MACK 10  (October 2003) | Interview By: Nima

      Dubcnn.com hooked up with Westside Connection Rapper Mack 10. The Ingelwood native spoke about the new album, his label Hoo Bangin', Da Hood, Tha Relativez and more. Make sure to check it out and send feedback to: nima@dubcnn.com



Huge thanks to Mack 10 for taking time out to answer the questions fans wanted to know! (Interview was done by phone in October 2003)


Questions Asked By : Nima

Mack 10 Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

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dubcnn.com: You're from Ingelwood, and a Blood. Which set do you rep?

I represent the Westside Connection, I ain't finna promote no gang shit, I'm past that.


dubcnn.com: Were there any local artists who inspired you to rap back in the day?

NWA, Toddy Tee, you know, Ice T.


dubcnn.com: How long did you work with DJ Pooh before clickin' with Cube?

I didn't really do no work with Pooh, I just kinda hung out with him for a couple years but they never did nothin' wit me, so I never got a chance to get nothin' done. So I just hung out there.


dubcnn.com: Who came up with the nickname Chicken Hawk?

Uhh, I don't really remember! I think I did!


dubcnn.com: Were you down with the Westside Connection idea from the jump?

Was I down with it from the jump? Yeah! I've always been down with it, I mean it was a win-win situation! Why would I not be down with it you know what I mean?


dubcnn.com: You know, back then Crips and Bloods connectin' wasn't the most common thing..

I mean my life was never around that homie, I grew up like that but I've been a hustler since I've been old enough to know anything or do anything homie. That shit don't move me before anything. That's my neighbourhood and that's how I grew up but that ain't never been my goal, to be a Blood or nothin' like that. It's just how shit go, but that ain't got nothin' to do with my hustle, real G's don't trip off that shit, they get they money ain't no matter who they get it with.


dubcnn.com: Ya'll released the classic Bow Down album goin' at the East Coast.. How do you view the East/West relationship compared to back then?

I mean right now, I think it's no beef period, you know what I mean? I don't think nobody is really on that page, as far as beefin' or nothing like that. Shit is like everybody's doing their thang to get some money. It was needed at the time, but as of right now it ain't really nothin' it ain't no beef. It's different cause back then it was really some beefin' goin' on, shit ain't like that right now.


dubcnn.com: When and how was the Cypress Hill beef squashed?

Cypress Hill beef has been squashed for five six years!


dubcnn.com: I know, but how did ya'll squash it?

It just kinda like.. I mean that shit is so old, I don't even remember it, we all hooked up and just realized that that shit really don't make no sense, nobody finna do no shit to nobody so why should we spend our time walkin' around mad and shit? It really was nothin', but that's been done for 5-6 years!


dubcnn.com: What about the Common beef?

That's been squashed too!


dubcnn.com: Chilly Chill is your cousin, however ya'll never hooked up.. How come?

Uhm, I don't know! Just it never happened, timin'. You know I ain't talked to Chill in a few years I don't really know what's up with him.


dubcnn.com: Would you be down to do something with him?

Yeah, yeah, I ain't got no problem I'd do something with anybody if it's hot, you know what I mean?


dubcnn.com: You have your own label Hoo Bangin' and released a gang of albums a few years back. What happened to Techniecs album? That was my most anticipated one!

Oh he's still around!


dubcnn.com: How come his album never dropped?

Because I left his label, and we never had a chance to put it out.


dubcnn.com: He needs to drop somethin', people are still waitin' for his shit!

Yea? That's coo.


dubcnn.com: Are you still down with Binky Mack and Squeak Ru?

No, no.


dubcnn.com: How come?

You know.. We got different things.. And interests.. I'm not really intersted in the things that they interested in. We ain't got nothin' in common.


dubcnn.com: But there was no fallin' out or anything?

Yeah.. We just don't.. you know.. see eye to eye.


dubcnn.com: Alright, cause when I heard bout the new Westside Connection album I was hopin' maybe we'd get to hear another West Side Connect Gang track with the whole clique!

Oh, well Da Hood is on there, that's it.


dubcnn.com: What's the future of Hoo Bangin' Records?

Well the Westside Connection is the first start, that's on Hoo Bangin.


dubcnn.com: And after that?

There will prolly be another Hood record, a Connect Gang record and we just gone see how it goes and play it from there you know.


dubcnn.com: Most people were very surprised when you went down south to sign with Cash Money. Are you still with them?

No I'm not, that was a one album deal, it was a good album for me to do durin' the transition of me gettin' my label together.


dubcnn.com: Are planning to move back to the West Coast anytime soon?

I never moved from the West Coast.


dubcnn.com: Didn't you live in Atlanta?

I'm a player I got a couple spots you know what I mean, but I never moved.


dubcnn.com: What happened to the advertised Westside Connection album a few years back?

What do you mean?


dubcnn.com: Well in different magazines there were adds for a WSC record..

My deal was up so we never got a chance to do it, but we doin' it now.


dubcnn.com: Did ya'll record anything back then or not?

It wasn't even done.


dubcnn.com: How come you didn't use any of the producers from Bow Down for this new one like Bud'ha or QDIII?

QDIII don't even do music.


dubcnn.com: Oh really?

Nah he do DVD's now, I ain't talked to him in seven years! But this record is hot.


dubcnn.com: How does this new album compare to the old album?

It don't. It's different, the whole vibe is different. It don't sound like the old record.


dubcnn.com: How does it sound?

You ain't heard it?


dubcnn.com: I've heard a couple tracks, but I wanna know how YOU would describe the sound of the record.

I think that if this record was done like the old record it would be dated now! You gotta kinda like move wit the times! This record sounds like what's goin on right now, sounds like today.


dubcnn.com: Ya'll got a track called So Many Rappers In Love can you tell us about that one?

Well that one is about all these different dudes.. It's just too many niggaz in love right now rappin', it ain't even HipHop! They makin Rap/RnB now, pretty soon the award shows is gone have one category and that's Music! It ain't gone be no Rap category or RnB cause it's all the same shit!


dubcnn.com: Who handled the production on the WSC record?

Alotta different people. Young Tre, Edi Mafia, Megahertz, Sir Jinx, Fredwreck..


dubcnn.com: What about guest appearances?

Nobody, just Da Hood is on there.


dubcnn.com: I thought Nate Dogg and Knocturnal were on the album!

Oh.. Oh yeah Nate Dogg.. Nate Dogg, Knocturnal and uhh.. Nate, Knoc and uh Butch Cassidy on the hook.


dubcnn.com: Do you think this album will have the same impact Bow Down had?

I think it will have a bigger impact.


dubcnn.com: Really?

Yeah, right now we got alotta things in our favor like the publicity and press we gettin' now we never had, never.


dubcnn.com: What's more important to you, releasing the best record or selling the most records?

Releasing the best record. You know, if somebody outsell us and they keep puttin' bullshit records out, pretty soon the public will catch on it and soon he'll just be a nigga puttin' out records. But if you put out quality records, wether outsell you or not you got a chance to stay in the game, and that's why we still around!


dubcnn.com: Are you still down with Bungalo Records?

Yeah they distribute my independent records.


dubcnn.com: You released a dope compilation with Da Hood, what can we expect from them in future?

Another one of them Hood records. Even doper than that! You liked that record?


dubcnn.com: Yeah!

Cool, cool, they'll be glad to hear that.


dubcnn.com: You released your own DVD this year along with the soundtrack. Young Tre had some banging beats on there, what can we expect from Young Tre in future?

He's on Westside Connection.


dubcnn.com: Does he have his own projects too?

Nah.


dubcnn.com: And what can we expect from yourself in future?

Uhh, I'm just gonna keep goin' wit the flow, just whereever I see a crack I'll hit it you know. I just go step by step, and after this Westside Connection album, hopefully we'll do another one.


dubcnn.com: Tha Relativez dissed you on their album that came out last year, did you ever reply to them?

I don't reply to people I sell more in the first week than they do in the whole run of their record, so you know, I woulda done them a favor by replyin. That's bullshit, Da Hood did more in the first week than they did in their whole run.


dubcnn.com: What do you think of them saying you're not from Ingelwood?

That's stupid homie you know what I mean? Anybody say some shit like that, I don't even reply to shit like that. That's like sayin' you ain't a man or somethin', that's stupid!


dubcnn.com: Slow Pain dissed you too, because apparently you said that Mexicans can't rap.. How true is that?

I ain't ever even heard that, I ain't never heard of him and I damn sure ain't badmouthed no mexicans. He's probably another motherfucker lookin' for some publicity. When did I say Mexicans can't rap? I ain't never said no shit like that or remember sayin' no shit like that. The Ese's is one of my biggest audiences, the fuck would I diss them for? That's stupid! He's probably another motherfucker lookin' for attention. I ain't never heard that.


dubcnn.com: Thanks for taking the time to talk to Dubcnn.

Alright playa!