Westside Connection was an American hip-hop supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC.[3] The group's debut album, Bow Down, reached the number 2 position on the Billboard 200 in 1996, going platinum that year.

Westside Connection
From left to right: WC, Ice Cube, Mack 10 in 2003
From left to right: WC, Ice Cube, Mack 10 in 2003
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1995–2005[1][2]
Labels
Past membersIce Cube
Mack 10
WC

Biography

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Westside Connection began performing together in 1995, appearing on Mack 10's self-titled debut album, Mack 10, on the song "Westside Slaughterhouse". A few months later, the group again joined forces, this time appearing on WC's album, Curb Servin', on the song "West Up!". It was around this time the group began work on their debut album, Bow Down, which was released October 22, 1996.[3]

Individually, Mack 10, WC and Ice Cube continued working on solo projects in between group albums. Together, as Westside Connection, they produced several songs released on film soundtracks and compilations including "Bangin'" (from West Coast Bad Boyz II), "Let It Reign" (from Thicker than Water) and "It's the Holidaze" (from Friday After Next).

On December 9, 2003, the group released their second album, Terrorist Threats, preceded by the lead single "Gangsta Nation", produced by Fredwreck and featuring Nate Dogg.

Mack 10 quit the group in 2005 due to a conflict with Ice Cube, and Westside Connection subsequently disbanded.[4] However, Ice Cube and WC continued to collaborate, having since appeared on each other's albums.

In 2008, HipHopDX reported that Ice Cube and WC were planning to relaunch the Westside Connection project, with The Game being proposed as Mack 10's replacement (having appeared with WC on Ice Cube's album Raw Footage that same year), however the rumored relaunch never came to fruition.[5] In an interview with VladTV in 2020, Mack 10 commented in retrospect that any reunion without his involvement would still require his being paid, as he owns the trademark on the group's name, due to their second album being released through his record label.[6]

In 2023, Ice Cube denied a possible reunion despite Mack 10’s previous comments.[7]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[8]
US R&B
AUS
[9]
CAN
[10]
Bow Down 2 1 45
Terrorist Threats 16 3 62 40

Compilation albums

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Title Album details
The Best of Westside Connection: The Gangsta, The Killa & The Dope Dealer
  • Released: November 30, 2007
  • Label: Priority
  • Format: CD, digital download

Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US US
R&B
US
Rap
AUS
[9]
"Bow Down" 1996 21 19 1 Bow Down
"Gangstas Make the World Go Round" 40 30 10
"It's the Holidaze" 2002 Friday After Next (soundtrack)
"Gangsta Nation" 2003 33 22 9 66 Terrorist Threats
"Concrete" 2022 Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.
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List of singles as featured artist, with other performing artists and selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US US
R&B
US
Rap
"Irresistible"[14]
(Mariah Carey featuring Westside Connection)
2002 16 - - Charmbracelet
Promotional singles
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List of promotional singles as featured artist, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Whatcha Gonna Do (Remix)"[15]
(Jayo Felony featuring Redman, Mack 10 and WC)
1998 Non-album single

Guest appearances

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List of non-single guest appearances, with all performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other Performer(s) Group performers Album
"Bangin'"[16] 1997 Master P Mack 10, WC, Ice Cube West Coast Bad Boyz II
"Westside Connect OG's"[17] The Comrads, Allfrumtha I Mack 10, WC, Ice Cube The Comrads
"Maniac in the Brainiac"[18] 1998 None Ice Cube, Mack 10 Bulworth (soundtrack)
"Dopest on da Planet"[19] Squeak Ru Mack 10, Ice Cube Allfrumtha I
"My Hoodlums & My Thugz"[20] E-40 WC, Mack 10 The Element of Surprise
"Cheddar" WC, Mack 10 The Shadiest One
"Freestyle"[21] Funkmaster Flex Ice Cube, Mack 10 The Mix Tape, Vol. 3: 60 Minutes of Funk (The Final Chapter)
"Murderfest '99"[22] 1999 Road Dawgs, MC Eiht, Boo Kapone, Boobie Mack 10, Ice Cube Don't Be Saprize
"You Ain't Know"[22] Road Dawgs, Young Pretty, Q.S. Bandit Ice Cube, Mack 10
"III tha Hood Way"[23] MC Eiht Ice Cube, Mack 10 Section 8
"Callin' All Hogs"[24] 2000 Boo Kapone Mack 10, WC None
"Nobody" Timbaland Mack 10, WC The Paper Route
"Connected for Life" 2001 Butch Cassidy Mack 10, WC Bang or Ball
"Walk" 2002 WC, Mack 10 Ghetto Heisman
"Lights Out" 2003 Knoc-Turn'al Mack 10, WC Ghetto, Gutter & Gangsta

References

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  1. ^ John Bush. "Westside Connection". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  2. ^ Jake Paine (2019-04-23). "Mack 10 Is Releasing His 1st Album In 10 Years & It Has His Old Sound (Video)". Ambrosia For Heads. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  3. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 365. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  4. ^ "Mack 10 interview". AllHipHop.com. November 10, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  5. ^ "DX-clusive: The Game To Replace Mack 10 In Westside Connection Comeback". Hiphopdx.com. 15 July 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Mack 10 on Ice Cube, Westside Connection, Common & Cypress Hill Beef, T-Boz (Full Interview)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Ice Cube Says Mack 10 Beef is over "A Violation That Can't be Overlooked"". 28 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Westside Connection Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 299.
  10. ^ Chart peaks in Canada:
  11. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Westside Connection". Recording Industry Association of America. January 10, 1997. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Canadian certifications – Westside Connection". Music Canada. March 31, 1997. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  13. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Westside Connection". Recording Industry Association of America. January 12, 2004. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  14. ^ "Irresistible - Mariah Carey". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  15. ^ "Whatcha Gonna Do (Remix) - Jayo Felony". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  16. ^ "West Coast Bad Boyz II - Master P". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  17. ^ "The Comrads - The Comrads". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  18. ^ "Bulworth (soundtrack)". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  19. ^ "Allfrumtha I - Allfrumtha I". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  20. ^ "The Element of Surprise - E-40". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  21. ^ "The Mix Tape, Vol. 3: 60 Minutes of Funk (The Final Chapter) - Funkmaster Flex". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  22. ^ a b "Don't Be Saprize - Road Dawgs". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  23. ^ "Charmbracelet Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  24. ^ "Reflection of Reality - Boo Kapone". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-10-22.