O'Shea Jackson Sr., known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
Artis Leon Ivey Jr., known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the course of hip hop by bringing it to a wider audience. Other singles included "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 " (1996), and "C U When U Get There" (1997). He released nine albums, the first three of which achieved mainstream success: It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). Coolio first achieved recognition as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle. Coolio sold 4.8 million albums in the U.S.
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It is represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).
Delmar Drew Arnaud, known professionally as Daz Dillinger or simply Daz, is an American rapper and record producer. As a member of Death Row Records in the early 1990s, he is credited with the label in pioneering West Coast hip hop and gangsta rap for mainstream audiences. Alongside Kurupt, he formed the hip hop duo tha Dogg Pound in 1992, with whom he has released eight albums.
Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo made up of West Coast rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success.
Priest Joseph Brooks, is a hip hop producer and rapper from Long Beach, California. He is a member of the DPGC.
Anthony D. Wheaton, professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. in the mid-80s with Ice Cube and Kid Disaster. He produced tracks for the likes of Dazzie Dee, Westside Connection, Too Short, Yo-Yo, Tone Loc, Kool G Rap, CeCe Peniston, Xzibit and Kurupt among others, and also remixed songs for Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Toni Braxton.
Westside Connection was an American hip-hop supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC. The group's debut album, Bow Down, reached the number 2 position on the Billboard 200 in 1996, going platinum that year.
Dedrick D'Mon Rolison, better known by his stage name Mack 10, is an American rapper. He has sold nearly 11 million records combining his solo and group works. Mack 10 made his first appearance on Ice Cube's 1994 Bootlegs & B-Sides compilation on the remixed track "What Can I Do?" and was a member of hip hop supergroup Westside Connection along with WC and Ice Cube. Mack 10 is also the creator of independent record label Hoo-Bangin' Records and made his stage name with the Ingram MAC-10 submachine gun.
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip hop group The Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album, Kuruption! (1998) was released by A&M Records and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.
The Shadiest One is the debut solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on April 28, 1998, via Payday/FFRR Records. The recording sessions took place at Backroom Studios in Glendale, at Echo Sound in Los Angeles, at Skip Saylor Recording in California, at Bad Ass Beat Lab in Antioch, at Infinite Studios in Alameda, at The Crackhouse, at Urban House Studios, Inc., and at Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana. The production was handled by DJ Battlecat, Stu-B-Doo, Ant Banks, Barr 9 Productions, Daz Dillinger, Douglas Coleman, Mo-Suave-A, Rick "Dutch" Cousin, Young Tre, DJ Crazy Toones and WC. It features guest appearances from CJ Mac, Daz Dillinger, E-40, Ron Banks, Too $hort, and Westside Connection. The album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and at number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. Both of its singles, "Just Clownin'" and "Better Days", made it to the Billboard Hot 100 landing at number 56 and 64, respectively.
Lamar Dupré Calhoun, better known as DJ Crazy Toones, was an American hip hop producer and deejay. He was a member of the rap group WC and the Maad Circle and was later signed to Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records.
WC and the Maad Circle was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California that consisted of WC, Big Gee, Coolio and DJ Crazy Toones.
Ain't a Damn Thang Changed is the debut studio album by American rap group WC and the Maad Circle, released in 1991. The songs on the album describe life in Los Angeles as experienced by African Americans in the early 1990s.
Curb Servin' is the second and final studio album from the hip hop group WC and the Maad Circle. The group disbanded the following year. Former member Coolio, who had embarked on a successful solo career, appeared on one track.
Darrell L. Johnson, also known as K-Dee, formerly Kid Disaster, is an American rapper most known for his album Ass, Gas, or Cash
Allfrumtha I was an American rap duo from Inglewood, California: Binky Mack and Squeak Ru. They first appeared together on Westside Connection's 1996 debut album, Bow Down. Before dropping their self-titled debut album on Priority Records in 1998, they appeared together on several Priority Records soundtracks and compilations, including: The Substitute, West Coast Bad Boyz II, Big Thangs, Gang Related, Straight Outta Compton: N.W.A 10th Anniversary Tribute, and Thicker Than Water.
Derrick Baker, also known as Chilly Chill, is an American hip hop music producer who has worked for Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, Rick James, RBX, Ike Turner, Public Enemy, Kurupt, Jewel, Yo-Yo, WC, Korn, 7th Veil, Kool Keith, Da Lench Mob, Lupe Fiasco, Bun B, and more.
Revenge of the Barracuda is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on March 8, 2011 via eOne. Production was handled by Hallway Productionz, Jahzilla, EQ, Fredwreck, Jiggolo, THX and Trick-Trick. It features guest appearances from Young Maylay, Bad Lucc, Daz Dillinger, Ice Cube, Juvenile, Kokane, Kurupt, Soopafly and Traci Nelson.
Westcoast Gangsta Shit is a collaborative studio album by American West Coast hip hop recording artists Daz Dillinger and WC. It was released on June 19, 2013 via Dilly Recordz and Bigg Swang Recordz. Production was handled by Rob Tee, Broadway, DJ 2High, Amplified, Beanz N Kornbread, Dae One, David Gold, DJ Battlecat, Kj Conteh, Kuddie Fresh, TJofthewest, The Arsonists, Touch Tone and Trippy Keez. It features guest appearances from Snoop Dogg and Butch Cassidy.
