WC (rapper)

WC
Background information
Birth name	William L. Calhoun, Jr.
Born	August 9, 1970 (1970-08-09) Texas
Origin	Westmont, California, U.S
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Lench Mob, Big Swang
Associated acts	Low Profile, WC and the Maad Circle, Westside Connection, Ice Cube, Mack 10, Chilly Chill, Game, Haider Mushtaq, Allfrumtha I, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, N.W.A, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, MC Ren, Crazy Toones, 2Pac
Website	www.dubconline.com

William L. Calhoun Jr. (born on August 9, 1970), better known by his stage name WC (pronounced Dub-C), is an American rapper. He was born in Texas, but moved to South Central Los Angeles at an early age. He originally was a rapper in the group Low Profile, and later formed his group WC and the Maad Circle. He later started a solo career and has released four solo albums. He is also well known for being a member of the rap supergroup Westside Connection with fellow West Coast rappers Ice Cube and Mack 10.

Early life

William L. Calhoun Jr. was born on August 9, 1970 in Texas. He moved to South Central Los Angeles at an early age. With DJ Aladdin, WC formed the group Low Profile.

Music career

Low Profile and the MAAD Circle

A longtime staple of the gangsta rap scene, WC began his career with the group Low Profile, and later formed his group WC and the Maad Circle, which also included fellow rapper Coolio, producer Sir Jinx and DJ Crazy Toones. He released two albums with his group, Ain't a Damn Thang Changed in 1991 and Curb Servin' in 1995.

Solo career

His solo debut The Shadiest One followed in 1998, landing in the pop Top 20 in its first week of release. "Better Days" and "Just Clownin'" were moderate R&B hits, and his second record, 2002's Ghetto Heisman, entered the pop charts as well. In 2007, he released his third solo album, Guilty by Affiliation on Lench Mob Records. Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Game all made an appearance on his album Guilty by Affiliation. In 2011, he released his fourth solo album, Revenge of the Barracuda on Lench Mob Records, Big Swang Recordings, and E1 Entertainment. The album has featured guests like Ice Cube, Young Maylay, Daz Dillinger and Kokane.

Westside Connection

In 1996, WC formed Westside Connection with Ice Cube and Mack 10, and together they released an album called Bow Down. Most of the album was used to engage in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry of the 90s. The album's eponymous single reached number 21 on the singles charts, and the album itself was certified Platinum by the end of 1996. With Bow Down, Westside Connection brought their own agenda to the hip hop scene. WC, Ice Cube and Mack 10 had grown tired of being overlooked by most East Coast media outlets; the album was designed to instil a sense of pride in West Coast rap fans and to start a larger movement that some people who felt underappreciated might identify with. Songs like "Bow Down" and "Gangstas Make the World Go 'Round" make reference to this.

After a seven-year hiatus, Westside Connection returned with their second effort Terrorist Threats in 2003. The album fared well critically, but its commercial reception was less than that of Bow Down. "Gangsta Nation" was the only single released from the album, which was produced by Fredwreck and featured Nate Dogg; it was a radio hit. After a rift between Ice Cube and Mack 10 about Ice Cube's commitments to film work rather than touring with the group, Westside Connection disbanded.

Crip Walk

WC is also known for the famous Crip Walk dance; WC is credited to being the first gangsta rapper to openly crip walk in his music videos since the early 90s. He's doing the Crip Walk often on stage and in music videos.

Discography

• "The Chicken Hill Project" (2012) Album Produced by Hallway Productionz

Main article: WC discography

Solo Albums	Year	Label
The Shadiest One	1998	PayDay
Ghetto Heisman	2002	Def Jam
Guilty by Affiliation	2007	Lench Mob
Revenge of the Barracuda	2011	Lench Mob/Big Swang/E1 Entertainment
With Westside Connection	Year	Label
Bow Down	1996	Priority, Lench Mob
Terrorist Threats	2003	Priority, Hoo-Bangin'
With Low Profile	Year	Label
We're in This Together	1989	Priority
With WC and the Maad Circle	Year	Label
Ain't a Damn Thang Changed	1991	Priority
Curb Servin'	1995	PayDay, FFRR, PolyGram

Filmography

• 1996: Set It Off
• 1999: The Breaks
• 1999: Thicker than Water
• 2001: Air Rage
• 2001: Stranded
• 2003: WC: Bandana Swangin – All That Glitters Ain't Gold
• 2008: Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club

External links

• WC on Myspace
• WC's publicist is Domenick Nati