"Stayin' Alive" may not be the first song a hardcore rapper considers sampling, but Mack 10 expects the Dr. Dre-produced "Hate in Yo Eyes" — whose chorus plays off of the refrain of the Bee Gees disco classic — will be his biggest song ever. A catchy, driving song, "Hate in Yo Eyes" stands as the Inglewood rapper's most commercially viable release, straying from his typically abrasive sound.

"I'm already getting feedback from radio that it will be bigger than

'Backyard Boogie' and 'Foe Life,' " Mack 10 said, referring to his two biggest hits. "Radio stations that never f---ed with me before are just digging the record."

Mack 10 will be releasing Bang or Ball, his first album on Cash Money Records, on December 4. Even though he's newly aligned with Cash Money — whose roster includes Juvenile, B.G., Big Tymers and Turk — don't expect to see cameos from them in the video for "Hate in Yo Eyes." Only CM's Lil' Wayne appears in the clip. Dr. Dre was unavailable due to his commitment to other projects.

"I didn't have time to wait for our schedules to be where we're on the same page," Mack said of Dre. "I had to get my video done. But he definitely called me and said that he was behind me 100 percent.

"It's not like I've got to sell my records by putting a whole bunch of rappers in my video just so everybody thinks I'm cool," he added.

At least some of Mack's cool comes from his incendiary work with Ice Cube and WC as the Westside Connection. The group's 1996 album, Bow Down, sold more than 1 million copies and had the trio defending their coast's brand of rap music, among other topics.

The Westside Connection reconvene on Bang or Ball with "Connect for Life," a Mannie Fresh-produced track that features crooner Butch Cassidy on the chorus. In addition to being the album's second single, it is also one of the collection's strongest songs. Even though the Connection rarely records together due to Cube's movie career and other scheduling concerns, the trio sound as sharp as ever on "Connect for Life."

"I think we have a magic chemistry," he said. "There are certain groups that are just like that, like Dre and Snoop. Together, they're just the sh--. Westside Connection, it's just magic when we're together. We're to the point where we don't even have to rehearse for shows. We know each other."

During the recording of Bang or Ball, Mack 10 got to know Mannie Fresh, Cash Money's resident beatsmith. In an era when many rappers use a different producer for every song on their albums, Bang or Ball features 15 Mannie Fresh-produced beats and one each from Dr. Dre, Ron ("Work") and QDIII ("Let It Be Known").

Working extensively with the diverse Fresh allowed Mack 10 to

expand his sound and become a more rounded artist than he was on his last effort, 2000's The Paper Route, which sold less than Mack's other three albums. Because of this artistic maturity, Bang or Ball is one of those rare albums that could be accepted equally in the West and the South.

"It's got a bigger range," Mack 10 said. "This is more of a complete album. The Paper Route, that was one of my favorite albums. But a lot of people's fans get spoiled. Once you create a certain sound and do things a certain way, that's what they want you to do forever. Sometimes, you've got to change with the times a little bit. I keep a little bit of the gangster sh-- in there, like the old school sh--. But you don't want anybody

listening to your album to think that it came out in '95."