The Shadiest One

The Shadiest One is the debut solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on April 28, 1998, via Payday/FFRR Records. The recording sessions took place at Backroom Studios in Glendale, at Echo Sound in Los Angeles, at Skip Saylor Recording in California, at Bad Ass Beat Lab in Antioch, at Infinite Studios in Alameda, at The Crackhouse, at Urban House Studios, Inc., and at Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana. The production was handled by DJ Battlecat, Stu-B-Doo, Ant Banks, Barr 9 Productions, Daz Dillinger, Douglas Coleman, Mo-Suave-A, Rick "Dutch" Cousin, Young Tre, DJ Crazy Toones and WC (the latter two also served as executive producers). It features guest appearances from CJ Mac, Daz Dillinger, E-40, Ron Banks, Too $hort, and Westside Connection. The album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and at number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. Both of its singles, "Just Clownin'" and "Better Days", made it to the Billboard Hot 100 landing at number 56 and 64, respectively.

The Shadiest One
Studio album by WC
Released	April 28, 1998 (1998-04-28)
Recorded	1997–98
Studio	Backroom Studios (Glendale, CA) Echo Sound (Los Angeles, CA) Skip Saylor Recording (California) Bad Ass Beat Lab (Antioch, CA) Infinite Studios (Alameda, CA) The Crackhouse Urban House Studios, Inc. Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, CA)
Genre	West Coast hip hop gangsta rap g-funk
Length	59:19
Label	Payday FFRR
Producer	DJ Crazy Toones (also exec.) WC (also exec.) Ant Banks Barr 9 Productions Daz Dillinger DJ Battlecat Douglas Coleman Mo-Suave-A Rick "Dutch" Cousin Stu-B-Doo Young Tre
WC chronology
Bow Down (1996) The Shadiest One (1998) Ghetto Heisman (2002)
Singles from The Shadiest One
"Just Clownin'" Released: November 11, 1997 "Better Days" Released: September 29, 1998

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

The Los Angeles Times said that the album "marries slick, funked-out beats with an unpretentious, silver-tongued flow—he sounds like a West Coast version of Queens MC Kool G. Rap."^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Hog"	William Calhoun Kevin Gilliam	DJ Battlecat	4:24
2.	"Where Y'All From" (Skit)		DJ Battlecat	1:10
3.	"Fuckin' wit Uh House Party"	W. Calhoun Gilliam Lamar Dupre Calhoun Frank Waddy George Clinton, Jr. William Earl Collins	DJ Battlecat DJ Crazy Toones (co.)	4:49
4.	"The Shadiest One" (featuring CJ Mac)	W. Calhoun Bryan Ross Anthony Banks	Ant Banks	4:26
5.	"Can't Hold Back" (featuring Ice Cube)	W. Calhoun Stuart Craig Bullard David Porter	Skooby Doo	3:34
6.	"Keep Hustlin'" (featuring E-40 and Too $hort)	W. Calhoun Earl Stevens Todd Shaw Treyvon Green Norman Anthony Durham Oliver Augusta Scott Ronnie James Wilson Woody Cunningham	Young Tre	3:39
7.	"Just Clownin'"	W. Calhoun Gilliam Walter "Junie" Morrison	DJ Battlecat	3:59
8.	"The Autobiography"	W. Calhoun L. Calhoun Anthony Henderson	DJ Crazy Toones	1:21
9.	"Worldwide Gunnin'"	W. Calhoun Bullard	Skooby Doo	3:25
10.	"Like That" (featuring Ice Cube, Daz Dillinger and CJ Mac)	W. Calhoun O'Shea Jackson Delmar Arnaud Ross Antonio Hardy Marlon Williams	Daz Dillinger	4:29
11.	"Call It What You Want"	W. Calhoun L. Calhoun Grover Washington Jr. Ross	DJ Crazy Toones	4:29
12.	"Rich Rollin'"	W. Calhoun Rick Cousins	Rick "Dutch" Cousin	3:40
13.	"Cheddar" (featuring Ice Cube and Mack 10)	W. Calhoun Tristan Jones L. Calhoun	Mo-Suave-A	4:12
14.	"Bank Lick" (Interlude)		WC	0:49
15.	"It's All Bad"	W. Calhoun Gilliam Bullard Bernie Worrell Clinton, Jr. Collins	DJ Battlecat	4:15
16.	"Better Days" (featuring Ron Banks)	W. Calhoun Jay Williams Maurice Thompson Frankie Beverly	Barr Nine Productions	3:53
17.	"The Outcome"	W. Calhoun Douglas Coleman	Douglas Coleman	2:45
Total length:				59:19

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[3]	19
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4]	2

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Shadiest One - WC | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
2. Johnson, Brett (10 May 1998). "Record Rack". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 94.
3. "WC Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
4. "WC Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

External links

• WC – The Shadiest One at Discogs (list of releases)