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
We Can Never Be Friends )
Mack 10 Lyrics
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Fuck them niggas cause they bitch made anyway
Can't come in tha hood, I hope he got an A-K
He crossed tha line, nigga dropped a dime
Then he ran to those white folks sayin' I tried
I Stunna one of a kind you muthafucka
Catch me in tha summer in a rag top hummer
Been a G about this gangsta shit, it ain't no rules
Nigga cook yo food, hard ki's we move
Then yo get up on tha stand
"Mack 10's song We Can Never Be Friends" is a hardcore gangsta rap song where the lyrics revolve around violence, loyalty, and betrayal. In the opening lines of the song, Mack 10 raps about his contempt for dishonest and cowardly individuals, referring to them as "bitch made." He goes on to threaten anyone who crosses the line, suggesting that they might suffer violent retribution, which may come in the form of an AK-47 assault rifle. This line is particularly revealing about the violent world of gangsta rap and the extent to which gun violence permeates it.
The song also touches on the theme of betrayal, as Mack 10 talks about a person who "dropped a dime," meaning that they snitched on him to the law. This facet of the lyrics is indicative of the gangsta lifestyle, which often involves shady and illegal activities, and the harsh consequences that come with them. Mack 10 emphatically asserts his loyalty to Stunna, who is presumably his close friend, and proclaims that he is ready to pay the price for being a gangsta and never snitch on his fellow gang members.
The song is full of intense images of aggression and bravado, which gives insight into the hyper-masculine and competitive world of gangsta rap.
Line by Line Meaning
(All gravy nigga, fuck)
Everything's good, but fuck those guys because they're weak and not worth our time.
Fuck them niggas cause they bitch made anyway
We don't like those guys because they are weak and cowardly.
Can't come in tha hood, I hope he got an A-K
They cannot come into our neighborhood unless they have a powerful weapon to protect themselves.
He crossed tha line, nigga dropped a dime
He did something wrong and ended up snitching on us.
Then he ran to those white folks sayin' I tried
He went to the police and accused us of something we didn't do.
I Stunna one of a kind you muthafucka
I am a unique and special person, unlike you.
Catch me in tha summer in a rag top hummer
You can find me cruising around in my fancy car during the summertime.
Nigga pack yo tools, nigga pay yo dues
You need to come prepared and be willing to work hard to earn respect in this gangster lifestyle.
Been a G about this gangsta shit, it ain't no rules
I have always been a true gangster and know that there are no set rules in this lifestyle.
Nigga cook yo food, hard ki's we move
Cook your own drugs and we will move them for you.
Then yo get up on tha stand
Then, if you get caught, you might have to testify in court.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: A. NELSON, B. THOMAS, BRYAN WILLIAMS, DEDRICK D'MON ROLISON, K. MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind