Interview with Xzibit

Of all your albums which is your favorite?

My favorite album would have to be the Chronic album with Dre. Doin those songs, it was just a whole new way of workin. It was an eye opening experience to be workin with a producer like Dre and to be able to play an important role in that whole movement that he put together.

Doing that project opened a lot of doors for you?

It sure did. It's like people who'd never heard of Xzibit got a full taste of what we had to offer. It opened up a lotta doors for me, opportunities that wasn't there before.

What about your previous solo albums? What do you remember most about those albums?

Of my past albums, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, that one I felt was a step up from my first album. I really liked the direction we took with 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, and how it was put together. Me and Sir Jinx could come together and provided a different typa atmosphere that suited Xzibit. That was one of my favorite albums to work on.

Why do you say that was different from your first album?

It was just knowin a little bit more about the different typa effects I could use on the album. And just growin with it. I always like to learn something new and use it to my advantage on the next product I put out on the street.

Who were the producers on that album? Just Sir Jinx?

Sir Jinx. E-Swift. Thayod. They all did production 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz.

What about your first album? You must have been excited when you did the first one.

Definitely. I had just gotten a solo deal with Loud. It was '96. I was fresh off the--I had never ever made a demo. The first song I recorded was "Paparazzi". It was a real exciting time for me. I had never made an album before. I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know what to deliver, but I put my best effort in. It made enough noise for me to come with the second and the third. I learned fast. The mistakes I made on the first album I didn't make it on the second one. The mistakes I made on the second one, I'm not makin on the third. Three times a charm, hopefully everything will work out.

Before your first album you had never recorded?

I got featured on King Tee's album, I got featured on the Alkaholiks' albums. Then Steve Rifkind offered me a deal. I didn't even know him, I never even made a demo.

What's the main difference between the second and the third albums?

The first one was just me getting my feet wet. We had a lotta good response offa that. The second album was basically me exercising lyrically. Lyrically I stepped up on that album. This third album is like all the levels of the game is risen to the top. I got the best producers on the planet. I've got the best mind state on how I wanna deliver these songs. I think this is my break-through album. This is the best thing goin.

Would you say the main difference with this album is in the production?

It's everything. Everything steps up. From the lyrics to the production to the delivery to the show, everything steps up.

How did you develop your lyrical skills? Were you writing since you were a kid?

I started writin in middle school. I was about 13 when I started writin my own rhymes. It was something I enjoyed to do. I liked to put words together, it was easy for me. I just stuck with it.

You were writing raps then?

Yeah, but it wasn't half way of what I'm doin now. You know it was old school shit. Wasn't close to what I'm doin now.

When do you think you got your style of writing? At first you might be copying somebody, but then you start to become Xzibit.

I never copied nobody. I always had a more original style. I wanted to be original all along, cause we'd have battles at school and shit. They could tell if you was bitin somebody's shit. So I'd come with my original shit. I'd try to beat out the whole circle for every day. It was a challenge for me, that's how it started.

Was there a particular time that you feel you broke through to your style?

When I recorded my first album and I was able to sit back and listen to it. At the Speed of Light was kinda like the basis, the platform of the Xzibit that you're hearing today. When I listened to the recordings I knew what I needed to do.

What part of LA did you grow up? You went to school in LA?

No, I never graduated from high school. I had to get a G.E.D. I got kicked outta school for fightin. I was born in Detroit. Then when my mother passed off I was 9 years old and I went out to stay in Albuquerque, New Mexico for like 6 years. I was stayin with my dad. My dad got remarried after my mother passed away and they wanted to move out to New Mexico. Then I moved to LA. I've been in LA for like 8 years now.

What made you move out to LA?

Because it was the next biggest city that was close to me, the next biggest metropolis. I wasn't tryin to go back East or tryin to go to the Midwest. I just had to get to a metropolis, and LA was the closest, so I went out there.

What were you expecting when you moved to LA?

I didn't really know anybody or expect anything, I just knew that I needed a change of environment. I needed to be in a Metropolis, I didn't wanna be in a small town. I need to be somewhere I could reach out and touch everything around me and be in a faster pace. I gotta do it.

What was it like growing up in New Mexico?

I wouldn't call it growin up there, I spent 6 years there and got out as fast as I could. I've spent more time in Cali getting my roots here. I really didn't get shit outta New Mexico.

What do you remember about growing up in Detroit?

I grew up with both my parents. I was chillin. My mom died of natural causes, that's why my dad got remarried. I remember dumb shit--ridin my big wheel, kickin it with my friends--that's all I can remember, I left when I was nine years old.

How did you feel when you first came to LA?

When I first came to LA I wanted to put my roots down. I wanted to make sure I was in a cool environment so I could do what I wanted to do, cause I was comin from such a negative one. I didn't wanna be involved in the same things I was involved in when I was out there fuckin up. I made sure I stuck with people that had the same interest that I had. I wanted to be part of the scene and get my shit heard and kick it. I wasn't runnin around tryin to get a record deal, but I was with some cool people that I met up with in LA. That was my whole feelin. I wasn't out here lookin for trouble or tryin to run with the big dogs or whatever. I kept my head and just started from the ground up. I felt good. I felt like I did the right thing as soon as I came out here. I didn't have much, I wasn't ballin or nothing, but it just felt right.

When did you move to LA?

I came to LA when I was 17 years old.

What were you doing when you first came to LA?

When I officially moved to LA I stayed in Venice. I was just chillin. I had a little job, and then I would just do my music and kick it. I wasn't in no big hurry to get signed with anybody. All that happened naturally, it took time to develop.

When did you meet up with Alkaholiks?

I met Alkaholiks through my man Top and my man Broadway. They were a management/production team that had King Tee, Mad Cap, Alkaholiks, and a couple of DJ's. A whole lil' family struck up, that's how I met up with 'em. They liked what I was doin with my shit, and they allowed me to come along and get busy with 'em.

When did you get really serious with the music?

I really started getting into makin records when I saw how it was done. When I saw the people around me goin from step A (in the studio), to B (puttin it together and mastering it), to C (really puttin it out). Bein involved in that process allowed me to wanna reach out and do that myself. I would have to say it was early '94, '95, when I really wanted to get serious with it.

What were you listening to back then?

The same thing I'm listening to now. I'm a big fan of lyric-based Hip Hop. I'm not a fad person, I don't like fad music. I don't listen to popular dance music, I've always listened to hardcore Hip Hop.

What would you consider to be your main influences?

I'd say the early Public Enemy shit. That influenced me a lot. I love the Fear Of A Black Planet album. I love Pete Rock's Mecca and The Soul Brotha album. I love when Dre and Snoop and everybody was together over at Death Row. A lotta that shit was influential. Biggie, when he was alive, a lotta his shit was on point and bangin. You don't gotta say shit about Pac, Pac was killin shit. He was the best. They gotta have that something for me to get into it, they gotta have that spark. Wu Tang is dangerous as a muthafucka. Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with.

Have you worked with Wu Tang much?

I did some shit with Method Man, but I haven't done much outside of that with the Clan.

Going to LA was a real good move for you.

Definitely. I was out here starvin to death, but I was still happy.

Now it's different, right?

It's different like a muthafucka.

Looking back on all your material, which songs do you consider to be Xzibit's classics?

In my mind the defining songs in my career would have to be "Paparazzi", "What U See Is What U Get" and "Bitch Please". Those are like turning points in my career. When each of those songs hit at different times it did something for my career. Like " Paparazzi ", was the first song that: A, got airplay; B, got some recognition for Xzibit. It introduced me to the world of the Hip Hop industry. "What U See Is What U Get", the video was so break-through and the song was so energetic--that was another turning point where people could see that I was fuckin shit up. "Bitch Please". came and it was across the board hit. It opened the doors to everything that you're seein today.

Now all the doors are open?

Oh yeah, kicked right open. Off the hinges!

What's behind the title of your new album?

Restless. That's my lifestyle right now. I move so fuckin much. I got that shit tattooed on my back. Dre seen it and we was workin in the studio and he just said, you should call your album that. You could start a whole new lifestyle like that, roll with it.

What about 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, how did that name come about?

The name of that album came out after the album was already recorded. The album was so dramatic that we needed a name that could fit the atmosphere that we created with the music. It was real like Armageddon, but we didn't wanna call it Armageddon. We just called it 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz cause it was a deluge. It was comin down so hard on everything and killin everybody. That's how we wanted to come with it.

And your first album At The Speed Of Life, what's behind that title?

At The Speed Of Light, that was a real personal album for me. Everything I was feelin at that time, that was my life, that was my shit.

When you make a new album do you go back and listen to your old albums and go from there?

Sometimes I listen to the older stuff. I run through it and make sure I still remember every word. But I don't look to my old albums and compare 'em, cause I'm always goin to a different level up.

Dr. Dre did a lot of production on the new album. Who else did you work with?

Dr. Dre, Mel Man, Battlecat, Rockwilder, Erik Sermon, Supafly, DJ Quik.

Can you talk a little about how this album came together? Did you start recording and then it just took shape?

No. It's like that with every song. You go in with an idea and see it through. You get it all the way done to the finishing point right away. You don't play with nothing. If you ain't got nothing when you go in you ain't got nothing when you come out. You always go in with something all ready to go.

Don't things ever happen that you didn't expect? You hear something in the studio and another idea pops up.

No.well yeah, sometimes. Usually you just go for what you prepared. Sometimes a beat comes up right there.

How did you come into doing the Up In Smoke Tour?

Dr. Dre called us up. We were involved in the recording of the album, and some of the songs that he was going to perform in the show I was on. He asked me to get down and I was more than happy to get down.

You have worked with many different artists and producers. Who did you have a really good time working with?

I liked workin with all of them. All of them is just crazy, dope.

You already get a lot of respect in New York as a lyricist, and now you're opening up the West Coast, Midwest and Southern markets with this one.

Hopefully everybody appreciates what we did, cause we really came and walked that fine line and got everybody goin. That's dope cause everybody in New York tells me we got a lotta love and now everybody on the West Coast got with it cause it's just that new shit.

BG
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