XZIBIT (PART 3)  (May 2008) | Interview By: Nima Etminan

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Related Media:

Xzibit - Dying 2 Live (X-Files 2: I Want To Believe)
Xzibit - Thank You (VIDEO)
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Interview was done in May 2008.

Questions Asked By: Nima Etminan

Xzibit Gave Dubcnn A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Audio Interview Here

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Missed Part 1 of this interview? Click Here
Missed Part 2 of this interview? Click Here
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Part 3:

Dubcnn: Your last album, "Full Circle", was often criticized because of the production. Is that something that you can agree with?

I don't know man. I just did what I felt was banging to me at the moment. I don't know, if people didn't receive the music well, then they didn't receive the music well. Like I said, I put that record together in two months with the producers that I had around me, and I felt like we put a good foot forward. Usually, I spend about a year making my records and all that, but for some people, they loved the record, others didn't like it.

It's all about moving forward, and the next one might be banging harder than anything else I've ever made, or it may suck worse than what people expected! The fact is that it feels good to me. When "Restless" felt good to me nobody complained about it. For me, I think that as I go forward and make better music, it may be received better, but that still ain't gonna stop me from getting in the booth.


Dubcnn: How come the video to "Thank You" was never released? [Editor's Note: The video was finally released right before this interview was published, check it out here]

I just was unhappy with the whole promotion of the record, period. To me, I should have released "Thank You" first, that should have been the first single off "Full Circle", because that was the biggest push. The label was listening to MTV or listening to everybody else that was jumping on the bandwagon, and they felt like "Concentrate" would have been better received. I didn't push the issue, I didn't push it and that's my fault, I'll take the blame for that. The way I see it, "Thank You" should have rolled out first, because that would have been heartfelt, it would have been something that the fans could see that I took time on and really put that forward for them.

But it was felt as though I was trying to compete with popular music with "Concentrate", and it's too easy to disregard the whole record because of that. Because if you don't dominate that popular music scene, then people gone take the music for what it's worth. Me coming in and creating the lane that I've already created with songs like "Paparazzi" and "The Foundation", "Thank You" would have been received better cause that's what people expect from me, that's what people respect in me.


Dubcnn: I feel you man. What kind of experience was it performing that song on Letterman?

It was incredible! It was the first time that I had got to actually bring something that was a brainchild that I put together, that I saw come from a thought to fruition. Bam! It worked! The performance was strong!


Dubcnn: That song by itself was worth the money for the record.

That's good, I'm glad, thank you man, I appreciate you.


Dubcnn: I heard Cavie was doing a remix album of "Full Circle" with new beats, is that still in the plans?

We did some remixes, I'm sitting on them. I didn't do anything with them, cause by the time they were done, the push it would take to reintroduce or relaunch the "Full Circle" album, I just didn't wanna put the time into it. I felt like if I want to do that, I might as well make a new record. So slowly but surely we've been collecting songs and I think the next one will be extremely well received, cause I'm taking my time with it.


Dubcnn: Do you have a personal favorite song of all time that you did?

Nah, I still feel like I haven't made my best song yet.


Dubcnn: What about an era in time, what's your favorite musical era?

Man I gotta say the mid 90's, fuck man, it was like "Wow!" You saw mega groups come out, mega stars, Hip-Hop dominated the fuckin' world! You know what I'm saying? Lyrics! Lyrics, dogg! Think about it! It was a variety of artists! Not just everybody doing the same shit.


Dubcnn: You've been involved in three different crews, the Likwit Crew, the DPG Crew and the Strong Arm Steady Gang. But you're still an Alkaholik at heart right?

An Alkaholik at heart? Man, I don't drink as much as I used to, but the spirit is there! *laughs*


Dubcnn: There were some talks about King Tee wanting to put together a Likwit Crew project... Is that something that's really happening?

If he puts it together, I'm willing to listen. I'm willing to sit down and listen. But I've been let down so much when it comes to this group shit... I don't want to say "No, never", but it's gonna take a lot of convincing.


Dubcnn: How do you feel about the groups that are popping right now, like G-Unit or Cash Money?

I mean, it's more power to them! Anybody that can keep a group of black men together and create something that's gonna feed kids without getting your door kicked in, I'm rolling!


Dubcnn: 50 Cent shouted you out on "In Da Club", did you expect him to become as big as he did?

You never know, bro! You never know! I'm good with 50, I'm good with everybody that's making music. I don't choose to get involved in the "he say she say" shit, I was glad that dude shouted me out! At the time, we was under the same management, I was under Goliath artist management with Paul Rosenberg, Eminem, D-12, I was under the same umbrella. It was a shoutout to acknowledge that we was all under the same roof.


Dubcnn: There were rumours of things being sour between you and The Game at first, but then you appeared on his album and he was on yours. Was there any truth to a conflict between ya'll?

There was no conflict, I think what had happened was, like I said, more gossip, more Us Magazine Weekly! *laughs* People gossiping to him, telling him I said something, he said something, "Fuck this and fuck them and fuck that". It wasn't until we met face to face and it was what it was. We continued on like that, it's nothing! I don't play into that shit. If the nigga really got a problem with me, it's really not hard to find me! I'm right here.


Dubcnn: How do you feel about the way the rap game has developed over the past few years?

We all witnessed the deterioration of the spirit of Hip-Hop. Now, this is Rap. What we have today is Rap Music, this ain't Hip-Hop, this is Rap. It's commercialized, it's oily and salted, it's cream filled, it's donut wrapped, cellophane sealed. *laughs* It's commercial, my nigga.


Dubcnn: It seems like swag is more important than skills nowadays...

Yeah! You know what, Hip-Hop has turned into the WWE. You know? Hip-Hop is now wrestling. You got a bunch of niggas buffed up on steroids, threatening each other, everybody got a theme to what they talking about, everything is fuckin' corny, and even though you know it's fake, you can't keep your eyes off it! *laughs*


Dubcnn: That's a good explanation!

*laughs*


Dubcnn: So who is Xzibit feeling right now?

Man, I still listen to all of the shit that made me fall in love with Hip-Hop. I listen to that. I go back and bust out "Fear Of A Black Planet", I go back and listen to Showbiz and A.G., I go listen to Big Daddy Kane, I go listen to muthafuckin' live shows. I go on YouTube and find shit like "Me & The Biz" (Masta Ace), like fuck! I listen to shit that made me fall in love and find some value in what I was doing. Because I can't really say that about the music I see coming out today. But then again, they didn't understand the music, then. So maybe, the kids that are coming up now - I don't want to disrespect them and say they're wack, because I just don't understand it - but what I do know, the shit that I do understand, I can do that well.

So maybe it will develop into something that eventually we'll be like "Yeah, okay, it turned into this." Cause it all comes in cycles. I just know that I can't compete with that, cause that ain't what I do, my nigga. What I do do, I just gotta do that well. That's why I can't really say that I like this cat coming out or something - wait, there's a dude named Ransom out of New Jersey right now I think. That nigga can spit! That's what I'm talking about! The nigga can spit, regardless! I'm not checkin' to see "Well is he real? Did he shoot somebody? Did somebody shoot him?" I don't give a FUCK! But the dude can fuckin' spit! It sounds convincing! *laughs*


Dubcnn: What about on the West Coast right now?

I'm feeling Crooked I, I'm feeling Soopafly, Damani and Bad Lucc's new group [Westurn Union], I'm feeling them. I'm feeling Bishop Lamont like a muthafucka, that's my nigga. Glasses Malone, Mykestro, Big Hutch got some shit coming out, Cold 187, I heard his new shit, he got some new shit that's fuckin' amazing. It's some real shit that I can get into, because niggas is saying something, and not trying to compete with Down South or imitating niggas. Nah man, let's just do us!


Dubcnn: You appeared on DJ Crazy Toones mixtape "CT Experience" last year on a song with MC Ren, tell us about that!

Yo man, Crazy Toones is an innovator! He put a whole mix CD, mix album together, blasted it off and then put videos to it. I'm with it! It ain't no different! If I was trying to put together something like that, I'm sure if I reached out to them it would be the same thing. But he asked me to get down and of course, that's my nigga, it's coastin'! Anything to move the coast forward.


Dubcnn: How come your song "Grown Man Business" that Dr. Dre produced was never properly released?

We didn't mix it in time, we couldn't get it mixed in time.


Dubcnn: Now... what made you go and cut your hair?

It was personal decision! I woke up one morning and I took down my braids, looked in the mirror, picked up the phone, called my stylist and said "Just cut this shit." So I cut it, I washed my hair, and I felt good man! About a week later, I got a call to do "Pinkville" for Oliver Stone! So I just cut it down some more, boom! That's what it is. It was a personal decision, and then I just rolled with it. It feels good, it's very convenient.


Dubcnn: That's funny, cause I had long hair for about 7 years and I just cut mine a few weeks ago too.

It feels good man! You can easily wash your hair, you can sleep comfortable, shit ain't pullin' all over the place, your hair don't smell like fuckin' Dax Hair fuckin' shit or whatever the fuck they use in their hair! Ahh, I was like okay, church!


Dubcnn: So what's up with a new Xzibit album?

It's coming, it's coming. I don't have a name for it yet, but I got some heatrocks on it, my nigga.


Dubcnn: Who would you like to work with on this one, production wise?

I don't know yet, I'ma see what's happening with it. I'ma take my time with it. Each track is going to mean something, each one of these songs I have to make count.


Dubcnn: Are you positive we'll be seeing this coming out in 2008?

You'll see me on some guest appearances, I'll warm it up before I come full throttle.


Dubcnn: Apart from music, you're also an actor. How is that going right now?

It's going good, it's good. I just finished "X-Files 2", I play a FBI Agent, it's coming to theatres July 25th, and then I'm working on another movie right now called "Fence Walker", it's another movie from Chris Carter. I did another independent film called "American Inquisition", it will be out this year also.


Dubcnn: What's up with Open Bar Entertainment?

The Bar is still open!


Dubcnn: That's it?

Yup. Only the bartenders are not inside right now. *laughs*


Dubcnn: Ideally, where would you like to see yourself five years from now?

I don't know, still living! If I can do that, I can accomplish everything else by myself.


Dubcnn: Before we go, is there anything else you'd like to let everybody know?

I just appreciate the support throughout all the years. Look for your boy to continue doing quality shit. You never let me down, so I'ma return the favor.