When Mack 10 founded his own label, Hoo-Bangin' Records, his goal was to release music. Little did he know, the venture would lead to the creation of a film that would become a hood classic, 1999's Thicker Than Water.

“I was into selling music. I was independent and selling millions of records. So, I actually did [Thicker Than Water] just so I could do a soundtrack,” Mack 10 tells Rock The Bells. “I used to look for any reason to have a record, but the movie turned into a classic. It's a hood classic now."

The film stars the Westside Connection spitter himself alongside Fat Joe, who plays his brother. But as the “Backyard Boogie” MC tells it, Joe came in after another rapper had a scheduling conflict. 

“The original cast was gonna be me and Snoop but we had to change that up cause everybody's schedule didn't line up, so that's when I changed it up and made Fat Joe my brother,” he remembers. “That movie went platinum. I'm still getting checks from the movie cause it still streams everywhere. But yeah, I honestly did the movie so I could do the record and the movie ended up being a classic.”

As the record business started trending away from moving physical units, Mack read the writing on the wall and quickly shifted his focus toward the live aspect of music. He says he started promoting shows around 2010.

“I just saw that that was the way that business was going and the direction the bag was going,” Mack says. “When I got in the game, you had to buy somebody's record to have it. Now you can listen to it as often as you like for free, so that part of the game was gone and the only thing that was left was live performances. I got into that and now I [promote] a couple hundred shows a year."

He's currently promoting the Cali Classic Tour, which features Mack himself, along with Warren G, DJ Quik, Suga Free, Tha Dogg Pound, Compton’s Most Wanted, Kid Frost, 2nd II None, Jayo Felony, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and more. Most recently, they played the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. A gangsta rap show in Beverly Hills was a surprise to many people but not to Mack 10.

“Most or all urban shows that have been in that building in the last ten years — whether it's R&B or whatever — have been me,” he says. “It was fairly easy for me because I’ve done so many epic shows in that building. It was a little different this time because [the lineup] caught everybody by surprise but I wanted to try it and it worked out great.”

One of the most exciting moments of the evening came during Mack’s own set, when he started rapping Ice Cube’s verse on Westside Connection's 1996 hit, “Bow Down." Although it drummed up a frenzy from the crowd, Mack clarified that it’s just something he’s done for years, and not a hint about a reunion.

“I've been doing it like that for years because I give the people what they want. ‘Bow Down’ was a historical record, the people deserve to hear everybody's verse,” he explains. “I did WC's verse too, because ‘Bow Down’ was ‘Bow Down.’ I wasn't thinking anything more than, ‘Bow Down’ was one of those records that was so big you deserve to hear everybody's verse.” 

Catch The Cali Classic Tour in Central California coming to Montclair, CA (7/28), Oxnard, CA (7/29) and Santa Maria (7/30).