At a time when several other west coast artists were going to war with rappers from New York, DJ Quik vs. MC Eiht was local rapper verses local rapper, Compton against Compton. Set against the backdrop of real gang warfare—and with Safe + Sound coming with an executive producer credit for notorious mogul Suge Knight—it’s a blessing that neither artist got physically hurt. In fairness to DJ Quik, on “Dollaz & Sense” he alludes to a chance meeting with MC Eiht where his intention was to try and discuss the situation peacefully, but who knows if this ever actually happened. 

Beefing aside, Safe + Sound is generally upbeat, often concerned with nothing more than destressing and having a good time, like a lot of classic ‘90s gangster rap. “Summer Breeze” is about coming of age in the kind of hostile environment where fun doesn’t happen that often, so when it does, you have to make the most of it. Meanwhile, “Somethin' 4 Tha Mood" is about the ups and downs of an average day in the hood that draws obvious parallels with Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.” Bonus track “Tanqueray” has a self-explanatory theme and works as a nice call back to "Tonite" from Quik Is the Name.