WC has always stayed true to form when representing the West Coast. Since bursting onto the scene in ’89, the Compton veteran's released material with Low Profile, Westside Connection and The Madd Circle. He's still going strong on the solo tip as well, having recently released his fourth disc, Revenge of the Barracuda. Though Dub's stayed true to his core, the game’s gone through a metamorphosis since his first offering with Low Profile, We're In This Together, dropped 22 years ago. WC chopped it up with XXL about bringing back hardcore gangsta rap, his opinion take on the West Coast's new skinny jeans-wearing MCs, and addresses rumors of Game replace Mack 10 in Westside Connection.— Yaya Martinez

XXLMag.com: What is the meaning behind the title, Revenge of the Barracuda?

WC: All bullshit aside it’s just another way of saying back to the hardcore. We called it Revenge of the Barracuda because the game is currently watered down so we need to bring it back to straight up hardcore gangster shit, bottom line. I just want to give everyone out there a hardcore West Coast gangster album. I have a lot of buddies from out of town as well as in these streets and a lot of them just want to see us do us on this side of town so that’s what I did with Revenge of the Barracuda.

XXL: History is kind of repeating itself with the mainstream rap and the underground music, don’t you think?

WC: I think it is, especially going back to the independent stages. The majors are forcing a lot of artists that want to get heard to go back indie. Do you remember a long time ago when the indie thing was a real bad look? You said “indie” and it was like a voodoo word. You remember that shit? I mean, when you went indie they made it a lot harder for you in a lot of these stores with distribution and product placement. It was fucked up. At the end of the day I’d rather own a percentage of a little bit than not own anything of a whole lot. You had a lot of artists sell a whole lot of records when it was good on these major labels, but they were getting fucked in the end. Once you’re in the business and you realize that ownership and owning your brand is more important than anything out here you’ll realize that indie is not a bad word. I try to tell the new artists all the time there's nothing wrong with putting your own shit out and making yourself hot. Who gives a fuck if they play your shit on the radio or not. You beat the concrete up enough, they’ll come looking for you. You have to have a plan, though.

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XXL: There are quite a few younger West Coast MCs displaying their talents at the moment within the past couple of years- who might not have lived the ‘hardcore’ gangster represented in your music. For you does that take away from their credibility at all?

WC: I’m happy for a lot of up-and-coming new artists getting down with stuff like that. I’m even happy for the artists that were once upon a time were hardcore and journeyed over to the commercial area. If it’s working for them I can’t get mad at anyone providing for their families. I have a sense of responsibility I think as an individual from the West Coast to stand up and rep the West to the fullest. Just like the homie Cube, I feel like I got to put shit on. I’ve never been an artist in the past that converted over to do a lot of commercial records. My position at the present time right now is to give them my album that represented our identity from the true essence from me being a true OG in the game. I’m not down talking, or saying anything negative about any new artists coming out that’s not wearing khakis or crip walking, because I want you to do you. That’s what makes hip-hop, hip hop. It’s based off originality and that’s just something I want them to put out there. Kids that like Lil Wayne, Drake, and a lot of these other artists that aren’t doing hardcore gangster rap don’t want to see me walking in the party trying to look like them, trying to rap like them. That’s not WC.

XXL: So you would rather they not try to get in the wrong lane either?

WC: Yea, stay in your own lane.

XXL: That’s good to hear because a lot of people sometimes have an issue with the younger generation coming in with their contributions.

WC: Hell nah. Yaya I’m good with everybody. I still got little homies, even the New Boyz with the skinny jeans. I still like to see them get out there and do their thing and do them. I slap hands, chop it up with them and the whole shebang. They come to do them and I can’t do what they’re doing for me and my generation. I wouldn’t want to see them doing what we do because that’s not them.

XXL: Yea that would be mad awkward if I saw you in a pair of skinny jeans.

WC: I know huh. With the Kanye stance trying to be something I’m not. Yea that’s cool.

XXL: There were some talks about a West Side Connection reunion, but Mack 10 has obviously stated his feelings on that. Then there were rumors of The Game possibly coming into Westside Connection. Is there any truth to that?

WC: Inquiring minds want to know, huh? [laughs] I skim, but I don’t believe everything I read. I would love to see another reunion. As far as the way that’s going to go down or the way it’s going to go down, right now it’s still up in the air. I don’t have any harsh feelings or any issues with Mack 10. I believe that Ice Cube doesn’t have any hard feelings or issues with Mack 10. It’s just something that will have to be worked out. I can’t sit here and lie to the fans or to myself and say I know exactly how everything will pan out. Who knows, later down the line shit happens.

XXL: So, at this point nobody’s being replaced in Westside Connection?

WC: There is no Westside Connection right now so nobody can be replaced. I’m gonna rep Connect though no matter what. I’m gonna throw that shit up and throw down. It could have been grand opening and grand closing when we came up and we did it. I’m not trying to open up the history or the past or anything like that but we went through so much just to represent the West after Death Row. I think I owe it to my fans for me to get out here and rep it myself. I would be lying to myself and lying to my fans by saying I don’t want to do another album or that this is what’s going on right now. I can’t tell them what’s going on, but what I can tell you is there's no Westside Connect record coming out at this present time. Who knows though...

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