Rapper Xzibit: Kendrick Lamar, Pimp My Ride's revival and how the 2000s changed hip-hop

Ahead of his Dubai show, West Coast rap's elder statesman reveals how aiding the genre's global growth is his biggest achievement

Xzibit is a leading figure in the golden generation of hip-hop, which includes Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent. AP

At the turn of the millennium, the relatively young genre of hip-hop began its now-decades-long dominance of mainstream pop culture. During that pivotal era, the rapper Xzibit played an instrumental role in defining hip-hop's sound and sensibility to the world.

An acclaimed rapper and accomplished actor, the Los Angeles native’s groundbreaking career also helped sow the seeds for the year’s most discussed hip-hop concert to date. Kendrick Lamar’s sold-out Los Angeles show this month may have come on the back of his thrilling rap battle with fellow hip-hop star Drake, but the gig – available to stream on Amazon – holds a larger cultural impact for re-cementing the city’s standing as a citadel of hip-hop.

Speaking to The National ahead of his concert at the Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday, Xzibit expresses pride in how Lamar’s global stardom reminded the world of Los Angeles's contributions to an art form born in New York 50 years ago.

"I was watching Kendrick's show in Australia and I was just jumping around my hotel room," he says. "It was amazing and the leadership qualities I saw in Kendrick are phenomenal. A hometown hero like Kendrick, one who was born and raised in the city and who is bringing its people together, is exactly what Los Angeles needed. That’s not just kudos for Kendrick but everybody involved on that stage, everybody that supported him and everybody that knew him from the ground up.”

Xzibit also deserves plaudits for playing his part in bringing the city's funk-fuelled hip-hop flavours to a wider audience. Fans in the UAE will get a taste of that when he is joined by Eminem’s former group D12 and rapper Obie Trice at the Coca-Cola Arena in a nostalgic concert celebrating their respective biggest releases.

For Xzibit, the album in question is 2002’s Man vs Machine, a blockbuster release that housed hits Multiply and Symphony in X Major. The latter features deft samples of Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 3.

While nostalgia-themed hip-hop tours are lucrative of late, Xzibit feels the development is another sign of hip-hop’s evolution. "I still feel that hip-hop is fairly new because it's only 50 years old and this is new territory when it comes to doing these kinds of shows, " he says. "While there are plenty of great artists that came before us, it is our generation that is now able to go out and perform to fans who have been with us for so many decades."

These tours, which often are housed in high-capacity venues, also owe a lot to Xzibit and those of his generation who embarked upon the genre's first major arena tours. Xzibit alone took part in two of the genre’s most seminal outings, including 2001's Up in Smoke Tour featuring Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube and numerous versions of the Anger Management Tour alongside Eminem, 50 Cent and Cypress Hill.

Recalling those halcyon days that featured sell-out dates across North America, Europe and Asia, Xzbit says the artists on the bill were acutely aware they were part of something bigger.

"I mean, this is all in hindsight because we were just having fun, releasing albums and rocking shows,” he says. "But looking back, we were spearheading something and breaking barriers. I feel really good about being part of that elevation of hip-hop and giving it that international recognition.”

The music’s cultural cache also meant movie and television opportunities. Xzibit built a steady career in both mediums, including strong roles in the 2005 action film XXX: State of the Union and a three-season stint (2016 to 2019) on the TV drama Empire.

His most memorable television appearance continues to be his former role as host of Pimp My Ride from 2004 to 2007, an MTV programme where cars in poor condition were restored and customised. Pimp My Ride’s original producers are set to launch a new version, dubbed Resurrected Rides, on Netflix in July.

While wishing “nothing but the best", for the new endeavour, Xzibit recalls only signing on to Pimp My Ride to maintain his public profile. "I just did it so MTV can play my videos, that was my thinking at the time," he says. "But when it hit pop culture the way it did, it did open me up to more platforms like doing major films.

“I was never afraid to step out of my comfort zone. A lot of people want to be perceived in a certain way and they end up getting trapped in that perception. But we really don't know if we are good at something until we try it. Music is always something I can do in my sleep, so I like the idea of finding new ways to challenge myself."

Xzibit, D12 and Obie Trice will perform at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, on Saturday. Showtime is at 9pm, tickets start at Dh199; coca-cola-arena.com