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 Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and actor. He originally was a rapper in the group

Low Profile Low Profile was an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles. The group consisted of rapper William "W.C." Calhoun Jr. and record producer Alphonso "D.J. Aladdin" Henderson,Birchmeier, JasonLow Profile Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved November 16, ...

and later formed his group

WC and the Maad Circle WC and the Maad Circle was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California that consisted of WC, Big Gee, Coolio and DJ Crazy Toones. History MAAD stands for ''Minority Alliance of Anti-Discrimination''. Following the dissolution of Low ...

, 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 Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * 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 An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

and

Mack 10 Dedrick D'Mon Rolison (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack 10, is an American rapper. He has sold nearly 11 million records combining his solo and group works. Mack 10 made his first appearance on Ice Cube's 1994 " Bootleg ...

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 in ...

on February 3, 1970. He moved to

South Central, Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

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 Unit ...

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 Low Profile was an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles. The group consisted of rapper William "W.C." Calhoun Jr. and record producer Alphonso "D.J. Aladdin" Henderson,Birchmeier, JasonLow Profile Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved November 16, ...

in the group

in 1987. The group released one album called ''We're in This Together'' in 1989. He later formed his group

, 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 Anthony Wheaton, professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. in the mid-80s with ...

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 Mob, ...

, and DJ Crazy Toones. He released two albums with his group, ''

Ain't a Damn Thang Changed ''Ain't a Damn Thang Changed'' is the debut studio album by American rap group WC and the Maad Circle, released in 1991. The songs on the album describe life in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to ...

'' in 1991 and ''

Curb Servin' ''Curb Servin is the second and final studio album from the hip hop group WC and the Maad Circle. The group disbanded the following year. Former member Coolio, who had embarked on a successful solo career, appeared on one track. ''Curb Servin pea ...

'' in 1995.

Solo career

WC's solo debut, ''

The Shadiest One ''The Shadiest One'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on April 28, 1998 via Payday/FFRR Records. Recording sessions took place at Backroom Studios in Glendale, at Echo Sound in Los Angeles, at Skip Saylor Rec ...

'', 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 ''Ghetto Heisman'' is the second solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on November 12, 2002 via Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Paramount Recording Studios, at Ameraycan Studios, and at Larrabee Sound Studi ...

'', entered the pop charts as well. In 2007, he released his third solo album, ''

Guilty by Affiliation ''Guilty by Affiliation'' is the third solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on August 14, 2007 via Lench Mob Records. Production was handled by Hallway Productionz, Emile, D-Mac, Jelly Roll, Laylaw, Mr. Porter, Nottz, Rick ...

'' 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 ...

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 ''Revenge of the Barracuda'' is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on March 8, 2011 via eOne. Production was handled by Hallway Productionz, Jahzilla, EQ, Fredwreck, Jiggolo, THX and Trick-Trick. It features gue ...

'', on March 8, 2011. The album featured guests like Ice Cube,

Young Maylay Christopher Bellard (born June 17, 1979), also known by his stage name Young Maylay, is an American rapper, record producer and actor based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his portrayal of Carl "CJ" Johnson, the main character ...

Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and ga ...

, 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

and

. The group's debut album, ''

Bow Down ''Bow Down'' is the debut studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on October 22, 1996, through Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Ice Cube's house studio, Westsiiiiide Studios, i ...

'', was released in 1996. The album reached the number 2 position on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

in 1996. "

", the single, reached number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The group released their second album, ''

Terrorist Threats ''Terrorist Threats'' is the second and final studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup (music), supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on December 9, 2003 through Hoo-Bangin' Records, Hoo-Bangin'/Capitol Records. Hip hop pro ...

'', in 2003, featuring the lead single "

Gangsta Nation "Gangsta Nation" is a single by Westside Connection featuring Nate Dogg from their second album, ''Terrorist Threats'', which was released in 2003. This was the only single from the album. Mike Epps Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) ...

", which was produced by

Fredwreck Farid Karam Nassar (born June 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Fredwreck, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded re ...

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

*''

'' (1998) *''

'' (2002) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2011)

Collaboration albums

* '' We're in This Together'' with Low Profile (1989) * ''

'' with WC and the Maad Circle (1991) * ''

'' with WC and the Maad Circle (1995) * ''

'' with Westside Connection (1996) * ''

'' with Westside Connection (2003) * ''

West Coast Gangsta Shit ''Westcoast Gangsta Shit'' is a collaborative studio album by American West Coast hip hop recording artists Daz Dillinger and WC. It was released on June 19, 2013 via Dilly Recordz and Bigg Swang Recordz. Production was handled by Rob Tee, Broadw ...

'' 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 day ...

'' *1996: '' Set It Off'' *1997: ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB from August 28, 1996, to January 14, 2001. The series stars Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris. Although the show was not a m ...

'' *1998: '' Sister, Sister'' *1998: ''

Da Game of Life ''Da Game of Life'' is the fifth album by rap duo, Totally Insane Totally Insane was a hip hop group from East Palo Alto, California, whose members were Mac-10, Ad Kapone and Scoot Dogg. They were signed to In a Minute Records from 1991 ...

'' *1999: '' The Breaks'' *1999: '' Thicker than Water'' *1999: '' Foolish'' *2000: ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class famil ...

'' *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 A dialect coach is an acting coach who helps an actor design the voice and speech of a character in the context of an on-camera (film, television or commercial), stage (theatre, musical theatre, opera, etc.), radio or animation voiceover production. ...

for actor

Damson Idris Damson Idris (born 2 September 1991) is a British-Nigerian actor. He currently stars on John Singleton's crime drama ''Snowfall'', which debuted 5 July 2017 on FX. He played the co-lead in Netflix's sci-fi action film ''Outside the Wire'' (2021 ...

on the FX show ''

Snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

''.

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