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Xzibit – Weapons Of Mass Destruction
Album | 14/12/2004 | Open Bar Entertainment / Columbia Records / Sony Urban Music
58:50 | 16 tracks | Vinyl/CD/Digital
Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap
Los Angeles, CA, USA
From The Garage To Hollywood
In 2004, Alvin Nathanial Joiner, better known as Xzibit, had already reached the stars. His debut album At The Speed Of Life, and its key track Paparazzi especially, are immortal legends of West Coast Hip Hop, and the sophomore longplayer 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz caught the attention of Dr. Dre who then produced Xzibit’s most famous album Restless and Man vs Machine. Nevertheless, Xzibit was still hungry for more and cut ties with Dre. Parallel to his career as a musician, Joiner started hosting the MTV show Pimp My Ride. For many people, this is the moment when Xzibit became a meme. It was the beginning of his Hollywood career on the one hand, but as a rapper he has never reached his late-90s and early-2000s form again. And Weapons Of Mass Destruction has been the first album of that ongoing phase.
Between Two Worlds
Weapons Of Mass Destruction is an album that is caught in the middle between several aspects. Xzibit’s vocals are still the forceful Hardcore Rap that made him famous. Simultaneously, smooth and soulful influence on this album than on any previous Xzibit release. The features by Jelly Roll especially add a lot of Soul (or rather, a bit too much). Furthermore, Weapons Of Mass Destruction contains the most pop sounds while Xzibit still adheres to his Hardcore sound. Content-wise, the MC is trapped somewhere between his upbringing in the neighbourhood, his financial success, and his role as a world famous star who utters political messages. And all of those ambivalent positions fit the situation that Xzibit was in when recording this album: a Rap music star who was about to become a famous actor.
The X Show
Weapons Of Mass Destruction is the first Xzibit album after the collaboration between the rapper and Dr. Dre. It is furthermore another Xzibit album without any appearance of members of his crew Tha Alkaholiks. From this starting position, Weapons Of Mass Destruction could have become the album to make Xzibit an immortal solo artist. Instead, it is an average, poorly conceived, and incoherent album that benefits from Joiner’s powerful vocals and a few bangers. At The Speed Of Life, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, Restless, and Man vs Machine are legendary albums, and Weapons Of Mass Destruction is the release that marks Xzibit’s transition from rapper to movie star.
5/10 Mangoes
We will dance again
Mia Schem
