with DJ Qbert (2008)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090822095213/http://hhcdigital.net/blog1/2009/08/19/hhc-digital-004-%E2%80%93-out-now HHC Digital interview about his DMC legacy]
* [http://conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com/entry/index/2010-10-16T08_06_35-07_00/ Conspiracy Worldwide Radio October 2010 Uncensored Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702170630/http://conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com/entry/index/2010-10-16T08_06_35-07_00/ |date=July 2, 2011 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120425231558/http://webevegan.org/2011/11/16/dj-qbert/ Interview with We Be Vegan]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qbert, DJ}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:American musicians of Filipino descent]]
[[Category:American hip-hop DJs]]
[[Category:Filipino hip-hop DJs]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Psychedelic rappers]]
[[Category:DJs from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Composers from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Culture of San Francisco]]