Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced “exhibit”), is an Americanrapper, actor, and television host.
Background
Born as Alvin Nathaniel Joiner IV on September 18, 1974 in Detroit, Xzibit grew up with a single mother. His father left the family early to pursue a career as a preacher, which left the family in anger, as his mother had to raise Xzibit and his four siblings (an older sister and brother as well as a little brother and younger sister) alone. After her death he had to move in with his father. His father remarried and relocated to Albuquerque, NM. Xzibit lived in Albuquerque from age 10 to 17, this is when he began writing rhymes. However, Xzibit had numerous run-ins with the law and ultimately ended up moving to California to live with his sister. It was here where he first began to rap and pursue a music career. He later reconciled with his father, who can be heard on his second studio album.
Career
He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success. Before hosting the show, he achieved fame in the West Coast hip-hop scene as a rapper, debuting with his acclaimed At the Speed of Life and gathering chart success with his follow-up albums Restless, Man vs. Machine and Weapons of Mass Destruction, working with high-profile artists such as Eminem, Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Alice Cooper, Game and 50 Cent, as well as being one of the few American hip hop artists to branch out internationally, working with overseas acts such as Raptile from Germany, Bliss N Eso from Australia and Adil Omar from Pakistan. After his sixth studio album Full Circle, his rap career was put on hold. He also built himself a second leg as an actor, starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as 8 Mile, xXx: State of the Union,Hoodwinked, Gridiron Gang, The X-Files: I Want to Believe and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
1994-1999: Career beginnings, At the Speed of Life and 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz
Xzibit started to rap at the age of 14, shortly after his relocation from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, then under the pseudonym “Exhibit A”. He marked his first appearance on a professional record in February 1995 on The Alkaholiks’ Coast II Coast, on the song “Hit and Run” and also appeared on King Tee’s IV Life shortly after, on the track “Free Style Ghetto”. After touring with Likwit Crew the same year, Xzibit signed to Loud Records and released his acclaimed 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 first breakthrough single “Paparazzi” which peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100 and proved very successful in Germany, where it peaked at number 11 on the German Singles Chart.
After spending the next two years with further 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 50 in Canada. Like its predecessor, it was well received by critics and is widely seen as a classic West Coast hip-hop record. 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 6x 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 The Breaks.