Xzibit

Real Name: Alvin Nathaniel Joiner
D.O.B.: September 18th, 1974 Detroit, Michigan

Label: Koch Records

Xzibit was born into a tough life living in Detroit, also had to grow up without his mother by his side. She sadly passed away when he was only 9. He was then living with his dad. Without any entertainment to occupy himself he started writing rhymes at age 10, he didn't even have a radio to listen to. His Father and step-mom moved the family to New Mexico. Xzibit was then taken out of home at 14 after constantly getting into trouble. When he turned 17 he was released from the state as he was now considered an adult. Xzibit then made his way to California looking to start his music career.

Recording Career

Arriving in California on a mission to get a deal, X met with a number of figure heads and started appearing on peoples albums. A producer by the name of Broadway was instrumental in introducing him to Tha Alkaholiks, who in turn got him together with King Tee. Xzibit turned it out on the posse cut, "Freestyle Ghetto" on "King Tee IV Life," and after that got busy on the Liks' "Coast II Coast" on the joints, "Hit and Run" (the sequel, featuring an appearance by adult movie star Ron Hightower, is on Xzibit's album) and on "Flashback," where he showcased his humorous side as one of The Baby Babbas. LOUD records CEO Steve Rifkin offered him a deal soon afterward.

In 1996 Xzibit completed his début solo album, At the Speed of Life. "I named the album "At The Speed Of Life" because there's a whole lot of shit that niggas go through. I know more niggas that is off-the-wall and crazy, runnin' guns and shit than I know regular Joes that all they want to do is feed their kids. That's their speed. But it's weird how everything is coinciding together, and at the same time is moving in all kinds of different directions." Xzibit with his one of a kind voice and natural intensity beamed songs like "Paparazzi" and "The Foundation" into peoples minds through radio, and soon Xzibit was becoming a well known name on the streets. At The Speed Of Life was met with excellent reviews.

The first single to drop off the album, was "Paparazzi". This explained how he saw the Hip-Hop game, Xzibit's lyrics say it all: "It's a shame, niggas in the rap game only for the money and the fame." This was the first single from At The Speed Of Life. Then came the second single, "The Foundation." a song written for Xzibit to his son, where he advises the child about the ups and downs of growing up ("You can only run the streets for so long" says Xzibit). DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill produced the emotionally charged track which features a mesmerizing loop of ghostly wails and the actual cries of Xzibit's baby. And revelations abound in the hard-nosed two verses of "Carry The Weight," which details Xzibit's life story, from his troubled past to makin' it on his own. The album was released on October 15th, 1996 and peaked at number 74 on the Billboard 200 music chart and sold over 300,000 copies to date.

40 Dayz & 40 Nightz was Xzibit's second album, which was released on August 25, 1998. It is often considered Xzibit's greatest album. The album has sold 180,000 copies to date. "40 Dayz & 40 Nightz" featured four singles "What U See Is What U Get" (which has got Xzibit's highest charting in his career), "3 Card Molly", "Los Angeles Times" and "Pussy Pop".

By 2000 X to the Z aligned himself with Cali's 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 album 2001, on songs like "What's the Difference?" and "Some L.A. Niggaz". By this time, Dre had invited the young rapper to criss-cross America during summer 2000 with the "Up in Smoke" tour which featured Snoop, Eminem, and Ice Cube, among many others. That winter, Loud released Xzibit's Restless with Dr. Dre as executive producer, which boasted the single X. The song became the rapper's biggest hit yet since "What U See Is What U Get". It was released on December 12, 2000 and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It has since sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone, making it Xzibit's most successful album to date.

His fourth studio effort, Man vs. Machine was released on October 1st, 2002. Special guests include Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, M.O.P, and Nate Dogg. Producers on the album include Ric Rock, Bink, Rockwilder, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre (who was also the executive producer). 156,000 copies were sent to retail outlets, and this was enough for it to number three in the charts for the first week of October 2002. The album is certified gold for sales of over 596,000. 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 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.