William LaShawn Calhoun Jr. (born February 3, 1970), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

WC (pronounced "dub-c"), is an American rapper and actor. He originally was a rapper in the group Low Profile and later formed his group WC and the Maad Circle, who first succeeded with the single "Ain't A Damn Thang Changed". 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 Westside Connection was an American hip-hop supergroup formed by Mack 10, WC and Ice Cube. The group's debut album, '' Bow Down'', reached the number 2 position on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996, going platinum that year. Biography Westside ...

with West Coast rappers Ice Cube and Mack 10.

Early life

William Calhoun, Jr. was born in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

on February 3, 1970. He moved to South Central, Los Angeles as a child. Calhoun, Jr is still an active member of the Crips Gang Set under the hood NHC or Neighborhood Crip. He has a cousin in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

Earnest G. Campbell of Denver's Eastside Gangster Crips.

Music career

Early career

A longtime staple of the West Coast Music scene, WC began his career pairing with DJ Aladdin in the group Low Profile in 1987. The group released one album called ''We're in This Together'' in 1989. He later formed his group WC and the Maad Circle, which also included fellow rapper and mentor Big G,

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...

, producer Sir Jinx -

Chilly Chill 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 M ...

, 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

WC's 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 Lench Mob Records is an record label owned by Los Angeles rapper and actor Ice Cube. Founded as Street Knowledge Records, it was once home to many of Cube's former allies such as DJ Pooh, and Lench Mob's own Chilly Chill, Del the Funky Homosap ...

. Ice Cube,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

, and The Game all made an appearance on the album. He released his fourth solo album, '' Revenge of the Barracuda'', on March 8, 2011. The album featured guests like Ice Cube, Young Maylay, Daz Dillinger, and

Kokane Jerry Buddy Long Jr. (born March 10, 1969), better known by his stage name Kokane, is an American recording artist best known for his distinctive vocal style and numerous guest appearances, such as on Snoop Dogg's '' Tha Last Meal''. Early lif ...

. He is the older brother of DJ Crazy Toones.

Westside Connection

In 1996, WC formed

with Ice Cube and Mack 10. The group's debut album, '' Bow Down'', was released in 1996. The album reached the number 2 position on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Platinum in 1996. " Bow Down", the single, reached number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The group released their second album, '' Terrorist Threats'', in 2003, featuring the lead single " Gangsta Nation", which was produced by Fredwreck and featured

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the ...

. In 2005, the group disbanded

Discography

Studio albums

*'' The Shadiest One'' (1998) *'' Ghetto Heisman'' (2002) *'' Guilty by Affiliation'' (2007) *'' Revenge of the Barracuda'' (2011)

Collaboration albums

* '' We're in This Together'' with Low Profile (1989) * '' Ain't a Damn Thang Changed'' with WC and the Maad Circle (1991) * '' Curb Servin''' with WC and the Maad Circle (1995) * '' Bow Down'' with Westside Connection (1996) * '' Terrorist Threats'' with Westside Connection (2003) * '' West Coast Gangsta Shit'' with Daz Dillinger (2013)

Filmography

*1989: '' Wiseguy'' *1995: ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...

'' *1996: '' Set It Off'' *1997: '' The Jamie Foxx Show'' *1998: '' Sister, Sister'' *1998: '' Da Game of Life'' *1999: '' The Breaks'' *1999: '' Thicker than Water'' *1999: '' Foolish'' *2000: '' Moesha'' *2001: ''Air Rage'' *2002: ''Stranded'' *2002: ''White Boy'' *2003: ''WC: Bandana Swangin – All That Glitters Ain't Gold'' *2006: ''It Ain't Easy'' *2008: ''Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club'' *2012: '' Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap'' *2015: ''The Street'' *2017: ''Snowfall''

Other information

His stage name, WC, is an abbreviation for his initials, not West Coast or his group Westside Connection, which are common misconceptions. He served as a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

dialect coach for actor Damson Idris on the FX show '' Snowfall''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wc 1970 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American male actors African-American male rappers American male film actors Crips G-funk artists Priority Records artists Rappers from Houston Rappers from Los Angeles WC and the Maad Circle members West Coast hip hop musicians Westside Connection members 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people