"I feel like I have a long way to go," WC says via cellular telephone, en route to a Lakewood, California in-store autograph signing on the day of the album's release. "I got to do more songs. I'm still working everyday, trying to stay on top of my business. I don't feel like I'm supposed to sit back and relax now that I'm finally here."

WC says his primary objective is to maintain his current spot in the limelight--a desire that has caused him to consider broadening his audience. Not that the stocky rapper, whose beard is divided into three braids that form an upside-down version of the letter "W," appreciates the support of the underground rap community. "I'm just contributing to my hardcore fan base," he explains, "but I definitely want to reach out and touch some people who are not down with the hardcore." WC feels that a little R&B flavor just might do the trick.

Don't despair, hardcore fans. The rapper known as Dub C--the illest Westside Connection member who threatened to "stab you with a rusty screwdriver," dissed Q-Tip and dismissed Queen Latifah's plea for "U.N.I.T.Y." to "coast trip" instead--has no intention of abandoning his roots. He says most of his music "is going to be what got me here." WC's street credibility is comparable to any of hip-hop's most respected MCs. Most harder-edged rap artists who've received a significant amount of commercial radio airplay--not mix show airplay--have been scrutinized at one time or another for catering to mainstream audiences. But not WC. He credits his maintaining visibility in the community as one reason why his level of respect is so high.

"You can catch me in the swap meets," he begins. "You're liable to catch me riding down the 'Shaw [Crenshaw Boulevard], you can catch me at the park, the beach, in the inner city. [When people see you], they feel like they are a part of what you're doing. I think that's what has kept me going all these years."

He elaborates on this concept on "Better Dayz," a thought-provoking rap ballad featuring the Dramatics. If WC's "I-don't-give-a-fuck" narratives on "The Shadiest One" and "Worldwide Gunnin'" leave listeners questioning his character, "Better Dayz," essentially the album's last full-length song, clearly demonstrates his desire to make a difference--just as the remorseful "You Must Love Me" does for Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. In the song, WC continuously stresses that his success will not breed selfishness. He also declares his commitment to sharing the information he's learned with others striving to better themselves: "If I shook like y'all shook on me, then who's gone stay and guide the way for the little homies?"

"You just don't turn your back and not come back and show them different ways that they can get in the business or better their lives," WC explains. "If you can offer a lending hand, man, then go help out. But a lot of people just turn their backs."

			"Just Clownin"
			"Cheddar"
			"Keep Hustlin"

WC's sentiments are from firsthand experience. He and Crazy Toones, his blood brother, DJ and producer, have worked long and hard to secure their position in the rap game. "It's just been a rugged road. It seems like I've been a lone ranger, riding alone, me and Toones, but it's all good."

Most people with a resume half as impressive as WC's become quite bitter when their hard work goes unrecognized for a prolonged period of time. Some even quit. Fortunately, WC was never deterred. "I feel good that my accuracy was on-point," he concludes. "When I say accuracy, I mean as far as me knowing that one day it was going to happen. I just didn't know when."