"Westside Story" is the debut single by American rapper and

West Coast hip hop West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the ea ...

artist the Game. The song was produced by both

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

and

Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots. Early life Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Ph ...

, and was co-written by

Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...

, Dre, Storch, the Game and

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

. It was released in 2004 as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from Game's debut studio album ''

The Documentary ''The Documentary'' is the second studio album by American rapper the Game. It was released on January 18, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, and Interscope Records. In 2001, while the Game was in a hospital recovering from a shoo ...

''. The song debuted at #99 and peaked at #93 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was an airplay-only release, thus no music video for the song was made.

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

's review of the album described this song as "a kind of

L.A. 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 ...

version of "

In da Club "In da Club" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent from his debut studio album ''Get Rich or Die Tryin (2003). Written by 50 Cent alongside producers Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo, the song, which uses an unconventional off-beat rhythm, was rel ...

". The Game has stated that this song is a tribute to

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

, with a direct reference to him, saying "I got +

California Love "California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first sin ...

+ fuckin' bitches to that Pac shit." The Game also makes references to Tupac's songs, ''

'' and ''Against All Odds''. Other references include: Nate Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound (D.P.G.) and their song '' New York'',

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 ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and his album '' Thriller'',

DJ Pooh A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

and

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...

Chart performance

The song debuted at No. 99 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It remained at that position the following week, before falling off the chart. It then re-entered the chart the following week at No. 98, before peaking at No. 93 the week after. After peaking, it fell off the chart completely.

Remixes

*2005: "Westside Story" (Alternate Version) (featuring

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, " ...

) *2005: "Westside Story" (Remix) (featuring

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 ...

)

Charts

References

2004 songs 2004 debut singles The Game (rapper) songs 50 Cent songs Aftermath Entertainment singles G-Unit Records singles Interscope Records singles Gangsta rap songs Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre Song recordings produced by Scott Storch Songs written by 50 Cent Songs written by Mike Elizondo Songs written by Dr. Dre Songs written by The Game (rapper) Songs written by Scott Storch {{2000s-hiphop-single-stub