DJ Qbert is the stage name of Richard Quitevis (born October 7, 1969), an American DJ, composer, producer, and turntablist from the San Francisco Bay Area. A Filipino American artist, he became one of the most influential figures in the development of modern turntablism, helping establish scratching as a form of musical composition rather than merely a technique used between songs.
Quitevis began experimenting with records as a teenager during the Bay Area's hip-hop renaissance. He met Mix Master Mike while attending Balboa High School, and the two became longtime collaborators. In 1990, Quitevis, Mix Master Mike, and DJ Apollo formed a trio that later performed as the Rock Steady DJs after joining the legendary Rock Steady Crew. Qbert won the DMC USA Championship in 1991, then took the DMC World Championship with the Rock Steady DJs in 1992. After Apollo's departure, Qbert and Mix Master Mike continued as the DreamTeam and won again in 1993. These victories established Qbert as one of the premier battle DJs of his generation.
Qbert was also a founding member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, a San Francisco collective that included artists such as DJ Disk, DJ Shortkut, DJ D-Styles, DJ Flare, and Yogafrog. The group treated turntablism as a band format, assigning the turntables roles comparable to drums, bass, and lead instruments. Their performances emphasized precision, rapid rhythmic cutting, and extended scratch interplay. The Piklz influenced a generation of DJs and helped move turntablist culture from specialist battle circuits into concerts, instructional media, festivals, and popular documentaries.
Alongside his work in crews, Qbert developed an extensive solo catalog. His 1994 mixtape Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik showcased his fast, densely layered approach to scratching and breakbeat construction. He also appeared on recordings by other hip-hop artists, including Dr. Octagon's influential 1996 album Dr. Octagonecologyst. His most ambitious early project was Wave Twisters, Episode 7 Million: Sonic Wars Within the Protons, released in 1998. Built largely from turntable performances, samples, and electronic production, the album presented scratching as the central voice of a science-fiction narrative.
The Wave Twisters concept was later adapted into a 2001 animated feature film. Its unusual production process reversed the conventional relationship between music and animation: the music was created first, and the visuals were developed around it. The project brought Qbert's work to film audiences and reinforced his reputation as an artist working across music, animation, and visual performance. He also appeared in the documentary Scratch and contributed to other film, television, and video-game projects.
In 1996, Qbert and Yogafrog founded Thud Rumble, a company devoted to turntablist music, events, education, and equipment. The company developed products including the QFO, an integrated turntable and mixer created with Vestax, and produced the instructional series Turntable TV. Qbert later established Skratch University, an online educational platform focused on DJ technique and turntable musicianship.
After the Invisibl Skratch Piklz became inactive around 2000, Qbert continued releasing battle records, instructional material, and solo projects. In 2014, he issued the related albums Extraterrestria and GalaXXXian, followed by the Piklz reunion album The 13th Floor in 2016. Across competition, recording, teaching, equipment design, and film, DJ Qbert has helped define the turntable as a legitimate musical instrument and remains a central figure in hip-hop's turntablist tradition.