Xzibit (a.k.a. X to the Z) is the stage name of Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974, Detroit, Michigan). He is an American hip hop performer, actor, and television personality. He is also known for hosting MTV's Pimp My Ride. He tends to release a new album every 2 years; his latest album, Full Circle, is set for a late 2006 release.
Xzibit |
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Rap career
Xzibit got his start as a member of the Likwit Crew, a loose collective of West Coast rappers including Tha Alkaholiks and King T. After touring with them in 1995, Loud Records released the young rapper's debut album, At the Speed of Life in 1996. The album quickly became an underground hit. When Xzibit released his follow-up, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz (1998), he was again heralded as one of the West Coast's most promising talents despite no commerical success.
He expanded his following with a series of increasingly superstar-laced albums beginning in the late 1990s, ultimately aligning himself with hip hop kingpin Dr. Dre. Xzibit's big breakthrough came when he joined Snoop Dogg for the Dr. Dre-produced hit, "Bitch Please." What followed were some high profile guest appearances on Dr. Dre's 6x platinum Chronic 2001, on songs like "What's the Difference?" and the posse song "Some L.A. Niggaz". By this time, Dre had invited the young rapper to crisscross America during summer 2000 with the massive "Up in Smoke" tour, which featured Snoop, Eminem, and Ice Cube, among many others. That winter, Loud released Xzibit's biggest-budget album yet, Restless with Dr. Dre as executive producer, which boasted the single "X". The song became the rapper's biggest hit yet, and though it did not top the charts or break him into heavy rotation on MTV, the album did well on urban radio and became his best selling album to date, going platinum.
Two years later, Xzibit returned with another big-budget album, Man Vs. Machine, yet again he fell a bit short of mainstream success, although he did manage to go gold. He continued to collaborate with his closest West Coast colleagues, primarily Ras Kass and Saafir with whom he formed The Golden State Project rap collective[1], and tha Liks, along with bigger names like Snoop Dogg and Eminem. His allegiance to the West Coast and former colleagues continued to win him much respect from his fans, who remained dedicated if not massive in number. Weapons of Mass Destruction followed two years later which also managed to go gold. Xzibit also has his own record label called Open Bar Entertainment.
Xzibit also guest starred in the song Stand Up on the 2005 Alice Cooper album Dirty Diamonds. Xzibit is part of a group called Strong Arm Steady with Mitchy Slick, Phil The Agony and Krondon. They are expected to release their first album, "Arms And Hammers" in the fall of 2006 under Blacksmith Music Corporation
Discography
Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
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At the Speed of Life
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40 Dayz & 40 Nightz
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Restless
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Man Vs. Machine
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Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Full Circle
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Other media
Video game appearances
In 2004, he provided the voice for Butcher Bay chief prison guard Abbot in the Xbox and PC game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, narrated the tutorials and was the guide character in NFL Street 2 and played himself in Def Jam Fight for New York. His song "Paparazzi" is part of the in-game sountrack of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Feature films
Xzibit has appeared in several acting roles on the big screen. He portrayed Duncan in Full Clip in 2004 and Dexter in Derailed in 2005. He also played Zeke in XXX: State of the Union in 2005. He had a small role as a worker at New Detroit Stamping in 8 Mile. In 2006, he starred in Hoodwinked, as the voice of Chief Grizzly. Xzibit co-stars with The Rock in the Gridiron Gang, to be released in 2006.
Television
Xzibit is the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride. Together with Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) (seasons 1-4 featured West Coast Customs) they refurbish and upgrade old beat-up cars with new paint jobs, beefy stereos, and other extraordinary refits. West Coast Customs, Pimp My Ride and Xzibit were spoofed in an episode of Weebl and Bob. Xzibit also was featured in a guest starring role as a rapper on the crime drama, CSI: Miami. In 2006, Xzibit was featured in a parody of his Pimp My Ride show on the Adult Swim cartoon The Boondocks.
Filmography
- Gridiron Gang (2006) Malcolm Moore
- Hoodwinked (2006) Voice of Chief Grizzly
- Derailed (2005) Dexter
- XXX: State of the Union (2005) Zeke
- Full Clip (2004)
- Strong Arm Steady (2004)
- 8 Mile (2002) Male Lunch Truck Rapper
- G-TV (2002)
- The Wash (2001) Wayne, The Wash customer
- The Country Bears (2002) Himself
- Tha Eastsidaz (2000)
- Rhyme & Reason (1997) Participating Artist
References
- ^ http://www.hiphop-elements.com/article/read/4/5187/1/ URL accessed on September 16, 2006