After months of teasing the project and a few delays, MC Eiht’s collaborative album with DJ Premier, Which Way Iz West, has arrived. Preemo produced five beats on the album, but also executive produced the entire project. The West Coast O.G. enlisted the talents of Kurupt, Lady Of Rage, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, WC, Xzhibit and more to spit on the 15-track project. Eiht’s rap collective, Compton’s Most Wanted, even makes an appearance on “Last Ones Left.”
In anticipation of the release, Eiht launched the “GEAH Campaign 2.8,” and recruited several notable artists to shout out the album, including Dr. Dre, J. Cole, DJ Khaled, Ice-T, Fat Joe, Tech N9ne, Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Remy Ma, Papoose, Queen Latifah, B-Real, Sway Calloway, The Game, Lil Jon and Nas.
Check out the album stream, cover art and tracklist below.
1. Shut ‘Em Down f. The Outlawz
2. Represent Like This f. WC & DJ Premier
3. Compton Zoo
4. Heart Cold f. Lady Of Rage
5. Pass Me By f. B-Real
6. Runn The Blocc f. MayLAy
7. Gangsta Gangsta f. Kurupt
8. Got That
9. Medicate f. Xzibit
10. Born To Hustle f. Big Mike
11. Sittin’ Around Smokin’
12. As I Proceed
13. Last Ones Left f. Compton’s Most Wanted & DJ Premier
14. “4 Tha OG’z” f. Bumpy Knuckles
15. “You Nia’z”
(This article was last updated on June 23, 2017 and can be found below.)
Since collaborating on 1992’s “Def Wish II” remix, O.G. West Coast rapper MC Eiht and East Coast Hip Hop impresario DJ Premier have always stayed in touch. Eiht, who would go on to pen songs like 1993’s “Streiht Up Menace” for the cult classic film Menace II Society, continued making music with his Compton’s Most Wanted affiliates while Preemo rose to prominence with Gang Starr. Fast-forward to 2017 and they are in the middle of the rollout for Which Way Iz West, Eiht’s 14th solo album and first project since 2013’s Keep It Hood EP. DJ Premier executively produced the entire project and produces beats for five of the 15 tracks.
Although Which Way Iz West was initially scheduled for a late May release, the date was pushed to June 30, but thanks to the good people at NPR, it can be heard in its entirety here.
(This article was last updated on June 8, 2017 and can be found below.)
It looks like people will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the new MC Eiht album, Which Way Iz West. In a text message to HipHopDX, Eiht confirmed his collaborative project with DJ Premier has been pushed back to June 30, three weeks after its original release date of June 9. With high profile guest spots from B-Real, WC, Lady of Rage and The Outlawz, the album evokes memories of the O.G. ’90s G-Funk era.
In the meantime, fans of the West Coast gangster rap vet and Gang Starr legend can revisit the first single, “Represent Like This,” and the latest taste of the project, “Compton Zoo” below.
(The original version of this article was published on April 28, 2017 and can be found below.)
As a member of the West Coast gangster rap collective, Compton’s Most Wanted, MC Eiht stepped onto the scene with the group’s seminal It’s A Compton Thang album in 1990. Two years later, their explosive breakthrough record, Music To Driveby, solidified Eiht’s status as a pioneering MC. One of his most well-known tracks, “Streiht Up Menace,” was featured on the soundtrack for the 1993 classic movie Menace II Society, which he also starred in.
Fast-forward to 2017 and Eiht is back with his first full-length solo album in 10 years, Which Way Iz West, a 15-track project executive produced by East Coast luminary, DJ Premier, a partnership that may have some people scratching their heads.
“People been knowing I’ve been associated with Preemo for a while now, so I don’t think that’s too much of a surprise,” Eiht explains to HipHopDX. “But to see that we actually sat down and worked on a full-length project together, that really caught a few people off guard. I guess they felt the whole project was going to sound East Coast and people were probably a little skeptical of the direction of the record with Preemo being the executive producer.”
With high-profile guest spots from The Outlawz, Lady Of Rage, Kurupt, B-Real, Xzibit, Bumpy Knuckles, Big Mike, WC, MayLay, and his old crew, Compton’s Most Wanted, it retains that original West Coast flavor, but simultaneously evolves with the times due in part to Preemo’s more golden era-style beats. Four years in the making, Eiht is hoping people recognize the hard work that went into creating the record.
“We put so much time into this record, I’m just hoping people respond to what the record really is about and can hear its diversity,” he says. “I’m expecting it does differently than all other MC Eiht records. I really tried to pick out the sound and craft this record into something that would be a good project, not just another West Coast veteran trying to sustain his career.”
Eiht hasn’t been completely quiet. He appeared on fellow Compton native Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City in 2012, and contributed to DJ Quik and Problem’s Rosecrans album earlier this month (which officially ended his vicious, long-running feud with Quik). On every cut, he manages to stay true to himself, something he factored into the naming of Which Way Iz West.
“For a minute, it seemed like all our West Coast veterans were trying to do what everybody else was doing to stay relevant,” he says. “I understand you gotta adapt to the times, but I felt people weren’t giving a damn about the originality of West Coast music. I know you can’t stay on the same page forever, but you can’t stray away from what our foundation is. I wanted to call the record ‘Which Way Iz West’ to let people know that maybe we lost our way and we need to get back to what West Coast music really was, and make some music that got me in the door for some of those fans who have been riding with me since the beginning.”
The first single, “Represent Like This,” finds WC of WC and the Maad Circle as well as Preemo throwing down over a Brenk Sinatra-produced banger, a little sliver of what to expect when the full album drops on June 9.
“I think when people hear this record it will be a breath of fresh air,” he says. “It’s not all about the hood. I think when people hear it, they will be like, ‘Wow, that wasn’t what I expected.’ Don’t judge the book by its cover just because you see Eiht and DJ Premier on it. Put the record on and listen to it.”
Check out “Represent Like This” above, and the single art and tracklist below.
1. Shut ‘Em Down f. The Outlawz
2. Represent Like This f. WC & DJ Premier
3. Compton Zoo
4. Heart Cold f. Lady Of Rage
5. Pass Me By f. B-Real
6. Runn The Blocc f. MayLAy
7. Gangsta Gangsta f. Kurupt
8. Got That
9. Medicate f. Xzibit
10. Born To Hustle f. Big Mike
11. Sittin’ Around Smokin’
12. As I Proceed
13. Last Ones Left f. Compton’s Most Wanted & DJ Premier
14. “4 Tha OG’z” f. Bumpy Knuckles
15. “You Nia’z”
When’s this dropping?
June 9th
Aww chit been waitin on Eight to drop some heat! #Geah.. West coast #1st Generation
booooooring shit, it’s not the 90’s anmore granpa. skrrt
You’re boring.
In the 90’s you could actually understand what they was saying
Icy Boi is a lil bitch
how do you talk with your mouth full of fake drake’s nutt ovoqueer
Idiot 90s was the best era shut up u can learn something from but i guese ur too stupid to know that !!
I don’t like this. I can understand what they are saying and it’s sounds funky. It’s like one of those 90’s tracks where they have those MC’s rapping. Who’s this Premo think he is? Probably from Texas or somewhere actin like he’s some sort of Super Producer.
Wack!
(Do kids still say wack?)
Fuck outta here Gangpa go listen to lil yachty don’t disrespect legends smfh
Can’t wait for this album Eiht still got lyrics heard the last album they did together it was nice
good call deletin what i said earlier. keep up the good work.
who cares about these grandpa rappers? teenage emotions is on the way. best album in history.
shut the fuck up !
Again this idiot if u dont like real rap than stop riding OG’s dick !! Everytime theres something about the old rappers u just talk shit go listen to the mumble rap hope u can learn something from that !!
Fuk you whiny ass bitches… Respect the OGs
THIS ALBUM IS GONNA BE THE BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR . I LOVE MC EIHT AND CMW …… REPRESNT LIKE THIS = NEW WEST COAST ANTHEM ………………. STREIHT FIRE ……. GEAH GEAH GEAH 8 HYPE IN THE HOUSE BITCH !!!!!!!! RESPECT THE ORIGINALS ……………..
MC Eiht straigh’ gangsta OG for real. Can’t wait homie!
MC EIHT IS STILL DOPE . HASN’T LOST A STEP . WELCOME BACK 8 HYPE ……. GEAH 8 BALL CORNER POCKET …… WHICH WAY IZ WEST ALBUM = NEW FIRE FROM THE WEST COAST OG …. THE STREIHT UP MENACE
THIS TRACK IS FIRE … NICE FIRST SINGLE … BEAT IS A SLAPPER …… GEAH GEAH GEAH LOVE MC EIHT SINCE WAY BACK
CANT WAIT TO HEAR THIS ALBUM . MC Eiht is dope . DOPE FEATURES ALSO …… Geah
Anybody else happy Snoop aint on this album or is it just me
also that Runn the Blocc joint came out about 6 months ago on soundcloud catch up HipHopDx
MC EIHT WILL GET HIS CREDIT AFTER THIS ALBUM DROPS ON JUNE 9TH . REPRESENT LIKE THIS = DOPE TRACK FOR THE SUMMER TIME ….. A NEW ANTHEM TO GROOVE TO …… THE WEST COAST IS STILL HERE ….. GEAH THANK MC EIHT , WC , PREMO , AND BRENK SINATRA FOR THIS BANGER …….. THE SINGLE IS ALREADY ON ITUNES CHARTS
His old stuff will always be his best stuff. As much as I like Eiht, he’s waaaay past his prime.
MC Eiht is still dope , he had the best verse on this track fa sho . Listen again and digest it . Turn it up louder . Go listen to MC Eiht and Compton’s Most Wanted’s old albums …. IT’S A COMPTON THANG , STRAIGHT CHECK N EM , MUSIC TO DRIVEBY , WE COME STRAPPED , DEATH THREATZ , SECTION 8 , N MY NEIGHBORHOOD , THAT’Z GANGSTA …… MC EIHT AND CMW BEST ALBUMS
LAST MAN STANDING WAS ALSO A GOOD ALBUM
I thought Last Man Standing was the exact moment he fell off tbh. He never fully recovered after that. I am still looking forward to this one though, and disappointed that I’ve got to wait another 3 weeks.
MC Eiht is better than 90 percent of todays so called mc’s . Respect the struggle , the grind , the hustle , the career spand and still dope . DOPE TRACK
Didn’t like that Brink Sinatra shit from the last time, and this is underwhelming too. He needs to hook back up with Slip.
Get your ears checked
This track is a banger . it don’t get too much better than mc eiht , wc , and dj premier on 1 track . Reppin for the OG’Z and the west coast hip hop scene in general . Give MC Eiht his props for still being around and trying to make that hard core west coast we fell in love with in the 1990’s . I know this album is gonna be dope . cant wait to hear it myself . im pumped . This is MC Eiht’s first solo album in 11 years also . Which Way Iz West = Hot for the summer time . TURN UP GEAH
CMW 4 LIFE
GEAH The track “Represent Like This” with WC and Premier is a banger . ” MC Eiht back with the CMW camp to bring that bomb original west coast OG SOUND . Which Way Iz West im gonna get that album first day . GEAH CMW
Sounds stale as hell. Eiht’s music isn’t aging well at all smh.
It sounds dope and refreshing to me. Maybe I’m not into retarded mumble rap?
booo-urns.
West coast legend not rap legend period. Highly respected tho. He just not with the industry shit. Got in sold a few mil got out. This is at least worth a listen.
Man, Big Mike, Bumpy Knuckles, Lady of Rage, Xzibit, WC, The Outlawz and Kurupt? It feels like Eiht just put in a time machine heading back to 94 or 95. Thanks Eiht, can’t wait. Only think I don’t like is Primo executive producing this album. Primo should be producing most of the tracks if you want to call this a collabo album.
East coast and West coast is a good look. Eiht just need to do more interviews and promotion to promote the album because I didn’t even know he had an album coming out. I like the fact that you dropping a new album tho Loc. On Crip.
thanks for sayin wc of wc and maad circle. would hate to get him confused with all the other wc’s out there. nobody heard or westside connection either. maybe you can find a direct web link? maybe home address? lil more so we can figure out who he is?
army of the pharaohs worthy types?
Geah
“Hey NPR listener”……….stfu f.aggot and let me listen to the music.
Mumble raps get this west coast dick in your mouth biiiitch geah!
Whats up with all the spammers in here? Multiple posts in ALL CAPS? Yeah pretty obvious. WASHINGTON STATE? KING KENDRICK LAMAR? LoL I think someone is trying to hard to get people to buy this mediocre album.
All y’all are some dumb asses. Old and young alike. Eat a bag of dicks.
Anything preemo touch turn Gold! One of the best if not the best producer of all time! On errrrythang!
Album of the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hands down……
Listened to the whole album earlier as it leaked, and well – doesn’t really sound THAT good after all. Some production was not up to the par I expected and somehow this lacks a bit. Like Eiht’s older work, though.
STFU newbie, this is great,
Big up to Eiht & Premo for a tight album, dope work done!
ive been spelling JYEAH wrong for 20 some years…
whoa that’s a nice album.
It’s an okay album. Nothing special.
Crap. Rap for old men. Look at those jeans there are from 94 but its 2017 get some skinny jeans.
Dope album. Eiht had great flow and Premier production made a huge difference. One of his best albums since we come strapped
Brink Sinatra did the tracks like all of Eiht’s stuff these days. Premier was the executive producer. Still say he needs to hook back up with Slip for that vintage Eiht/CMW sound.
Wow this bad, very sub par production and 8 is sounding weak. Not feeling it at all.
What is an Xzhibit??
Gave the album a listen.
Idk wasnt really feeling it.
I like the songs with Lady of Rage, B Real, and Kurupt tho.
THIS ALBUM IS DOPE . FROM START TO FINISH . EVERY TRACK IS TIGHT . YOU NIA’Z , AS I PROCEED , 4 THA OG’Z , SITTIN AROUND SMOKIN , GOT THAT , GANGSTA , GANGSTA , LAST ONES LEFT ,