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
Made Niggaz
Mack 10 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Third ward New Orleans. To Inglewood.
To the motherfuckin world nigga.
Mack Dime. (What's up my nigga?)
(They know P they know they know.)
[Hook:] (Master P & Mack 10) X 6
Made niggaz from the South to the West!
[Master P]
Give me a chance to ball put my name on the wall
How many killas done called No Limit niggaz stand tall
'cause we, mercenary soldiers, gone off a Hennesy and that doja
Runnin from the, (Who?) motherfuckin rollers
Slangin, (What?) tapes like cola
Nigga, hangin with the big niggaz
Penitentiary chances just to make six figures
No we fuckin (What?) gold and platinum
Nigga, we made niggaz and we rappin
Nigga, Mack Dime, Mystikal and P
Every rowdy bout it nigga won't you follow me?
[Hook] X 4
[Mystikal]
Watch me! I'm throwed off, I ain't right!
Bitch I'll do you somethin, I ain't wrapped tight!
I roll with bullets like (?) and killas like Versey
Managed by TC and paid by big Percy
Whole lotta niggaz with me
You think I'm lying, but I'm not
You know who we are, we ready for war
You ready to die fuckin with the wide Tchoupitoulas
Say your prayers, them niggaz shottin, Hallelujah!
Gotta stop these niggaz from runnin they dick lickers
We self made big niggaz, killin these bitch niggaz
We paper chasin, goin platinum, in the gangstafied fashion
Made niggaz from the south to the west done hooked up with Mack 10
Gotta get real with this shit that's the only way shit gon happen
We made now, we was gangstas back then!
[Hook] X 4
[Mack 10]
From Inglewood to the NO, Mystikal, Mack and P
No Limit soldiers, Hoo Bangin see we got the Recipe
I stay ready nigga, with a vest strapped and all
Hit the rizzo and ball from LA to the Mardi Gras
No discrimination, hittin blacks to amigos
Slangin compact discs like they kilos
A real hustler, recognize another nigga with scrilla
Game recognize game, and killas recognize killas
Never aim to loose, always want to be a winner
Transactions in New Orleans over jambalaya dinner
'cause what you say you want, that's it, that's what you get, you
can't switch
'cause Silkk'll shock you nigga, and make Mia shoot your bitch
We tatted up, bauggeted up, the jewels glare
Make the haters stop and stay "How we do that there?"
See Mack and Master P, been up to seven figures
Hoo Bangin and No Limit, two sets of made niggaz
[Hook] (till fade)
The song "Made Niggaz" is a collaboration between three distinct artists - Master P, Mystikal and Mack 10. The song starts with Master P situating the origins of the artists and the song. He mentions the Third Ward neighborhood of New Orleans and Inglewood, California, stating that the song is for them and for the world. Mack 10 then responds, and he is joined by Mystikal and Master P, who deliver a hook that is repeated six times throughout the song.
The song is about making it big as a rapper and becoming a 'made n***a' - someone who has made it big in the music industry. The chorus emphasizes the regional influence of the artists, with the song celebrating 'made n***as' from the South to the West. The verses are steeped in the language, culture, and history of the rappers' hometowns. They boast about selling mixtapes like cola, risking imprisonment to make six figures, and working with record labels like No Limit and Hoo Bangin.
It is a song that is deeply rooted in the gangsta rap genre and is self-referential. Each artist brings their unique style, flow and lyrical content to the table. When put together, it creates a powerful amalgam that speaks of struggle, pressure, and triumph in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Third ward New Orleans. To Inglewood.
From Third ward New Orleans to Inglewood in California, we're representing the whole world.
To the motherfuckin world nigga.
We're not just representing our hoods, but also the entire world.
Give me a chance to ball put my name on the wall
Give us a chance to make it big and get our name recognized.
How many killas done called No Limit niggaz stand tall
No Limit soldiers are tough and always stand strong even when challenged by killers.
'cause we, mercenary soldiers, gone off a Hennesy and that doja
We're tough mercenaries, who drink Hennessy and smoke weed to keep us going.
Runnin from the, (Who?) motherfuckin rollers
We're always on the run from the police or 'rollers'.
Slangin, (What?) tapes like cola
We're selling mixtapes or 'tapes like cola' just like they were illegal drugs.
Penitentiary chances just to make six figures
We're taking big risks, even if it means ending up in jail, just to earn big bucks.
No we fuckin (What?) gold and platinum
We're not just selling any ordinary tapes, we're selling gold and platinum albums.
Nigga, we made niggaz and we rappin
We made ourselves and our careers by rapping, and we're proud of it.
Every rowdy bout it nigga won't you follow me?
We want other rowdy people to follow our lead.
From Inglewood to the NO, Mystikal, Mack and P
From Inglewood, California, to New Orleans, Louisiana, we represent with Mystikal, Mack, and P.
No Limit soldiers, Hoo Bangin see we got the Recipe
No Limit soldiers and Hoo Bangin have teamed up and got the recipe for success.
Hit the rizzo and ball from LA to the Mardi Gras
We're traveling and balling from LA to the Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Never aim to loose, always want to be a winner
We never aim to lose, we always want to win.
Transactions in New Orleans over jambalaya dinner
We're discussing business deals over a delicious jambalaya dinner in New Orleans.
See Mack and Master P, been up to seven figures
Mack and Master P have earned millions of dollars and are still going strong.
Hoo Bangin and No Limit, two sets of made niggaz
Hoo Bangin and No Limit are two groups of self-made people who have become successful.
Made niggaz from the South to the West!
We have made ourselves from the South to the West and have become a force to be reckoned with.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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