Westside Connection - Bow Down

[DirtMcgehrk]

01. All The Critics In New York
02. Bow Down
03. Cross 'em Out And Put A 'K'
04. Do You Like Criminals?
05.The Gangsta, The Killa And The Drug Dealer
06. Gangstas Make The World Go Round
07. Gangstas Don't Dance
08. Hoo-Bangin' (WSCG Style)
09. King of the Hill
10. The Pledge
11. Westward Ho
12. World Domination
13. 3 Time Felons

[DirtMcgehrk]

Arguably the first Hip Hop supergroup to appear within the genre, Westside Connection was assembled by Ice Cube, and consisted of fellow legends WC and Mack 10. The group's creation signified an attempted resurgence in the West Coast gangster style established by Dr. Dre, N.W.A and Cube himself.

Bow Down was the freshman album released by Westside Connection during their relatively short lived existence. The album screams classic Ice Cube, proving that he still had the fiery intensity that fueled such albums as Amerikkka'z Most Wanted and Death Certificate in the early 90's.

The album starts off with "All The Critics in New York", a biting dis track towards the East Coast music scene as a whole. Common perception at the time was that the East Coast, known as the undisputed birthplace of hip hop, looked down upon the West Coast with disrespect and skepticism. Bow Down presents the simple message, 'The Westside is the best side', and not since The Chronic has this message been made more convincingly. Cuts such as "The Gangsta, The Killa and The Dope Dealer" echo the hard but extremely catchy hooks that dominated Dre's West Coast classic. Mack 10 and WC provide the staccato flow for Ice Cube's booming artillery cadence, providing a balance that has rarely been seen in any era of hip hop. The production puts forth a slamming style that switches and intertwines hard rhythms with classic funk. Highlights on the album include "King of the Hill", a vicious dis against Cypress Hill that employs a ironic Muggs-esque production effort by QDIII. Bow Down does indeed contain some of the greatest dis tracks in the genre's history.

While "All The Critics In New York" definitely overshadows the Cypress Hill beef in terms of thoughtfulness and the overall feelings of the rap community at the time, it seemed to be lost in the aftermath of Tupac Shakur's murder and the ongoing feud between Puff Daddy and Suge Knight. The rap world was slowly deteriorating. Cube's message in representing the West Coast was thought provoking, aggressive and direct, but fell on deaf ears amongst the personal problems that the opposing coasts were dealing with. To quote Rolling Stone's Kevin Powell, "Bow Down may be the most ill-timed rap record in history". Bow Down is an unheralded West Coast Classic.

Rating: 4.8/5

Key Tracks:
All The Critics In New York
The Gangster, The Killa and The Drug Dealer
Do You Like Criminals?
Bow Down
Cross 'Em Out And Put A 'K'
King Of The Hill

[prof zooruka]

this album is a straight classic ...I agree that it was a little ill timed and would have got more hype if it was released at a different point in rap history, as most real heads was rocking with the east coast golden era ...but never the less this album bangs hard and everything about it is on point.



peace be with you !

[spiggity_ace]

amazing album 5/5

[DirtMcgehrk]

Bump - I'd kinda like to hear some more opinions about this one. I've been bumping it nonstop lately.

[David Daniel Davis]

Source gave this four and a half but it should have gotten five.

[Afficial_Nastee]

This albums that WC is def one of the illest rappers on the Westcoast and not only the Westcoast , but in the entire industry! Not his lyrics are what makes him great it's his delivery and flow combined with the furious and humorous verses he spits that makes him a great MC....

[Frank Sobotka]

Originally Posted by Afficial_Nastee

This albums that WC is def one of the illest rappers on the Westcoast and not only the Westcoast , but in the entire industry! Not his lyrics are what makes him great it's his delivery and flow combined with the furious and humorous verses he spits that makes him a great MC....

Co-SIgn

[prof zooruka]

yeah w.c is dope....so is mac 10.



peace be with you !

[KJR]

I just discovered this album, it's actually pretty sweet! It lacks a little bit on the lyrical front but Cube's anger shows through. I'm not quite sure why though. Why did Cube feel the need to "represent" the Westside? No one on the east coast ever beefed with him. Trying to capitalize and make money?

[CharlesJones]

Afficial Nastee, i agree that WC is a good rapper but his albums aren't that good. The Shadiest One is the only album of his that's good. Curb Servin album is alright. I liked his lyrics on Scarface's I Ain't The One song on The Fix album. KJR, the reason why Ice Cube was angry on Westside Connection album is because he felt the westcoast wasn't getting any love on the eastcoast particularly New York. He said that New York radio stations don't play a lot of westcoast rap but Los Angeles radio stations play New York rappers. When this album came out, Ice Cube had beef with Common and he dissed him on Hoo Bangin remix. First time Ice Cube and Common had beef was when Ice Cube dissed him on Mack 10's Slaughterhouse song on Mack 10's first album. The reason why Ice Cube dissed him is because he felt that Common's I Used To Love Her song dissed westcoast rap. I guess when Common said on I Used To Love Her that he didn't like the way rap changed when rap was talking about popping glocks, serving rocks and hitting switches which is what lots of California rappers talk about.


I don't know why Ice Cube would get upset about that. Common has the right to voice his opinion about not liking the way rap changed. Common has a lot of love for early New York rappers and that's why if you notice at the end of I Used To Love Her video, he shows album covers from Kool G Rap and DJ Polo, EPMD, Boogie Down Productions, Gang Starr, Run DMC, Eric B and Rakim. Common killed Ice Cube on diss song The Bitch In You LOL.

[CharlesJones]

LOL@Westside Connection's King Of The Hill song dissing Cypress Hill hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Love that song and it's funny. LOL@Ice Cube saying B-Real coming with a voice high pitch and the b for B-Real must stand for bitch. Mack 10 said Sen Dog so wack he ain't worth dissing hahahahahahahaha.

[KJR]

Yeah I thought it was funny when Cube said BReal must have baby nuts, haha!

[CharlesJones]

Yeah LOL. I like at the end of King Of The Hill when Ice Cube mocks B-Real saying i'm having illusions. Ice Cube said you having illusions from westside niggas whipping on your muthafucking ass hahahahahahahaha. That's what you having illusions of bitch LOL.

[KJR]

^yeah, Cube was a funny muthafucka. Too bad he uses it for family movies now. Have you heard Q-Tips retort to Westside Connections diss?