Xzibit

Biography: Xzibit was born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner in Detroit, Michigan, where he lived until his mom passed away when he was 9 years old. At the age of 10, Xzibit was writing rhymes to entertain himself because he didn't have a radio as a child. His dad then remarried and moved the family to New Mexico. Xzibit eventually made his way through the southwest, staying in Arizona for awhile. During this time he started getting into trouble. At age 14 he was taken out of his home for two years. "I was just wilding," he says about those trouble filled days. Xzibit was released from the state on his own recognizance as an adult at 17.

After that, Xzibit decided he needed to move again. He hit the streets and made enough money to move out to California. In 1992, Xzibit hooked up with producer Broadway in L.A. Xzibit was supposed to come out with Ahlee Rocksta as The Shady Bunch, with Broadway producing, but when that didn't work out, Xzibit decided to go solo along with his homie, Pen One, who later produced Enemies & Friends on At the Speed of Life as his DJ. Broadway soon took notice again and introduced Xzibit to Tha Alkaholiks, who in turn introduced him to King Tee. Xzibit then appeared on the track Freestyle Ghetto from King Tee IV Life. He then got busy with the Liks' Coast ][ Coast appearing on Hit and Run and on Flashback, where he showcased his humorous side as one of The Baby Babbas. Steve Rifkin, CEO at LOUD soon took notice and offered Xzibit a deal.

In 1996 Xzibit made his solo debut with "At the Speed of Life." With his unique style and deadly precision of delivery and the natural intensity of his gravely voice, X to the Z delivered one of the best and freshest albums of 1996. Xzibit came out spitting fire and always staying real in an industry which had become plagued with gimmicky rappers jumping around in silver suits. "I couldn't pick a better time because what I'm bringin' to the table is fresh and new..." "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." "Paparazzi," the powerful lead single from "At The Speed of Life," is a song dedicated to exposing just how "Hollywood" the hip-hop game had become. Xzibit's hook says it all: "It's a shame, niggas in the rap game only for the money and the fame." "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 shit," says Xzibit. "This album is heartfelt."

In 1998, "40 Dayz & 40 Nightz" followed and was met with great reviews just like "At The Speed of Life" had been two years ago. During the next two years, 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." Each of these appearances made the mainstream public well aware of the then underground.

In 2000, the stage was set for Xzibit's 3rd solo album, titled "Restless." After finally being released in December 2000, the album was met with great reviews and earned Xzibit his first platinum record. "Restless" is still selling strongly due to a great selection of singles including "X," "Front 2 Back," "Loud & Clear," and "Get Your Walk On." "Restless" also marked the beginning of Xzibit's own label, Open Bar Entertainment. With "Restless" dominating the charts with its hot singles in 2001, Xzibit decided to expand his resume. 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."

2002 looked to be even bigger for Xzibit. His fifth album, "Man Vs Machine," was scheduled to come out in March. His latest album "Full Circle" was released in 2006. X is also working on his first release from his label, the Golden State Project. This is a group that Xzibit formed with Ras Kass and Saafir.… Expand