Bow Down

Bow Down is the debut studio album by American West Coast hip-hop supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on October 22, 1996, through Priority Records. The recording sessions took place at Ice Cube's house studio, Westsiiiiide Studios, in California, except for the song "Gangstas Make the World Go Round", which was recorded at Treehouse Studios in South Africa. The production was handled by Bud'da, Quincy Jones III, Binky Mack, and Ice Cube, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Allfrumtha I and the Comrads.

The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, shipping 145,000 units.^[1] It went on to sell 1.7 million copies in the United States receiving Platinum certification status by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 10, 1997.^[2] It was also certified Gold by Canadian Recording Industry Association for selling 50,000 units in Canada.

Its singles, the title track and "Gangstas Make the World Go Round", made it to the Billboard Hot 100, landing at number 21 and 40, respectively. The songs "King of the Hill", "Cross 'Em out and Put a 'K" and "Hoo Bangin' (WSCG Style)" are diss tracks towards hip hop group Cypress Hill, Q-Tip and rapper Common.

Critical reception

The Indianapolis Star called the album "one of the strongest gauntlet-throw-downs on disc, but it may well be a last gasp from the gangsta style that is suffering from Tupac Shakur's murder."^[3]

Track listing

Sample credits

• Track 3 contains an interpolation of "People Make the World Go Round" written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed
• Track 7 contains a sample from "Hurt" written by Trent Reznor as recorded by Nine Inch Nails
• Track 10 contains an interpolation of "With a Little Help from My Friends" written by Lennon-McCartney

Personnel

• O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson – main performer, producer (tracks: 3, 13), co-producer (track 4), engineering, mixing, executive producer
• Dedrick "Mack 10" Rolison – main performer
• William "WC" Calhoun Jr. – main performer
• Kelly "K-Mac" Garmon – featured artist (track 13)
• Terrell "Gangsta" Anderson – featured artist (track 13)
• Ryan "Binky Mack" Garner – featured artist (track 13), producer (track 4)
• Marcus "Squeak Ru" Moore – featured artist (track 13)
• Darrell "K-Dee" Johnson - featured artist (tracks: 5, 13)
• Jonathan Hyde – vocals (track 1)
• Stephen "Bud'da" Anderson – producer (tracks: 2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
• Quincy Delight Jones III – producer (tracks: 9, 11)
• Cedric Samson – co-producer (track 3)
• Keston Wright – engineering
• Art Shoji – art direction, design
• Manuel J. Donayre – art direction, design
• Michael Miller – photography
• Steven Wills – logo artwork
• Marvin Watkins – A&R

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

See also

• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1996

References

1. ^ "CNN.com - Studdard album debuts at No. 1 - Dec. 19, 2003". CNN. December 19, 2003. Archived 2003-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
2. ^ "West Coast rap supergroup to release CD". September 27, 2003. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
3. ^ Miley, Scott L. (24 Nov 1996). "'Bow Down' disc fuels West-East rap feud". The Indianapolis Star. p. I4.
4. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com
5. ^ "Billboard 200 albums year end 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-01-07. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
6. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
7. ^ "Billboard 200 albums year end 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
8. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.