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

Guppies
Mack 10 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

featuring Ice Cube

The guppies dup dup dup

(Repeat dup dup dup 3X)

Verse 1 (Cube)

It's a feeding frenzy

with guppies all around the edge

nigga if you tryna get fed you in the red

eat you up beat you up

If that don't work heat you up

Now you wearin' white (punk)

smellin' like Fahrenheit

Niggas fleas ticks and parasites

tryna get a crumb off the turntable

Stick your nose in my bowl it's fatal

you Kane I'm Abel

Nigga you know we checkin' quotas and dollars

nigga you no the pecking order we follow

sayin' that we got to holla, if I can quote you

But the king of the jungle never meet with the vultures

never been a sucker never been fake (never)

Never tried to make all I can make (never)

Represent my niggas 'til the bow breaks

but haters hate we can eat steak by the lake.

Chorus

The Guppies dup dup dup (Repeat 4X)

Verse 2 (Mack)

What a beautiful day, clear blue skies

my murder ones block sunrays from my eyes

Twistin' triple gold so I gotta pack heat

Lay the titanium and flame up the street

down the boulevard with my hand on trigger

fools hittin' me up like who is that nigga

Ruuff ruuff you know who it is

Mack 10 punk top dog in showbiz

I cocks the revolver ready to start gattin' 'em

but what I look like set trippin' and I'm platinum

I hesitates put down the trey eight

keep pushing to the hood

make sure my folks is straight

Outta control a nigga ballin' like Shaq

gave my momma money and slid the homies sacks

And it's like that about the bank wad

the more cheese ya got the more killas on ya squad

for the guppies

Chorus

Verse 3 (Cube)

Okay we hollered fake as hugs check my wallet

driving to the crib make sure no nigga followed

Called up the mighty one O (what you want to do)

turn these bitch niggas to snow (how many 1 or 2? It's on you)

Westside battle cry my alibi first class

hella high when you die

I'm changin' standard time with the yuppies

but fuck them to and you

you askin' who (Mack starts at 'The Guppies')

Brought Mack Manson back to life

I kill niggas without a gun or a knife

I gave the order is he dead? (yep) enough said

and all my followers got W's on they forehead

Murderers and they kill on command

walk around like zombies with Techs in each hand

For Mack and the Don wet you up like neon

freeze you like freon you fuckin' peon

The Guppies

Chorus

(bubbles)

Chorus

Eat you up.

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Guppies" by Mack 10 featuring Ice Cube, the lyrics metaphorically refer to the rap industry as a fish tank full of guppies, where only the strongest and most dominant can survive. The repetition of "dup dup dup" mimics the sound of fish swimming in a tank, creating a visual association for the listeners. Ice Cube starts the first verse by claiming that everyone is in a feeding frenzy, fighting to get to the top. He warns that if you try to compete, you'll be eaten up or beaten up. Cube uses religious imagery by referring to himself as "Abel" and the competition as "Kane," asserting that he is morally superior to his competitors. He also calls out parasites and fake people who try to steal his success but never put in the work themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

The guppies dup dup dup
Repeating the sound of fish feeding frenzy to describe the rap game

It's a feeding frenzy
Rap game is a competition for survival, similar to a feeding frenzy in the fish world

with guppies all around the edge
Several rappers are competing at the edge trying to survive or get noticed

nigga if you tryna get fed you in the red
If you're trying to survive in the rap game, financially or reputation-wise, you're already in trouble

eat you up beat you up
Rappers are willing to take down other rappers to boost their own success

If that don't work heat you up
If verbal attacks don't work, physical violence may be used

Now you wearin' white (punk)
After getting beaten up, you're now wearing white (doctor's uniform), suggesting that you're in the hospital

smellin' like Fahrenheit
It's hot and unbearable in this situation, like the temperature scale Fahrenheit

Niggas fleas ticks and parasites
Other rappers trying to feed off your success or take you down are like parasites that suck your blood

tryna get a crumb off the turntable
Some other rappers are like dogs trying to snatch a crumb from a turntable, which represents the source of success or fame

Stick your nose in my bowl it's fatal
If you try to mess with or challenge me, you'll face deadly consequences

you Kane I'm Abel
Reference to the biblical story of Cain killing Abel, suggesting that some rappers may resort to violence to win the game

Nigga you know we checkin' quotas and dollars
Rap game is a business and success is measured by money and numbers

nigga you no the pecking order we follow
There's a hierarchy in the rap game, and everyone knows their place

sayin' that we got to holla, if I can quote you
If someone claims to be successful in the rap game, they must be doing something right and are worth paying attention to

But the king of the jungle never meet with the vultures
Successful rappers won't waste their time with those who are not at their level or have bad intentions

never been a sucker never been fake (never)
The rapper has always been authentic and true to himself

Never tried to make all I can make (never)
The rapper is not thirsty for success or fame but instead focuses on producing quality content

Represent my niggas 'til the bow breaks
The rapper is loyal to his crew/friends and will keep fighting for them until the end

but haters hate we can eat steak by the lake
The people who hate us won't stop us from enjoying our success or living our lives to the fullest

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEDRICK ROLISON, O'SHEA JACKSON, RYAN "BINKY" GARNER, RYAN KEITH GARNER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Gamingandfit

6y↑9

Mack and Cube killed this bring back memories dude.

ike9

16y↑8

I remember bumpin this CD back in 11th grade in my boys car after school everyday.....

SOULTECH . inc

2y↑1

Now you have nostalgia of typing that..

SnoopFroggyFrog

16y↑3

"Saying that we got to holla, If I get caught u bet the king of the jungle never meet wit the vultures" Cube Kills it on this track. The Guppies gup gup gup.