Thursday, 6/5/97 Titans of gangsta rap storm Billboard Live
Comrads open for talented supergroup Westside Connection trio
By Jeff Hilger Daily Bruin Contributor Ice Cube, W.C. and Mack
10 stormed onto the stage Sunday at Billboard Live as the
pre-recorded "World Domination" spelled out for the audience the
history of one of rap’s true supergroups. The trio then encouraged
the crowd to echo the strains of "Who hooo!" from their album cut,
"The Gangsta, The Killa, and The Dope Dealer." While the three
members of Westside Connection take on these personas in this and
other songs, in reality they are incredibly talented performers and
businessmen. Ice Cube in particular has been writing thoughtful and
entertaining lyrics for 10 years. Although the show was short (just
under an hour), and the set list left out almost all of Cube’s solo
hits, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. They enthusiastically chanted
along with the rappers on almost every song. One of the show’s
highlights occurred when Mack 10 unexpectedly got into his "Nothing
But the Cavi Hit," a song he recorded with the Dogg Pound. After
the first few songs in nearly every performance, Ice Cube tells his
audience that they’re being way too quiet, and that he’s going to
leave. He leaves, and the crowd gets to chant "Fuck you, Ice Cube!"
while waving their middle fingers in the air. After the chanting
Sunday, Ice Cube returned to perform one of his oldest songs,
"Gangsta Gangsta," from the days when he was in N.W.A., as well as
his most recent solo single, "The World is Mine." Around this time,
W.C. informed the crowd that Ice Cube basically invented gangsta
rap. While Cube was modest enough to state that he can’t take the
credit for this, the comment didn’t strike too far from the truth.
In 1988, N.W.A. released their classic album, "Straight Outta
Compton." The album featured Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, M.C. Ren and
Yella on a collection of cuts that didn’t receive much radio play.
Album sales and general acceptance in the rap world, however, more
than made up for this. The album, for which Cube wrote most of the
raps, was unique and fresh in that it combined an angry, political
side of rap with the fun-loving, good-times sounds and grooves of
the more popular music found on the radio. For 10 years following
the album’s release, Ice Cube consistently released platinum albums
and several Top 10 singles, including "It Was a Good Day," "Bop
Gun" and "You Know How We Do It." In addition to his solo releases,
Cube has become the Babyface of rap in terms of producing. Nearly
everything he’s been associated with has been highly successful. In
early 1996, he formed Westside Connection with two rappers whose
work he had produced in the past. When the three artists got
together to make the album, everything clicked. The disc has gone
multi-platinum and produced several hit singles. The collection is
one of the few rap albums ever to boast an entire set of solid
tracks. ("Straight Outta Compton" was another.) Absent is any
"filler" supporting one or two good singles. Instead, album title
contains 10 strong rap cuts, about half of which were performed
during the show at Billboard Live. Although Ice Cube didn’t produce
the new album set to be released by the Comrads, their spot as the
opening act for the Westside Connection tour is possibly the
perfect place for this young L.A. duo. Comprised of K-Mac (Mack
10’s cousin) and Gangsta, the Comrads just released their first
single, "Homeboyz," which has become a huge hit virtually
overnight. The song contains the catch refrain, "You can take the
boy out the hood, but you can’t take the hood out the homeboy."
After getting the crowd hyped-up with their first three songs, the
Comrads launched into this tune, getting the crowd going at a
steady, excited vibe. When asked what they think separates them
from most other rap artists, K Mac responded, "What we’re writing
about is real. This stuff is going on every day in the urban areas.
We write about what we know." Like the members of Westside
Connection, the Comrads grew up in Los Angeles and started
listening to and performing rap music as teenagers. One of their
first breaks came when they performed a verse from the Westside
Connection track, "Hoo Banging" as part of the Westside album.
Their solo album is set to drop July 8. While it’s not nearly as
consistent as the Westside disc, it does contain a number of
potential hit singles, and should sell very well on the heels of
the successful "Homeboyz" single. Those who were able to attend the
show at Billboard Live were treated to a fun and engaging
performance by one of rap’s only real supergroups, as well as an
up-and-coming new act. Ice Cube, clearly one of the most integral
voices of pop music in the 1990s, consistently puts on an energetic
show, leaving his fans wanting to come back for whatever project he
dreams up for the future. Priority Records Westside Connection,
comprised of (l- r) W.C., Ice Cube and Mack 10, gave a performance
Sunday at Billboard Live that was short but sweet.