WC (August 2006) | Interview By: Nima

       Dubcnn.com last chopped it up with WC almost four years ago now while he was doing press for his Def Jam release "Ghetto Heisman." Since then alot has gone on and as such we have continued our legends month which has included interviews with Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube & DJ Crazy Toones with WC. We discuss his last solo release & Def Jam, what he's been up to, his views on the 'New Westcoast', his next solo album "Guilty By Affiliation," the group situations he has been around and much more in this detailed, exclusive interview.

As always we have both the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: nima@dubcnn.com

 

Interview was done by phone in August 2006

Questions Asked By : Nima

WC Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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Dubcnn: What up Dub. You know us at dubcnn had to reach out to one of the OG's after chopping it up with Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, DJ Crazy Toones amongst others in the last few weeks. You've been in the game for almost two decades, and you witnessed the rise of Hip-Hop to the top of the music industry. Which period of time was your personal favorite?

Shit, back when I first stepped in the game! Cause it was so competitive. You had niggas that were there before I got down, that was still making shit happen, and when we got on, some of them niggas was still around like LL and them niggas. But back in the days when we got in there, niggas was getting down! It wasn't just about having a hot single, or coming out and representing some kind of fashion, or looking this way or looking that way. It was about the artform, niggas getting down, and not just that! When niggas got down, they had a whole package. Niggas came with identity, niggas came with concepts, niggas came with they own styles, and niggas had shows. That's something that is lacking right now in the game. Niggas don't have the whole package. Even if niggas had some of the package, it would be cool, but some of the muthafuckas now is just duplicating. Biting is at an all time high right now, it's a mad disease going around right now called Bite-A-Nigga.


Dubcnn: You basically said the exact same thing Crazy Toones said when I asked him that question.

That's my little brother, cuzz. We might see eye to eye on certain shit and think different about other shit, but it's real though. Cause he was blessed enough to be a nigga that got a chance to come up in that era, and see a lot of shit that was going on. He done got a chance to stand on stage at the Appolo's, he was there back in the days when it was only a few mixtapes and mixtapes were used as a form of getting at niggas, as opposed to just being a promotional tool, like I got an album out or whatever. Back in the days niggas was battling on mixtapes, left and right! That's what I liked when I heard that nigga Game come out, and he be getting at niggas and shit, or when 50 came out back in the days getting at niggas. That just gave a nigga chills of how it was, when I was a young nigga trying to get up in the game, before I got up in there. Cause I used to see or hear the mixtapes of Kool Moe Dee battling Bizzy B, KRS One and shit getting down against niggas, Melle Mel and shit like that. I got a chance to sit at the muthafuckin' music seminars and watch these niggas get down with each other. I'ma stop now cause I'ma fuck with a lot of these muthafuckas heads. It's all good though!


Dubcnn: You've been in a lot of different groups, but everything started with Low Profile, right?

I ain't been in no lot of groups man, it's only two groups, Low Profile and Maad Circle. I'm down with the Westside Connect though. But that wasn't no group, that was just three niggas gettin' together, from different areas.


Dubcnn: You were affiliated with the Lench Mob as well, right?

Yeah, I was affiliated with a lot of niggas out here, but as far as being in a group, it's only Low Profile and WC & Maad Circle.


Dubcnn: I was thinking of three, Low Profile, Maad Circle and Westside Connection, that's why I said a lot of groups.

It wasn't really groups, more like a group of niggas, affiliated, getting down. A group is people who drop records together on the regular. With Westside Connect, we got together but everybody was dropping their solo shit, it was just when we got together we called ourself the Connect, cause we connected up. But we was three niggas from different sides of town. Me and Cube are from the same side of town but we have sepparate identities of what we're represented in. The Westside Connection was niggas that was from different areas, not just me, Cube and Mack, but you had niggas like AllFrumTha I, The Comrads, you had different niggas up in there, my nigga, niggas from different hoods. That's why we called ourself the connect, cause we all represent the Dub.

Which brings me to something else! I hear a lot of niggas talking about they're the New West Coast! Niggas pushing the New West Coast, New West Coast. That's cool and everything, you're a new nigga coming out to get down, get down! You got my full support. But a lot of niggas don't realize, when they say the New West Coast, what they're doing is they're disconnecting themselves from all the niggas that paved the way back in the days! So when you say you're the new West Coast, keep in mind, if you don't specify what the fuck you're talking about, you're saying FUCK Dre, FUCK Snoop, FUCK Dub, FUCK Cube, FUCK Quik, you're saying FUCK every nigga out here that done got down beforehand and paved the way for you bitch ass niggas to throw this shit up.


Dubcnn: I don't think they mean it as a diss...

Nah but niggas need to specify that shit, because a lot of times I'm out of town and niggas coming up to me like "What's happening? I'm hearing niggas saying they're the New West Coast? Ya'll cool? What's going on?" And half of these niggas I don't know! I done heard of niggas and shit, I'm like "Cool, yeah." What niggas don't realize is a lot of times these A&R's and shit will call us up, and be like "What's up with whoopty-whoop? I'm thinking about signing him." A lot of niggas be on some get down shit. Get down!

I'm pro west! I'm West-West to the fullest, my nigga. But at the same time too, don't get out and start dissing us my nigga, and be on some these old niggas is washed up... You bitch ass nigga you ain't even got your feet wet! How are we washed up? Nigga don't disrespect the muthafuckin' architects nigga who laid the foundation for you nigga to walk on this ground. To get mad at us my nigga, cause your shit ain't getting played. Don't get mad at us cause you can't get through. Get mad at the DJ's. Take the steps Crazy Toones is taking. Toones is spitting at a lot of these DJ's out here that ain't repping right, that ain't playing no muthafuckin' West Coast music. You niggas need to start protesting! Go holla at these radio stations! Start getting at these muthafuckas, my nigga! Not just getting at them niggas, start getting at these A&R's! Tell them how you really feel!

But to start disconnecting yourself from the forefathers of this shit right here, the niggas that done paved the way, is the wrong fucking move my nigga. Cause if it's like that, then let it be known! Then it's on and cracking!


Dubcnn: I ain't heard about no dissing to be honest with you, I talk to a lot of the New West cats and...

Fuck what you heard, cuzz! Listen to what I'm saying, my nigga! What I'm saying is that I'm hearing a lot of niggas holler "This is the New West Coast", and I'm hearing niggas saying "Fuck them old niggas." That's what I'm hearing! I don't give a fuck what you hearing! I'm telling you what I'm hearing! What I'm saying is, it's all good, it's all West West, but if niggas got problems with niggas that's been here before them, because they can't get out there for whatever reason, labels ain't picking them up and signing them, then speak on that shit, cuzz! You throwing up the West Coast, but when you're throwing it up, you're throwing up the old W! You throwing it up the way we were throwing it up beforehand! Check the record, nigga!

Any nigga out here wanna impress me, go against the grain the way we did it nigga, with the connect! Nigga we went against the whole muthafuckin' state of Hip-Hop and said fuck ya'll! Nigga we sacrfice our career on this shit! It could've been grand opening or grand closing for us, when we did that shit! Fuck ya'll, nigga this is West Coast, throw that muthafucka up. This is how we ride shit over here. This is how we do what we do. Straight up. And we did it! But to hear a muthafucka be on some bullshit like "This the new this, and fuck them old niggas... Nah nigga hold up cuzz! Be specific! That's all I'm saying my nigga.

I'm not saying that every nigga out here that's talking about New West got a problem with niggas that's been in the game. Nah I ain't saying that. Nigga, I'm pro West. I'm pushing for any nigga out here to get on! Niggas gotta start taking different approaches, my nigga! Niggas gotta watch what they say. Specially when you're out in public. Because you niggas are going to need us old niggas, to come and co-sign you in your video, to come and get on a hook on your record or whatever. You gonna need us when them A&R muthafuckas ask "What's happening with ya'll? Do you fuck with these niggas?" The same way we need these niggas, to get that shit cracking! That's where I'm at with it right now, my nigga.

That's why I'm pushing what Snoop is pushing. We all gotta get together collectively my nigga, and we'll start pushing it and it will be great. But all this lil cutthroat and "I ain't fuckin' with this nigga or that nigga" man hold up cuzz! That shit ain't gravy!


Dubcnn: What I wanted to say was that when I told cats that I was going to be talking to Dub, they were all like to tell you much love, that they respect you, you're an O.G. in the game, that's why I was surprised when you said that.

That's cool, because I'm pushing for all the new niggas coming out, that wanna make this shit happen! Any nigga that knows what kind of nigga I am, that has ran across me knows I'm the most humblest nigga there is in the game. Me and you never got a chance to chop it up before, therefore you're getting an introduction 101 right now! But I'm all about the business when it comes down getting down and handling mine. On the mic, and out in the streets. I ain't never been the type to get on no interviews and be like this, at niggas heads and shit. If I got a problem with you, when I see you it's getting dealt with point blank bam smash! Right there! It ain't nothing about a nigga takin' a ass whoopin'! Coming up, we done got down! I done caught those before! But I'm not gonna speak and not walk it.

Right now with this music, this rap shit, which is a form of a hustle, but a lot of niggas wanna take this shit to the next level and talk that big shit. What I'm trying to say is that if niggas is not rolling with us, they're rolling against us, when it comes to pushing the West Coast. So if you say, you're from the New West Coast my nigga, and you got something on your mind about the niggas that laid the path for you niggas to come out and get your walk on, then nigga don't wear none of that old West shit! Don't wear no Chuck Taylors, don't speak about none of that shit! Don't talk about no Khaki's nigga, I don't wanna see you throwing up the Dub the old way, none of that shit! Come all new! Come new then! That's all I'm saying.

But if you ain't on that shit, if you're on some New West shit but you're still pushing the West Coast, you ain't got problems with niggas, it's all gravy! I don't wanna hear that shit about "We gonna show these old niggas." Fuck all that nigga, what you saying? What you saying? Be specific! It ain't no "All these old niggas." If you're calling out every nigga that's been there before you, then you're saying fuck everybody cuzz. Straight up. Don't take it out on us my nigga, take it out on the radio programmers, take it out on the mixshow dj's who's asses you be kissing and doing them bullshit drops for on the radio! That ain't gone get you no muthafuckin' spins anyway! Get active my nigga! Straight up! Get active!

N.W.A., back in the day, I was there my nigga! I was there. Niggas had to go to Swap Meets and shit to get they shit off, slanging shit out the trunks! Shit like that! Niggas reppin' they shit, trying to get on the mic. That's how got in the game through Ice T! Ice T gave me a shot my nigga. That nigga ain't never hear no demo or no shit like that, that nigga gave me a shot. The reason that nigga gave me a shot was cause every spot he was at, I was poppin' up on the nigga! Everywhere I was, I was poppin' up on the nigga. My nigga DJ Aladdin was poppin' up everywhere, wanting to get on turntables, wanting to get down! Handling his business.

A lotta niggas that wanna get in the game, you niggas can't expect from a muthafucka to hear no goddamn mixtape, or expect from a muthafucka to hear no song that you did and think that niggas is gone put you on! It's more than that! Niggas gotta stay consistent man, you gotta get out here, you gotta be everywhere. That's why I respect that boy Game. I respect Game, for the simple fact that he wasn't just gettin' down on the West Coast, getting signed by Dre. I fucked with Game in New York, my nigga. I was in New York and he was pushing, out there slanging his tapes, getting down fuckin' with niggas out there! On some hustling shit. 50 Cent! I didn't hear from 50 Cent on no goddamn music awards or no shit like that! I ran across 50 Cent out here in these streets! We really got a chance to chop it up in the studio with Dre! But before then, he was doing these tapes! When I was in New York fuckin' with all my niggas. every fuckin' song that came out, I don't care if it was LL Cool J or whoever, 50 Cent was jumpin' on that shit, pressing that shit up, having the DJ's in the club spin that shit. Niggas was fuckin' with him.

That's where we gotta go man. We gotta take this shit back in our own hands. Niggas can not sit back and expect for nobody to just sign they muthafuckin' ass and put them out! Like Snoop was saying on that interview (dubcnn), it's fucked up, but that's how it is on the West! We didn't make the rules! We didn't make the rules that say that the only way you niggas can come out is to be validated by us, but it's the way it is. It's fucked up, yeah I agree with you! That's the way it is though, cuzz. I ain't tellin' you niggas you gotta kiss nobody's ass or none of that shit, but if we gone roll together as one my nigga, you gotta start showing some kind of unity around this muthafucka. Niggas can't be on no "We on this" shit, "Ya'll niggas on that shit" and everything. Niggas can't be no muthafuckin' computer soldiers and shit, get at a nigga when you see him! Cuzz, you know where that nigga at! There he go! Blood, you know where that nigga at! There he go! Get at him! Let's make this shit right! The strong is going to outlast the weak.

A nigga from the New West Coast that I fuck with real tough is my nigga Young Maylay. Young Maylay is a nigga that has been out here grinding it out for a while man. It's niggas from the New West Coast that I'm hearing and that's doing their thing. I'm loving to hear them doing big thangs, and I'm supporting them 150%, as long as there ain't no disrespect to the OG's who laid the foundation. One of the niggas that I love and fuck with is Young Maylay. I don't think too many niggas can fuck with Young Maylay, that's my nigga till the wheels fall off.

Like I said earlier in the conversation, holla at these A&R's and these DJ's, cause they're the muthafuckas that's doing all the blocking, we ain't got nothing to do with that. We're just getting our grind on. These new niggas in the game could learn from our mistakes, and they could get out there and make shit happen. Holla at your big homies when you see a nigga, get some advice! Don't get mad like "Fuck these niggas! We the new and fuck that!" Niggas can say they ain't saying it or whatever... Niggas be saying, we done heard about it my nigga. At the end of the day, it is what it is, Dub C speaking his mind. I got love for niggas from the New West Coast that's coming out that's representing, and they ain't disrespecting.

That's all I'm saying my nigga, that's fucked up, that's the way it is though. We gotta move as one, we got to. If any niggas got hidden agendas or is like "we over here and you niggas over there", I ain't with that shit. I ain't with it at all, I don't give a fuck who a nigga is, where he's from, who he rollin' with whatever. At the end of the day, we all got days on the calendar already written down. You came in this world a day you going to go out a day. But niggas gotta keep this shit moving, you keep it 100 with me I'ma keep it 100 with you.

But it's all good though, cuzz, we can start the interview! What's cracking?


Dubcnn: Alright! Back in the days, you had a producer and a rapper, who would record an entire album together. Do you think that's something that's missing in the game right now? Cause albums sound all over the place a lot of times, cause you have so many different producers...

Yeah it's missing but that's not a bad thing that it's missing. It's a different day and time! I ain't stuck on that shit, if the shit is working it's working. Back in the days that's how it was because a nigga didn't have no budget to go out and get a lot of different producers and shit like that. Also back in the days, niggas wanted to display their sound and their side of town. Now when you fuckin' with these major labels and shit, whatever is hot at the time is the sound that they want! It's fucked up! We didn't make the rules, though. I admire niggas that go against the grain, that's why I advise every nigga out there to get on that independent route. All you niggas that ain't signed, you're in the best position in the game. Quit crying about a fuckin' deal. Put your shit out independently, and get out here and get cracking.

You think I'm lying? Ask Cash Money. Think I'm lying? Ask Rocafella. Think I'm lying? Ask Murder Inc. Think I'm lying? Ask Nelly and them. Nigga go independent. Get your shit cracking. Ask Dre. Quit waiting for a muthafucka to hand you some shit! Because when you're independent, you can go out and do what the fuck you wanna do! When you get on a major label, you're going to be caught in that bullshit. Same shit I got caught up with when I was over there fuckin' with Def Jam.


Dubcnn: How did you first hook up with Coolio and formed the Maad Circle?

I was fuckin' with Aladdin. Aladdin is from Compton and Coolio is from Compton. Aladdin and Coolio used to fuck around. I got introduced to Aladdin by a nigga named Zero. Me and him went to the same school, Washington High School. Me and Zero used to be battling every nigga in the camp school, every nigga in the area. But back then that was the shit, you couldn't just rap and handle a song, you had to be able to get at a nigga. Back then a nigga's pen game had to be tough about knockin' a nigga down on the mic. So Zero was a cat that in my group, and actually he turned me on to this cat that he had that was young named Aladdin. I don't know where he knew Aladdin from or how he met him or whatever, but he turned me on to him. We went over there and we got to spitting and it was all gravy!

From then, Zero, he was messin' with the school, he was an artist. He was for real with it, he left and went to school. We lost communication but it was all love. Me and Aladdin kept it moving, Aladdin used to tell me about some cats that he was working with, DJ'ing for, by the name of New School, which is Coolio, Billy Boy and Spoony. We got together and everything, and Coolio at the time didn't know how to write songs. He just knew how to write, long ass verses! He was bustin' like a muthafucka! He didn't know how to write songs and I showed him how to write bars, how to write 16 bars and 3 verses. We connected and it was real street for the simple fact that he was over in Compton and I used to go by in the back house over there and he used to come over to where I stayed at at the time and it was all gravy. We was like family!

From there me and Aladdin had Low Profile going on, and we got signed with Priority Records and everything. We was getting out there doing shows and shit like that, I used to bring Coolio along, to be my hypeman. We just got to working and working and working... To make a long story short, when me and Low Profile went sepparate ways because of musical differences, and when I say musical differences, that's on some real shit. Me and Aladdin, he wanted to go one way and I wanted to go another way, and when we went out own ways, Coolio stayed down, and we formed WC & The Maad Circle.


Dubcnn: What was your label situation back then? How did you get signed? What kind of deal did you have, are you happy with it looking back?

I'm happy with everything I've done as far as bringing me where I am right now, because in order to live, you gotta learn. In order to learn, you gotta go through trials and tribulations. Back then, nah the deal was a fucked up deal. We signed a deal that was fucked up, we got fucked up when we signed the deal. Niggas just wanted to get up in the industry, wanted to get out there. We paved the way since for a lot of niggas to come out here and get better deals, because our deal was fucked up. Niggas that's always yelling in interviews and shit like that, make sure you got a good lawyer, make sure the shit is tight!

It is what it is man, it was raggedy. I'm not going to go into details about what was fucked up about it, but it was a fucked up contract though. But we signed the deal as Low Profile to Priority Records at the time, and we did what we did man. We dropped "We In This Together", the Low Profile album. After that I came with "Ain't A Damn Thang Changed".


Dubcnn: Coolio started off his solo career and blew up, do you still keep in touch with him?

Yeah Coolio did the solo thang. Me and him we used to go back and forth about that. He wanted to do another Maad Circle album, and I was telling him that the contracts was so fucked up over there. I signed some shit man it was called cross-collaterization. Alot of you niggas don't know what that is, a lot of new niggas gettin' in the game and shit like that. That means that they can take one of your records from back in the days and recoup that against your new record. I don't care how many millions you sold, niggas can say that that you owe money from your first album. You can be on your fourth album, niggas can say from your first album you owe man. And they can do a cross-collaterization and use that new album as collateral to pick up the money from the old money.

So what they do is start taking money from your royalties and all that shit, so you can still owe money after having sold millions of records and made them millions of dollars. The average nigga is a tax write off for a record label. That's why they have more than one artist out there.


Dubcnn: Do you still keep in touch with Coolio?

Nah I don't keep it touch with Coolio, but the times I do see him or pass him or whatever, it's "Wassup, wassup" it's all love. Ain't no issues or no shit like that.


Dubcnn: Do you keep in touch with J-Dee of Tha Lench Mob? He's been locked up for 13 years.

Me and J-Dee, I chopped it up a couple of months back on the phone and he done wrote me, told me how he feels. He feels like we could be doing more to fight for his freedom, but it's only so much that niggas can do right now in the position that we're in. We done chopped it up back and forth, as a matter of fact I gotta write cuzz back. So yeah I keep in contact with him, I keep in contact with pretty much all the niggas I done fucked with from back in the days, I ain't hard to find!


Dubcnn: So you went on to release "Curb Servin" in '95, with Coolio only appearing on one song. What did you do between Ain't A Damn Thang Changed and Curb Servin?

Between "Ain't A Damn Thang Changed" and "Curb Servin"... "Ain't A Damn Thang Changed" was the album that I was telling you Coolio got down on, and then after that I was caught up in a web over there at Priority Records when they were going through their transitions, change of staff and shit. I wanted to get up out that contract man. They had more money than me, more lawyers and all that other bullshit. The only way I could get out that contract was wait that shit out, and try to fight it with the money that I had from doing shows and hustling.

It was kind of hard, but in the meantime I had gotten with Cube cause Cube, we used to go on the road with him since the Lench Mob was getting out and doing their own thang. When me and Cube got together on stage it was like magic. It was like god damn! For thsoe who ain't never seen a Ice Cube show with WC or Westside Connect show, you're missing out! Cause it's real energetic, we give a 150% everytime we get out there. It's like, he tripped off it to the point where he was like "Nigga I got so many shows that we can be doing." But with the kinda show that we got, we could be killing them! So we did our concert shit, we went on tour with every group that was out from the early 90's to the mid 90's.

We was just touring man, waiting to get out my contract and when I finally got a chance to get outta there, I went over to Payday London, me and DJ Premier connected with his manager who had a plug over there running the label, which was the same label that was putting out Salt N Peppa, Group Home and niggas like that. It was a predominantly East Coast ran label so they took a chance on something, so we dropped that "Curb Servin" album. After we dropped the "Curb Servin" album, we went on and did the Westside Connection album.


Dubcnn: When you listen to that album, it sounds like a whole lot of fun. Do you have any memories of recording sessions surrounding that album?

Oh yeah, all that shit. *laughs* I remember all that shit, like yesterday! Just grinding everyday. Grinding out. Being in the studio everyday, grinding it out. It was fun, definitely, because we got a chance to get in there and do it the way we wanted to do it without A&R's all over our shoulders telling us that you gotta lean with it and rock with it because that's what's hot right now! Nothing specific stood out like ya'll had to be there, it was just that whole time, back then. It was fun to me, to me that was fun compared to what it is now, where you're dealing with so much politricks that's involved in the game.


Dubcnn: Next up was Westside Connection, which went platinum. Or it's probably at more than that right now right?

Bow Down is at 3 million right now.


Dubcnn: Oh okay. Ya'll went against the grain and shitted on the whole New York politics.

We didn't shit on New York, we shitted on the critics in New York. But L.A. too, shit, we got on everybody! We got on niggas out here that was trying to dress like they was from New York, act like they was from New York, talk like they was from New York! We got on everybody.


Dubcnn: Do you think that the East Coast West Coast beef was blown out of proportion by the media?

Oh yeah, definitely. Hell yeah! The media did their drive! Trying to start some shit, yeah they did it! They tried to put that beef that Tupac had with Biggie and them, they tried to twist our shit up with that shit and like it was a East Coast West Coast, when that shit between Biggie and Pac was personal, and our beef wasn't with the East Coast. Our problem was how the industry was ran on the East Coast. It is what it is, controversy sells and they had to do what they had to do. You sold records for our shit, so...


Dubcnn: You've always showed your Crip affiliation. How do you feel when you look at the youth today, with the gang banging mentality still present. Do you feel like your music or the rappers commercialization of gangbanging might have had a negative influence?

Mmh, nah, I don't think that the music is to blame for the actions that takes place out here when it comes to gang related crime. Because if I got more influence over your child in three minutes of conversation, than you do in the whole thirteen years of living with a nigga before he's able to go wild with it, shit then it's something wrong with your household, not with me. So I don't never blame the music.

But I do think that the music does an influence on a lot of cats out here. It's just this California lifestyle. I don't wanna get on here and start lying like "Yo I don't think that if we wouldn't have made records like this, then statistically, these niggas wouldn't have got killed." That's bullshit. If it wasn't my record, it would've been some other record.


Dubcnn: We all know about the Ice Cube & Mack/Cypress Hill beef, what made you choose to stay out of it instead of riding for your crew?

Well it wasn't so much that I stayed out of it. I didn't get on that record right there. The reason that I didn't get on that record, I told Cube. I told Cube and I told Mack, it wasn't no fuckin' surprise. I said "This nigga B-Real got at you Cube, it's fucked up. You gotta handle your business." And he handled his business. Mack was new, Mack wanted to get down, and Mack wanted to show Cube that he was all the way there, so he rolled. I didn't do that, because we all used to kick it together real tough. Everybody. Everybody was chilling, Cypress Hill, Ice Cube. I lived with Muggs. Me Muggs and Aladdin stayed together in Hollywood for a short period of time, when we was all hustling. When Muggs was DJ'ing for 783.

So it was either I'm going all out, or I wasn't gone play with it. So for me to be just on some Fuck Cypress Hill shit at the time, that right there was a sticky situation. Cause I knew I couldn't pull it off, cause I knew I was gonna go all the way with it. To me, it wasn' no shit that could'nt be handled. So Cube got at B-Real and them, Mack 10 got down, and shit like that. But it's just something that had to be done. If we was out here in the streets, and we rolled up on niggas, I would've gave them a pass, cause them my niggas. Cube would've pulled the trigger, he would've handled his business. And I was there, which automatically would've put me in it. Yeah I was in it, cause I was Westside Connection and I was behind Cube, and I love Cube to death.

But for a nigga to go around and talk about "Dub, he should've rolled, he shoulda this he shoulda that or whatever". Ah you bitch ass niggas don't even know what's going on, you wasn't there, and that situation was just a sticky situation on mine. Cube knows the real, Cube knows I love him to death and a nigga can't say nothing about Cube without me getting at a nigga out here. That one right there, I just couldn't fuck with. Cause they was like family to me at the time. And to hear that B-Real went off on Cube, for whatever reason, that was something that had to be worked out between him and Cube. I wasn't sweatin' Cube about going out and handling his business, cause I knew he could stand up for his own. Just like B-Real was.

If I had gotten into that shit, it would've gotten real ugly, Cause I know where I'ma go with it, and I already know where Cypress Hill gone go with it. And it wouldn't have been records right now with Mack 10 doing records with B-Real. It would be on some whole other shit.


Dubcnn: You released "The Shadiest One" in 1998. This was the first official solo album by WC. How come the "& The Maad Circle" was dropped?

Cause on that album right there it wasn't no "Maad Circle". It wasn't no Coolio on that album.


Dubcnn: You still had Toones with you though, right?

Yeah, Toones is my little brother, Toones is my DJ. But it wasn't no Big G that was down with the Maad Circle, he wasn't part of that album. So it was only right that we called it a WC album which it really was.


Dubcnn: Although you were always on your grind releasing music, you never managed to have the commercial success that Ice Cube or even Mack 10 had. What do you think was the cause for that?

I don't know! I really don't know! I think a lot of it has to do with me not really getting that push from a label that a lot of them cats was getting. I was never on a real powerful label other than being on Def Jam. Never! At the time when I got over there on Def Jam and shit like that, them niggas wasn't fuckin' with West Coast Rap. When I came with that smash "The Streets" produced by Scott Storch and Snoop on it, you saw they fucked with that right there. I really believe that I never had a label get behind me and get behind WC, not just throw the record out there. Cause I've always had the streets behind me.

As far as commercial success and shit like that, I never really got that big worldwide look, but I was never tripping off it, cause I've always had money in my bank account! *laughs* I was always able to get out there and do shows and shit like that, I wasn't really tripping. I was doing it cause this is what I love doing. I love doing what I do. If I was a nigga that was in this shit just for the money, then I would've been let this shit go. For me not being a nigga that's just in it for the money but for loving this shit... I mean don't get it twisted! A nigga loves the money, hell yeah! But just cause a nigga don't get nominated for a grammy or a nigga don't sell a million records, don't mean that you ain't gone see no change off this shit. Not if you're a hard hustler.


Dubcnn: A classic character that always used to appear on WC albums was Gangsta Granny. Do you still talk to Jazzy D?

Nah I don't fuck with Jazzy D.


Dubcnn: So we ain't gone see no more Gangsta Granny on WC's shit?

That bitch dead.


Dubcnn: What happened?

Just some shit between me and him we gotta iron out face to face. I'm not gonna send no message through other niggas and shit like that, just some shit that me and him gotta iron out. I don't fuck with Jazzy D. And we created Gangsta Granny. When I say we that's me and Crazy Toones. We wrote all the muthafuckin' material that you heard him say.


Dubcnn: You attempted to get commercial acclaim with 2002's "Ghetto Heisman", but we all know how that ended up. Def Jam released the first CD with a skip, and later on dropped the ball. What do you think of that record looking back?

I think that we put out a decent record. I could've did a lot more with it if I would've had my hands free and get out to do what I want to do, but I'm not gonna sit up there and say "Aw it was all some bullshit." I don't see a record out at the time that was fuckin' with "The Streets" when it dropped. Everybody's mama was banging "The Streets". And the video was off the fuckin' chain! The ghetto olympics? Come on my nigga what's fuckin' with that shit?


Dubcnn: What do you think kept it from blowing up the way it should've?

The muthafuckin' record! The record didn't get a chance to get out! For those who don't know, for the record, my Def Jam album, the muthafucka had three release dates! Def Jam pressed up 100,000 copies of my record scratched and had to recall it. When they recalled it it didn't drop the day it was supposed to come out. When it didn't drop the day it was supposed to come out, a lot of the retailers said they gotta take these records back, they can't sell these records, cause if we sell these records with the scratches, people are going to come back and want a refund until they can get the real one. They had to re-order. The timing was fucked up, that's what happened to my record right there. It was 100,000 pressed up that was scratched!

That pushed it back and then they pushed it back again and they dropped me the day they dropped Jay-Z! The same three or four other major artists came out! That's when my album came out. From the time that it was supposed to come out until the time that it came out, we lost momentum on that record. So I never got a square squab out the gate. That ain't no shit you hear me going around crying about to niggas on the radio or whatever! I got broke off though. Def Jam wrote me a fat cheque, they wrote me a cheque for a gold record. I was trippin' when they gave me gold on my album! But no record fucked with "The Streets" at the time. You heard the promotion, you saw the promotion! But it's all good, I ain't tripping off that shit. It is what it is. I'm good though, I'm good. I'm still moving, I'm still doing me.

We came back after that and dropped terrorist threats and did what we did. Then niggas went they own ways and I sat back in the cut and said "Okay, now that I'm a free man, I'm no longer on Def Jam, how am I going to play this? Am I going to go be a slave to another major label? Just to put out a record? So some muthafuckas can hear me at home and say that I'm on this label?" Niggas is running around saying "I'm on Universal Records, I'm on this label, I'm on that.." So what? What that mean my nigga? I wanna know what's happening with the bank account! I ain't talking about the hustling, I ain't talking about the money you're getting off the streets. What's happening with the bank account on the records sold over there. That's where I'm at with it. That's why I said "Okay, it's best for me to sit back, get my shit right, to where I can come out and drop my independent record, with a strong force behind me and be succesful with it."

So I said okay the best way to do this is to sit back and join up with my nigga Cube. We're going to test the waters with this record. They said that we was all washed up, niggas is old school nobody's trying to hear that shit no more and all that old gay ass shit. Cube came out and Cube is up right there with Young Joc, and he wasn't on a major label! He was right there with Young Joc, right there top of the charts. First week. Same nigga that everybody said was out doing kids movies and all that other bullshit. The nigga is gold right now, you multiply that times muthafuckin' 9 dollars a record. You do the math!


Dubcnn: You released a second Westside Connection album called "Terrorist Threats", but since then, a lot has changed in the camp. Nobody has really spoken on this, Cube said it was a family issue, but I'm not talking about Cube's relationship with Mack. What's up with you and Mack 10?

Shit, me and Mack 10... I ain't got a problem with Mack. I ain't got no problems with nobody my nigga.. Any nigga that I got a problem with out here, he'd know it, cause he would've gotten a call from me, or we would've been hollering face to face. Life is too short for me to be sitting up, hiding behind a muthafuckin' microphone talking about I got a problem with a nigga. So to answer your question, I ain't got a problem with Mack 10. Am I doing business with Mack 10? Nah. I'm doing me. He's doing him. It's all hood.


Dubcnn: Do you think there will be another Westside Connection album coming?

I don't see it in the future. Not right now. I see "WC Guilty By Affiliation" sitting there cocked and loaded!


Dubcnn: We're about to get to that! It's been four years since a WC album. In the meantime, you released a mixtape called Westside Heavy Hitter. What do you think of mixtapes?

In the meantime, I did that Connection album, I done did a lot of ghost writing for muthafuckas out here, and I done sat back and start lining my situation up for what's going on. I don't even count these muthafuckin' mixtapes as something I dropped. I don't really count no mixtapes. That's just me doing what I do. What I think about mixtapes? I think it's cool, I think that it's a good form of promotion. But I think it's oversaturated right now. A lot of niggas out that's putting out shit calling it a mixtape, but these muthafuckas ain't mixtapes, like Toones said! Where the mixing at? A lot of these niggas dropping unfinished albums, they're just dropping demo's. Say it's a demo or a teaser, don't call it a mixtape! Where's the mixing at? Just say this is your demo. Mixtape? Get the fuck outta here. Say it's records that's not on your album. It ain't no mixed tape! Crazy Toones muthafuckin' CD is a mixed tape. That muthafucka is like an album!


Dubcnn: Tell us about that project, the CT Experience.

"CT Experience" is off the chain. It's a nigga that had a chance to come out and do what he do, that had the blessings from Dr. Dre and shit like that that he done earned from back in the days. I'm about to go see Dre right now man, as a matter of fact, Dre will tell you! Crazy Toones was the nigga from back in the days that got a chance to watch them come up doing the traffic jams and shit like that. I'm not saying that every nigga now that's getting down is not no real DJ or shit like that, hell nah! You got a lot of nice DJ's out here. But when it comes to mix tapes, don't call your shit a mixed tape if you ain't got no mixing in it! Where the mixing at? Felli Fel, the shit I did with him, the Heavyhitters shit, he was mixing that muthafucka. Non stop! It was going! That was a mixed tape.

But the nigga wasn't yelling on that muthafucka "New shit!" and all that other shit that Funkmaster Flex and them be doing. Me and Flex were laughing about that shit not too long ago! Niggas ask me all the time man, you gotta realize we've been blessed to be in this game for a while, to where we get hit all the time. Kay Slay get at me all the time like "What's up? What's going on with this, that?" I was talking a while back with my nigga DJ Red, he's from the Technician, that's a DJ group, he was telling me like everytime I call his ass on a conference call, these West Coast DJ's what's hot with them? The muthafuckas is just saying all the shit that we saying on the East Coast? They ain't giving it up for no nigga out there that's on the grind that's coming up or no new records! Nothing! It's like damn my nigga, when is niggas going to have their own identity and make a change? That's why I like Toones tape, cause he stood up and was like I'm pushing the West Coast, but at the same time I'm getting at you bitch ass niggas out here that's misrepping. Straight up.


Dubcnn: You've had a few street singles in the meantime as well, such as "What!" and "Stick 'Em". Are those going to end up on the album?

Nah, hell nah! That was just shit I was putting out there. That was all mixtape shit too, no single shit, and showing the power that I had, that I can just do a record and take it to these mixshow deejays, and get some burn. That's where I was at with it, and just testing the waters, that was part of my experiments after I left Def Jams. Seeing what would happen if I went indy with it.


Dubcnn: You just said you were on your way to see Dre. Any chance of seeing you over a Dr. Dre beat?

Yeah hopefully! Hopefully! Hopefully! We've been talking and shit. It's all good.


Dubcnn: You've been riding heavily with Ice Cube in the last year, appearing on two tracks off "Laugh Now, Cry Later", and touring the country with him. Cube told me your new project "Guilty By Affiliation" is dropping on Cube's Lynch Mob Records. Tell us about that.

Yeah it's gonna be Lynch Mob with my tag Bigg Swang on it. I mean, it's just an album where we going to boss out and speak on how we feeling right now, about the industry itself, about how the game is itself. Basically, it's similar to that Maad Circle album, but it's more gangsta. We niggas homies, we all going to be looked upon as being niggas no matter what. We going to be guilty by affiliation. So let's get our muthafuckin' money and let's go! It's on some street rebel straight gangsta shit.


Dubcnn: Have you picked out any producers that you're going to be working with?

Yeah I got a couple that I've picked out but as far as having a set list of producers, nah it ain't like that. We're grabbing all the hot shit from any nigga bringing it, putting it down. Young niggas, old niggas, we don't give a fuck. A banger is a banger. You ain't gotta be a producer that done a track that sold 15 million in order for me to fuck with you.


Dubcnn: Have you hooked back up with Battlecat?

Yup, Battlecat sent me a couple tracks I'm just trying to find the right one.


Dubcnn: Do you have a timeframe of when we can expect Guilty By Affiliation?

In Spring. That's what we're shooting for. Could be earlier. We going to drop it when it's hot! Right now, it's on the stove, it's cooking.


Dubcnn: You recently signed Tha Trapp to Bigg Swang Records, tell us about them.

That's my little homeboys! Like I said, I ain't got no problem with anybody coming out here repping it and pushing the coast and everything. If a niggas heads is leveled, and the niggas work ethics is up to par, I ain't got no problem with that. I'm push as much as I can push. I might not be able to push you as far as Dre can push you, or a nigga like Snoop, but I can get you in the door, definitely, and get you some exposure. So Tha Trapp is niggas that I ain't got a problem making shit happen for, cause the niggas shit is fire! They're not trying to be WC, they're not trying to be Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre or DJ Quik. They're being them. They're some young niggas that's fire, that's on some different shit. Them niggas on some let's get money shit. Them niggas will ride on you with the quickness though, and I'm loving that.

They're not coming out talking shit about "I don't like this nigga I don't like that nigga" and all that gay shit. Them niggas is smashing man, let's get out let's get this paper let's get this money. And they're getting down on them beats. They're getting down on some different shit. I'm loving the vision and I'm loving what I'm doing right now. That's something totally sepparate from my album right there, that's one of my projects I got in the making, that's my baby right there.


Dubcnn: After almost 20 years in the rap game, where does Dub C stand in 2006?

I feel good. I feel good! Hip-Hop done came further than they expected for it to go. They didn't expect Hip-Hop to go this far! They didn't expect cats to venture into the areas of being on the big screen such as Ice Cube, LL, Mos Def, Queen Latifah, shit like that. Didn't none of us see that shit go down like that, cause a lot of us was in it cause it was something we love doing. But to see Hip-Hop making so much money off ringtones, to advertising on commercials and shit, that right ther I'm loving it. I'm loving to be able to be part of it. I'm loving to hear niggas yelling West Coast! I'm loving to hear that shit, cause that's something that we done sacrificed our careers for.

I'm not on no "This is West Coast I don't fuck with nobody from the East or Down South." I'm loving music in general, don't get it twisted! Cause a lot of them niggas down south, there was a time where they shit couldn't get played, they wasn't fuckin' with nobody down south. If you wasn't from the Geto Boys you wasn't getting your shit played from Down South. 8Ball & MJG, some other niggas done broke through, but now to see that it's a bundle of htem getting play now, that makes me smile cause I'm like "Oh okay, ya'll getting ya'lls now!"

But as far as us on the West Coast, I think niggas need to continue what they're doing, and niggas need to unify more, and connect with each other. If you ain't dealing with this nigga, then you gotta deal with that shit face to face. All that bitch ass shit like getting on records and shit, man fuck a battle. You say something bout me I say something bout you, but nigga keep it 100 when we see each other my nigga. Don't talk shit on records and be cool when you see me! Don't do that! Don't do that, my nigga! All that let's keep it on wax shit or whatever, man that's cool, if ya'll some bitches! But on some real shit, when you see a nigga, get at a nigga! Get it over with right there! Like that nigga Snoop say bout when he had issues with niggas he could've smashed niggas and did that but he was pushing peace, cause he didn't wanna go there!


Dubcnn: That's the interview on dubcnn you're talking about.

Yeah, I heard the muthafucka! Snoop said "I didn't want problems I didn't wanna go there with that shit." So none of us want no problems! Nigga I don't want no problems! Cause I know what I'ma do to get rid of problems! I don't like problems, so I get rid of problems! I'm trying to go there with it, but I will though.


Dubcnn: As a last question, do you think that you had the same success if you started off as Dub C in 2006?

Ahh... I don't know man! This shit is so fuckin' fast paced right now! It's like, the fans is so siggedy man. Right now niggas is single driven artists right now. You don't get too many niggas that's going to give you a solid album. Basically, to answer your question... That's a hard one to answer man! I don't wanna say no because I know that I'm that kind of nigga that works hard and I would've found a way to come up... That's a hard question man, I don't wanna say no but it's hard though. Right now, it's a lot of niggas coming out. But on some real shit, the average lifespan of artists coming out right now... When do you think is the next time them Laffy Taffy niggas is going to make a hit? Do you expect to see them niggas in the game fifteen years from now?


Dubcnn: It's different now, it's so many people dropping, and like you said, it's single driven. Nobody's looking to make a good album, they're looking for that hit to get out there. Production carries the rapper, skills don't really matter right now.

Oh yeah! Niggas coming with gay ass dances, and every body is on it! A lot of these niggas is disco man. That's the shit that pissed me off. I got in this rap shit, and I was really believing that niggas in the industry was really about their business. Aw nigga! I'm signing to this label, I'm about to do this, I'm about to do that... Like I got on Def Jam like "these muthafuckas is straight street, they gone get out and..." Nope! Nope! You ain't rolling in the right circle! Or you ain't kissing this muthafuckas ass and everything... Fuck it! It is what it is. That shit on my record was a conspiracy, I don't give a fuck what nobody say. Ain't no where in fuck that 100,000 records get pressed scratched and the release date gets pushed back. But it is what it is. Any nigga that knows his business knows I ain't lying, straight up! I've had niggas that was on the label call me like "Get the fuck up out here man, get up out of here!"

How many niggas have you heard coming on Def Jam dropping back to back besides Jay-Z or DMX? When's the last time you heard a record with Foxy? Besides her loosing her hearing and shit like that. Niggas wasn't coming out back to back. Muthafuckin' Method Man, it was a big gap inbetween his records over there at Def Jam. The same muthafuckin' thang with Redman, when's the last time you heard from Redman? Should I keep going? I mean god damn! It's like, cuzz! It's like you get in and you believe in it, but then you realize that everything that glitters ain't gold. Erick Sermon used to tell me, get everything you can up out these muthafuckas and keep it moving! Cause I'm telling you, ain't no telling if there's a tomorrow with these muthafuckas!


Dubcnn: Alright Dub, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us, you just spit a lot of game. Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Be on the lookout for that Guilty By Affiliation, ya'll niggas keep pushing that West doing what ya'll do! Everybody out there listening that's not from the West Coast, keep doing what you're doing, keep making good music, keep this shit cracking!