Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, better known by his stage name Xzibit, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, radio personality, and record executive. He began his musical career in 1992, and signed with Loud Records, an imprint of RCA Records to release his debut studio album, At the Speed of Life. The album saw positive critical reception, modestly entered the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "Paparazzi," which peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, was met with similar reception and spawned the single "What U See Is What U Get."
His success caught the attention of rapper Dr. Dre, who served as the executive producer for Xzibit's next two albums; his third, Restless, was further commercially-oriented and peaked at number twelve on the Billboard 200. He then departed Loud Records in favor of Columbia Records for the release of his fourth album Man vs. Machine, which peaked at number three on the chart. Both albums were co-released by Xzibit's own label, Open Bar Entertainment. His next albums, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Full Circle, preceded a brief public hiatus. He returned for the release of his seventh studio album, Napalm. Since 2013, he performs as a member of the hip-hop supergroup Serial Killers.
Xzibit has also gained fame as an actor and presenter, having hosted the reality television program Pimp My Ride during the 2000s. In his acting career, he played Shyne Johnson in the television series Empire. He has also starred in the films Gridiron Gang, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and Sun Dogs.
Career
1992–1999: Early career and ''At the Speed of Life''
Xzibit started to rap at 14, then under the pseudonym "Exhibit A". He lived in Detroit, Michigan, until elementary school age. Following the death of his mother, his father remarried and the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He attended Elementary and Middle School on Albuquerque's West Side, but by high school found himself getting into so much trouble that he was self-reportedly kicked out of nearly every school in the Albuquerque Public School System. His father, frustrated by his behavior, drove him to the office of the Marine Corps recruiter, where Xzibit swore that he would get his GED. While he successfully completed the program at TVI, he continued to get into trouble. In an effort to break the cycle of violence and crime he found himself in, he moved to Los Angeles in his late teens. His first appearance on a professional record was in February 1995 on The Alkaholiks' Coast II Coast, song "Hit and Run". He also appeared on King Tee's IV Life "Free Style Ghetto" shortly after. After touring with Likwit Crew, Xzibit signed to Loud Records and released his debut album At the Speed of Life in October 1996, which peaked at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 200 and reached 38 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The album produced his debut single "Paparazzi", which peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was more successful in mainland Europe, particularly in Germany, where it peaked at number 11 on the German Singles Chart.After spending the next two years building his reputation as a West Coast underground artist and touring with the Likwit Crew, he released his second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz on August 25, 1998, which charted in the U.S. at number 58 and at number 50 in Canada. It spawned four singles, the most successful being "What U See Is What U Get" charting at number 50 in the United States. With his growing following in the West, he caught the eye of rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who secured him high-profile guest spots, such as joining Snoop Dogg on the Dre-produced hit "Bitch Please" of his album No Limit Top Dogg, and appearing on Dr. Dre's 6× platinum album 2001, on the songs "Lolo", "Some L.A. Niggaz", and "What's the Difference" with Eminem. He closed the year 1999 with his acting debut, starring in The Breaks.
1999–2003: Rise to prominence and ''Restless''
Xzibit started the new millennium with the release of a compilation album Likwit Rhymes, which featured mostly previously unreleased material from his earlier recordings and a guest spot on "Bitch Please II", along with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Nate Dogg. Xzibit also received a guest spot on Limp Bizkit's 8× platinum album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water on the song "Getcha Groove On". His breakthrough came with his third studio album Restless, with Dr. Dre as executive producer and guest appearances by Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, and the Alkaholiks, among others, which sold almost 2 million copies and was certified platinum. It spawned three singles, the most successful being "X", which peaked at number 76 in the U.S., 14 in the UK and 4 in Germany. The album reached number 12 in the US. Dr. Dre invited Xzibit to perform on his American Up in Smoke Tour in mid-2000, which featured Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Ice Cube, among many others. The same year, he also starred in the direct-to-video crime film Tha Eastsidaz by the group of the same name and was a playable character in the video game Madden NFL 2001. He continued to star in films involving fellow rap artists such as The Wash, co-starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, in 2001 and The Slim Shady Show and 8 Mile, co-starring Eminem, in 2001 and 2002, respectively. He released two concert films in 2001, Xzibit: Restless Xposed, centered around the recording of his third studio album and various live-performances and was also seen in Tha Alkaholiks: X.O. The Movie Experience by the rap group of the same name. He also released a compilation album of songs that featured him, entitled You Better Believe It. Xzibit contributed vocals to Fat Joe's 2001 album, Jealous Ones Still Envy, appearing on the song "The Wild Life".In 2002, he guest-starred in the comedy series Cedric the Entertainer Presents as Mack Daddy in the eponymous episode and released his fourth studio album Man vs. Machine with mostly similar guest appearances like its predecessor, which spawned three singles, which all failed to chart in the Hot 100, although "Multiply" reached number 39 in the UK and 33 in Germany. The album itself was certified Gold by the RIAA, although Xzibit was unhappy with the crafting and promotion of his newest product, ending the cooperation with Dr. Dre. The album is his highest-charting album to date, reaching number 3 in the U.S. and 8 in Canada. Following the rekase of the album, in 2003, Xzibit's contract with Loud was absorbed by Columbia and he was signed directly to them. He also starred in The Country Bears. He continued to collaborate with his West Coast colleagues, Ras Kass and Saafir, forming The Golden State Project rap collective, and Tha Alkaholiks, along with Snoop Dogg and Eminem, whom he accompanied on his All Access Europe tour in 2003.
2003–2006: ''Pimp My Ride'' and transition into acting
Xzibit received a boost in popularity between 2004 and 2007 when he was introduced to a major audience as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, in which he brings an individual's wrecked car to West Coast Customs, where it undergoes a rejuvenation.Musically, he started the year off with the release of his second compilation album Appetite for Destruction featuring 50 Cent on one track, consisting mostly of tracks from his Dre period and songs that didn't make the cut for his fifth studio album Weapons of Mass Destruction, which was released in December 2004, entering the charts at 43 in the U.S. For this album, he reunited with Columbia Records, after having parted ways with producer and mentor Dr. Dre. The album notably did not feature any contributions from Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg. Additionally, before the album's release, he switched management from Paul Roseberg and Goliath to John Boyle. The album managed to go gold, but yet again Xzibit was unhappy with the promotion and backing of his label, claiming that they were trying to promote him like Jessica Simpson, leaving the label in anger and going independent. His single "Hey Now " featuring Keri Hilson marked his last chart success on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 93, while the second single "Muthafucka" failed to chart. Aside from his music and Pimp My Ride, he starred in the movie Full Clip, alongside Busta Rhymes, guest-starred in CSI: Miami in the episode The Rap Sheet, released a concert documentary with his new group, eponymously titled Strong Arm Steady and hosted the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards in Rome. In 2005, he collaborated with shock rock legend Alice Cooper on a track entitled "Stand" from the album Dirty Diamonds. This represented Cooper's first-ever foray into rap music. This year marks his most busy one, also being featured in three video games, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, where he lent his voice and likeness to the warden Abbott and Def Jam: Fight for NY and NFL Street 2, where he was a playable character.
The following year, he mainly focused on acting, getting roles in the Hollywood blockbusters Derailed opposite Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston in which he played as Dexter, XXX: State of the Union as Zeke that also starred fellow L.A. rapper Ice Cube and Hoodwinked, where he voiced Chief Ted Grizzly opposite Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, and Patrick Warburton. In 2006, he starred in the drama Gridiron Gang as Malcolm Moore and made two guest-appearances in the animated sitcom The Boondocks. The year also saw the release of his sixth studio album Full Circle released independently on Koch Records. The album charted at position 50 but was a commercial flop, selling merely 120,000 copies in the U.S.. None of the three singles were able to chart, although "Concentrate" climbed at number 68 in Germany. The album featured Kurupt, T-Pain and The Game, whom he assisted on his album Doctor's Advocate, where he rapped on the track "California Vacation". He also worked on two video games that year, Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover and Pimp My Ride. The year 2007 saw him hosting the final season of Pimp My Ride only, although he competed in the Gumball 3000 2007 rally.