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Xzibit

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Xzibit

Alvin Nathaniel Joiner IV (born September 18 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit, is an American rapper, actor, and television personality, who was born in Detroit, Michigan and was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico by his father and stepmother. He is also known for hosting MTV's Pimp My Ride. He has released a new album once every two years since his 1996 debut At the Speed of Life; his most recent Full Circle, was released in October 2006.

Early Life

At a very young age he was taught to write by his mother Trena who tragically passed away when Xzibit was only nine years old. His father re-married and the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where Xzibit spent his adolescence.

At the age of 13 Xzibit began listening to rap and writing lyrics, which didn't go over well with his ex-Marine father and strict stepmother, who were both Jehovah's Witnesses. “My parents hated rap music so they would take my tapes and break them. I was listening to everything: LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Kool G Rap, anything I would get my hands on they would break it,” he says. They could break his tapes but they couldn't break his spirit and love for rap.

From 14 to 17, Xzibit spent much of his time on the streets of Albuquerque and began to get into trouble. His misfortunes followed him to school and he was expelled from the high schools in Albuquerque. “I went through so much, I got caught with guns in school, dumb shit,” he says. When Xzibit would attend school he honed his rapping skills, which led to his unique stage name. “While I battled at lunch, I just said it, 'I'm Exhibit A/On display...' Back then I used to spell it regular like a museum exhibit, I had Exhibit A, but then I dropped the A (for Alvin),” he says.

Xzibit now had a name and some skills but he needed peace in his life as it became too dangerous for him on the streets. “My friends started dying and I damn near got killed in Albuquerque,” he says. Xzibit set his sights for sunny California. With everything he owned packed into his black and purple Geo Tracker, $3,000 cash, and a highlighted road map to L.A., Xzibit left Albuquerque with one Los Angeles contact and no 'plan B.' Taking heed to his father’s words “Don't procrastinate,”When he made it to L.A he moved to Venice he began hustling, rapping at local L.A. clubs and networking. He would soon be introduced to King Tee and West Coast rap group, Tha Alkaholiks. “King Tee and Tha Alkaholiks were the first rappers I knew with real record deals.

http://www.kochentertainment.com/xzibit.htm

Rap career

Xzibit started off 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 commercial success.

He expanded his following with a series of 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 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.

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.[2]

Xzibit also guest starred in the song Stand Up on the 2005 Alice Cooper album Dirty Diamonds. Xzibit used to be a part of a group called Strong Arm Steady with Mitchy Slick, Phil The Agony and Krondon, a group he practically founded. Xzibit actually left the group recently when they signed to Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records. They are expected to release their first album, "Arms And Hammers" in the fall of 2006 under Blacksmith Music Corporation.

Feuds

Jermaine Dupri

Dupri said once he is a better producer than Dr. Dre and Timbaland. Dupri was in feud with Aftermath and with Dr. Dre, Eminem. Xzibit joined Aftermath and Dupri dissed him. Xzibit with the assistance of Eminem responded in the song My Name and Jermaine Dupri has never responded to this since. Xzibit and Eminem diss Jeramine Dupri in a DJ Kayslay exclusive "Grindin".

DMX

DMX made disrespectful comments about west coast and Crooked I called DMX for a crackhead and dissed him in a song. Xzibit has recently joined the feud and is supposed to diss DMX in one of Crooked I's songs.

Gumball 3000

In the Gumball 3000 2007 rally, Xzibit took part driving a black Lamborghini Gallardo. During the first day of the rally, Dutch police seized his driver's license for doing 160 km/h where only 100 km/h allowed. After the penalty his co-driver took over the wheel and they were allowed to continue.[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, released in 2006.[4]

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.[5] Xzibit was also featured in a guest role as a rapper on the U.S. 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.

Discography

Main article: Xzibit discography

Solo Albums

Filmography


Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xzibit.
Preceded by MTV Europe Music Awards host
2004 		Succeeded by

Interviews

References

  1. ^ http://www.hiphop-elements.com/article/read/4/5187/1/ URL accessed on September 16, 2006
  2. ^ http://www.tv.com/xzibit/person/131258/biography.html
  3. ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=7039URL accessed on April 30, 2007
  4. ^ http://allhiphop.com/blogs/news/archive/2006/09/18/18131504.aspx
  5. ^ http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/pimp_my_ride/series.jhtml


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