Dedrick Rolison, (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack… Read Full Bio ↴Dedrick Rolison, (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack 10 is an American rapper and actor. He was a member of hip hop trio Westside Connection, along with Ice Cube and WC. When the West Coast first rose atop the rap industry in the mid-'90s, Mack 10 emerged as one of the coast's most promising talents alongside his longtime associate Ice Cube. The two Los Angeles rappers co-wrote "Foe Life," Mack 10's 1995 breakthrough hit, and united a year later with WC to form the trio Westside Connection, a West Coast gangsta rap supergroup. The Westside Connection album became a sizable hit, rocketing to number two on the Billboard album chart and boasting the anthemic "Bow Down." Mack 10 continued his affiliation with Ice Cube on each successive album while at the same time launching a label of his own, Hoo Bangin' Records. As the '90s came to a close, the rapper's popularity dipped a bit, and he signed with leading Dirty South label Cash Money Records in 2001, where his career underwent some unlikely twists.

Born Dedrick D'Mon Rolison in 1971, Mack 10 perpetually represented Inglewood, California throughout his career, the Los Angeles neighborhood he called home. His professional rap career began in 1995 when he signed with Priority, the premier label for West Coast rap at the time, and released his self-titled album. The West Coast gangsta movement was peaking around this time, and Mack 10 capitalized on the trend with "Foe Life," a song he wrote with Ice Cube, one of the West Coast's reigning talents. The partnership struck gold, and the song became a coastal anthem, opening the door for a successive single, "On Them Thangs." Mack 10 then partnered with Ice Cube again a year later to form the West Coast supergroup Westside Connection along with another Los Angeles rapper, WC. The three had united for a standout song on Mack 10's debut album, "Westside Slaughterhouse," and hoped to reprise their camaraderie for the Westside Connection album. They certainly did so, recording the boastful lead single "Bow Down," which taunted the East Coast, along with several other songs discussing the East-West tension that dominated rap at the time.

Mack 10 followed the number two-charting Westside Connection album with his second album, Based on a True Story, and its lead single, "Backyard Boogie," in 1997. The album became his most successful, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard album chart, and confirmed his quick ascendance to fame. Moreover, the album is generally considered to be Mack 10's career highlight: it features a modest number of guests (Snoop Dogg, E-40, Ice Cube), top-notch G-funk-era producers (Ant Banks, Soopafly), and little of the filler that would begin to populate his successive releases. Mack 10 returned a year later with another Top 20 album, Recipe, which is notable for its abundance of guests. In fact, only one song featured Mack 10 alone; every other song featured at least one guest, if not more; everyone from Master P and Mystikal to Jermaine Dupri and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Following the extravagencies of Recipe in 1997, Mack 10's career began to slowly spiral downward, much like the West Coast gangsta rap scene he rode to fame. His only release in 1998 was Hoo Bangin': Mix Tape, more of a showcase for the many up-and-coming rappers on his Hoo Bangin' label than for himself, and listeners weren't very interested. When Mack 10 finally did return with another full-length of his own, The Paper Route, in 2000, three years after Recipe, listeners similarly weren't very interested.

The relative disappointment of The Paper Route brought Mack 10's souring relationship with Priority Records to an end, and along came Cash Money Records, who happily signed the rapper to a contract. The partnership seemed somewhat unlikely. Cash Money was a leading Dirty South label with a small roster of in-house rappers such as Juvenile and Lil Wayne; however, the label was looking to expand its roster as well as its reach, and Mack 10 offered it a great opportunity to unite the West Coast and Dirty South. The resulting album, Bang or Ball (2001), neither topped the charts nor garnered substantial attention despite boasting "Hate in Yo Eyes," a Dr. Dre production that interpolated the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." The album nonetheless signaled a new direction for Mack 10, who sounded surprisingly comfortable working with one of the Dirty South's premier producers, Manny Fresh. Less than a year later in summer 2002 came Mack 10 Presents da Hood, a Hoo Bangin' release prominently featuring numerous up-and-coming West Coast rappers: K-Mac, Deviossi, Skoop, Cousteau, and Techniec. More importantly, though, the album featured "L.A. for Ya," an anthemic song that was customized for the West Coast's leading radio stations as well as for Lakers and Clippers home games. The customized versions worked, and the song garnered quite a bit of airplay on the West Coast, making it one of Mack 10's biggest hits in years. Ghetto, Gutter and Gangster appeared in 2003 followed by Hustla's Handbook two years later

Based on a True Story
Mack 10 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Newscaster: In the news tonight rap star Mack 10 releases his second
solo album titled "Based On A True Story," and according to reliable
sources Ha, he laughs in the face of the sophomore jinx. After the
release of Westside Connection and Mack's new record, gangster rap
seems to be at an all time high.

Verse 1
Either the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat

you either got ends or struggle to make ends meet
You can either turn square or keep the mind of a rebel
some uppity livin' good some faced with death in the ghetto
I'm a product of the streets so I vow to never slip
so I trust no one and keep a P. Coltrane on my hip
I always paid attention while my O.G's was teachin'
Rule number one if it's on blast the first nigga reachin'
either death or the pen' shit I had to do better
It was a must I moved on and now I'm all about cheddar
a young entrepreneur I rather slang than bang
now girls be like you go Mack 10 baby do yo thang
So I continue to get down and I keep writin' rhymes
and I parlay every dollar to flip at least a hundred times
So keep your game tight and it's all fame and glory
and everything I recite's Based On A True Story

Chorus <"Story" sung in background throughout>
You can feel nigga
It's based on a true story
You know it's real nigga
Based on a true story

Verse 2
The year 1986 is when it all started
now eleven years later we still rough and cold hearted
and as the saga continues I ride the wave like a Sea Doo
not to knock hip hop but gangsta rap is what we do
Niggas on they first album
already sold a mil'
So before you knock our style
at least admit that it's real
It's all sex drugs and violence
so you pretend you ain't checkin'
You mean to tell me people
really ain't dyin' every second
Now y'all made the rules
niggas can say what they choose
So if you gone ban Gangsta rap
then you got to ban the news
That means no weather report
no Waco and the bad reverand
No channel 4 channel 7 and no film at eleven
With no high school diplomas we became millionaires
media mad 'cause we winning and we really playin' fair
So keep your game tight and it's all fame and glory
and everything I recite's Based On A True Story

Chorus

Verse 3
I crumble green on a magazine
ready to roll a joint
damn in this billboard
I'm number one with a hollow point
It was a rough road ahead
but for my kids I gotta pave it
so I twist one shake the weed out
close the book up and save it
'Cause my son li'l Mack
might grow up and have a crew
and he can show all his homies
this what my daddy used to do
See I was raised around gangstas
and grindas since a youth
so the shit I rap abouts like 99% truth
With dedicated fans from bebe kids
to bambinos and niggas that's CEO's
before they reach they three O's
Maneuver through the corporate world
makin' moves to take ours
Rolling big German luxury and Italian sports cars
so watch what you do 'cause you know we playa hated
and everytime it's a homicide they call it gang related
So keep your game tight and it's all fame and glory
and everything I recite's Based On A True Story

Chorus (2X)

Too $hort talking: Say Mack baby, it's yo pa'tna $hort dog man.
You know I got yo back boy. You know a nigga like me I just left
the Ferrarri dealer man. I ain't go lie I know you ridin' rims.
But the problem is, it's a lot of mothafuckas out there that think we
rappers man. That think we just sit at home and make this up at

our momma's house. I hate to tell y'all man some of us are real playas
real ballers biitch.

Overall Meaning

The song "Based on a True Story" by Mack 10 discusses the struggles and triumphs of growing up in the streets and climbing the ranks as a successful gangsta rapper. Mack 10 talks about the choices individuals have to make; either turn "square" and lead a comfortable life or keep the mind of a "rebel" and face the harsh realities of the ghetto. He also addresses the criticism that gangsta rap receives for promoting sex, drugs, and violence, arguing that these themes are reflective of real life experiences in the streets. Overall, the song empowers those who have had to overcome challenges and strive for success in difficult circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

Either the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat
Life is either full of success or failure

you either got ends or struggle to make ends meet
You either have money or struggle to make money

You can either turn square or keep the mind of a rebel
You can either conform to society or be a nonconformist

some uppity livin' good some faced with death in the ghetto
Some people live a good life while others face death in the ghetto

I'm a product of the streets so I vow to never slip
Growing up in the streets, I promised to never fail

so I trust no one and keep a P. Coltrane on my hip
I don't trust anyone and carry a gun for protection

I always paid attention while my O.G's was teachin'
I listened to my older gangster mentors and learned from them

Rule number one if it's on blast the first nigga reachin'
The first person to act in a dangerous situation will be the winner

either death or the pen' shit I had to do better
The only other option was either death or jail, so I worked to do better

It was a must I moved on and now I'm all about cheddar
I had to move on to better things and now I'm all about making money

a young entrepreneur I rather slang than bang
I choose to sell drugs instead of being involved in violent gang activities

now girls be like you go Mack 10 baby do yo thang
Women now support me in my endeavors

So I continue to get down and I keep writin' rhymes
I continue to write and perform music

and I parlay every dollar to flip at least a hundred times
I invest my money and make a profit of at least a hundred times what I spent

so keep your game tight and it's all fame and glory
Stay focused on success and enjoy the rewards

and everything I recite's Based On A True Story
All of my lyrics and experiences are based on real life events

The year 1986 is when it all started
My gangster lifestyle started in 1986

now eleven years later we still rough and cold hearted
Eleven years later, we are still violent and unemotional

and as the saga continues I ride the wave like a Sea Doo
I continue to live this lifestyle and accept the consequences

not to knock hip hop but gangsta rap is what we do
I'm not here to criticize other types of music, but gangster rap is my genre

Niggas on they first album
Some artists become successful with their first album

already sold a mil'
They have already sold a million records

So before you knock our style
Before you criticize our music

at least admit that it's real
Acknowledge that our experiences and lyrics are based on real life events

It's all sex drugs and violence
Gangster rap is full of explicit content about sex, drugs and violence

so you pretend you ain't checkin'
People pretend not to be interested in our music

You mean to tell me people
Are you saying that people

really ain't dyin' every second
Are not really dying every second?

Now y'all made the rules
You created the standards

niggas can say what they choose
Artists should be able to express themselves however they want

So if you gone ban Gangsta rap
If you are going to ban gangster rap

then you got to ban the news
You would also have to ban the news media reporting on violent events

That means no weather report
No weather forecasts

no Waco and the bad reverand
No news coverage of events like the Waco siege and controversial religious figures

No channel 4 channel 7 and no film at eleven
No news channels airing at 4 or 7, and no evening news

With no high school diplomas we became millionaires
Without a formal education, we were able to become millionaires

media mad 'cause we winning and we really playin' fair
The media is upset because we are successful and playing by the rules

I crumble green on a magazine
I put marijuana on a magazine

ready to roll a joint
In preparation for smoking marijuana

damn in this billboard
I am at the top of the music charts

I'm number one with a hollow point
I am the top artist, with a gun for protection

It was a rough road ahead
My future was full of obstacles

but for my kids I gotta pave it
I have to create a better path for my children

so I twist one shake the weed out
I roll a joint and shake out the excess marijuana

close the book up and save it
I finish what I'm doing and put it away

'Cause my son li'l Mack
Because of my son, Little Mack

might grow up and have a crew
Who may one day have a gang of his own

and he can show all his homies
And he can show his friends

this what my daddy used to do
What his father used to do

See I was raised around gangstas
Growing up, I was surrounded by gangsters

and grindas since a youth
Since I was young, I was exposed to people involved in criminal activities

so the shit I rap abouts like 99% truth
What I rap about is almost entirely based on real life events

With dedicated fans from bebe kids
I have loyal fans, including young children

to bambinos and niggas that's CEO's
And also high-level executives

before they reach they three O's
Before reaching the age of 30

Maneuver through the corporate world
Navigating the corporate world

makin' moves to take ours
Taking opportunities to become successful

Rolling big German luxury and Italian sports cars
Driving expensive German and Italian sports cars

so watch what you do 'cause you know we playa hated
Be careful what you do or say, because people already dislike us

and everytime it's a homicide they call it gang related
When there is a murder, the media immediately assumes it is related to gang activity

Too $hort talking: Say Mack baby, it's yo pa'tna $hort dog man.
Too $hort is talking to Mack, his friend and collaborator

You know I got yo back boy.
Too $hort is expressing his loyalty to Mack

You know a nigga like me I just left the Ferrarri dealer man.
Too $hort just bought a Ferrari

I ain't go lie I know you ridin' rims.
Mack is also driving an expensive car with rims

But the problem is, it's a lot of mothafuckas out there that think we rappers man.
The issue is that people think they are simply rappers

That think we just sit at home and make this up at our momma's house.
People think they make up their music without any real experiences

I hate to tell y'all man some of us are real playas real ballers biitch.
Too $hort wants to make it clear that some artists are actually living the lifestyle they rap about

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