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.Xzibit arrived in California on a mission to get a deal, so he 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 ][ 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 debut solo album, At the Speed of Life."I named the album "At The Speed Of Life" because there's a whole lot of sh*t that ni*gas go through. I know more ni*gas that is off-the-wall and crazy, runnin' guns and sh*t than I know regular Joes that all they want to do is feedtheir 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."I couldn't pick a better time because what I'm bringin' to the table is fresh and new...""I did this album for a lot of reasons other than the flim-flam and the whoopty-whoop, the pictures, the travel and all that sh*t," says Xzibit. "This album is heartfelt."The song Paparazzi, explained how he saw the Hip-Hop game, Xzibit's lyrics say it all: "It's a shame, ni*gas 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 off his debut album, "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. In 1998, Xzibit's 2nd solo album "40 Dayz & 40 Nightz" followed and was met with great reviews just like At The Speed Of Life had been two years ago. Xzibit was hard at work appearing on many albums such as Snoop's Top Dogg, Dre's 2001 and Kurupt's Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha. Xzibit was becoming well known to commercial hip-hop fans, in turn this increased Xzibit's fan base.In 2000 Xzibit's 3rd solo album was released, titled Restless. The album was released in December 2000, and was met with great reviews and earned Xzibit his first platinum record. Restless included a great selection of singles including X, Get Your Walk On, Front 2 Back, and Loud & Clear.Restless also marked the beginning of Xzibit's own label, Open Bar Entertainment. With Restless ruling the charts with its hot singles in 2001, Fortress Entertainment was hired to make a DVD/VHS titled Restless Xposed which featured backstage footage from the Anger Management Tour, Snoop's Puff Puff tour, the House of Blues tour and much much more. The DVD/VHS is a Fortress/Open Bar Entertainment/Loud Records release. Xzibit also appeared in The Alkaholiks DVD as well as Snoop and Dre's hit comedy, The Wash. He also played a very minor role in Eminem's move, 8mile.
2002 was a huge year for Xzibit. His 4th album, Man Vs Machine, was released early October. Xzibit explains, "Man versus Machine, man I thought it was fitting because I feel as though its all type of sh*t we up against." and continues "It's a corporate world, corporate machine we got to battle. It's a social machine we got to battle. It's all type of sh*t". Xzibit incorporated different styles in the album, from soul to opera based cuts such as his 3rd single off the album 'Symphony In X Major'. 'Multiply' was given good air play and despite a poor effort to promote the album, on November 12, 2002, Man Vs. Machine officially went gold.2003 was the year we found out Xzibit's group 'The Golden State Project' couldn't happen due to problems with Ras Kass' Record Label. Xzibit started doing mix tapes towards the end of the year with Krondon. They later formed 'The Steady Gang', with Mitchy Slick, Krondon & Phil The Agony.
The start of 2004 saw Pimp My Ride, the MTV series Xzibit hosted which was a smash hit worldwide. The Strong Arm Steady DVD was released and gave the fans a look into what the gang is getting up to. 2004 proved to be another huge year for Xzibit with 'Weapons of Mass Destruction', his 5th solo album, which was released towards the end of the 2004. There was a noticeable lack of guest appearances on 'Weapons of Mass Destruction', but X to the Z proves he can still hold his own in the rap game. Xzibit flexes lyrical muscle and substantial song-writing power throughout the album, with top notch battle-ready verses such as"LAX" and "Klack". Mix these tracks with more contemplative or musically complex works like "Judgment Day", which features him spitting inspirational lyrics over church organs, "Scent Of A Woman" is a tribute to a loyal woman, and "Cold World" is a collection of three individual vignettes that illustrate life's harsh realities."Weapons of Mass Destruction" went down in history as a solid, well-constructed album from the West Coast veteran.
During 2005, Xzibit added a number of acting experiences to his already massive list performances. X had major roles in both "Derailed" and in the box office smash "xXx: State of the Union" (xXx 2) where he plays "Zeke" - the arms dealer.Xzibit had a very successful 2006 with the release of "Gridiron Gang", where Xzibit plays Malcom Moore along side The Rock. Pimp My Ride continued to grow and its success spawned the Pimp My Ride video game. Xzibit also provided voice for video game, "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay" as well as the voice of Chief Grizzly in the teen animated movie "Hoodwinked"
In late 2006 Xzibit released his 6th solo album, "Full Circle" through independent record label, Koch Records. The album received strong reviews from critics worldwide.
Xzibit is set to embark on another world tour mid 2007. The tour is labeled the "The Back II Basics World Tour 2007". Germany, Belgium, Japan, Australia and other European countries are a few of the countries the X man will visit on the tour
Courtesy of: blackplanet.com
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