Interview - WC in art uber alles

WC Bio As rap has become ubiquitous, its artists have moved slowly but steadily away from the street-centered mentality that made the music so potent in the 1980s and early 1990s. Realizing that rap has lost its edge and intensity, Los Angeles rap icon and Westside Connection member WC returns rap to its creative roots -- exemplary lyricism, conceptual greatness, bone-crushing production -- on his masterful new album, Guilty By Affiliation.

Examining the reality of ghetto life in America has long been a staple of WC’s work, a trend that continues with his new collection. “Growing up in a gang-related area, I realized that you can get caught up in the justice system, and I saw how it easily becomes the injustice system for us,” WC explains. “I wanted to call the record Guilty By Affiliation for that reason. Also, being from the West Coast, there’s been so many uphill battles just to get noticed.”

WC details the pitfalls of life in Los Angeles ghettos and his struggle to ascend to music industry stardom on the intimidating “West Coast Voodoo,” the confrontational “This Is Los Angeles” and the Butch Cassidy-assisted “Dodge Ball.” Elsewhere, the title track details how being black isn’t a job, but an adventure -- with police, rival gang members, drugs and other forces waiting to derail you.