Xzibit - Restless

After his single "What U See Is What U Get" hit no. 50 on the Billboard 200 charts in 1998, Alvin Joiner, more commonly known as Xzibit, became a much more popular figure in the hip-hop community, and this teamed with a mutual friendship with Defari Herut meant that in early 1999 X-to-the-Z hooked up with a certain Andre Young, better known to most as Dr. Dre. This friendship was fruitful enough to not only allow X three appearances on Dre's own 2001 record (one of which was admittedly on the intro skit), but also a guest feature on what was generally regarded to be Snoop Dogg's comeback single "Bitch Please" (a comeback as it was the first time since Doggystyle that he'd had Dre production on his song). Following this, X was invited onto the Up In Smoke Tour with Snoop, Dre and the newly signed Eminem, and despite his not signing to Aftermath, it was agreed that Andre would be credited as executive producer on X's upcoming third album, which came out in December 2000. Exciting stuff.

Restless was released to easily the biggest chart success of Xzibit's entire career - while none of his singles charted as high as "What U See Is What U Get" (yes, not even "X"), the album itself went to no. 12 and sold over 1 million copies in the US, making this Xzibit's only platinum selling record. The album was praised by many critics for bridging the gap between the underground sound found on his first two efforts, and the more mainstream style that was found on 2001 and No Limit Top Dogg to a perfect degree, and most of the fans enjoyed it as well, even though some criticised X's fairly jarring transition into the limelight. 

The album featured a far more star-studded line-up than his previous two works, that's for sure. On the boards we predictably had Dr. Dre, and a couple of previous collaborators such as Sir Jinx and Soopafly, but we also had a plethora of highly popular West and East coast producers including Rockwilder, Rick Rock, Battlecat, Nottz, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch and more - this was an absolutely crazy lineup at the time. The guest list was similarly gripping - Nate Dogg, Eminem, Erick Sermon, DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg, KRS-One and Goldie Loc, as well as King T, Defari and Tha Alkaholiks to help keep the At the Speed Of Life and 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz fans (including me there) happy. This was a huge moment in hip-hop, then, and Xzibit clearly had to prove something here if he wanted to keep the spotlight upon himself. The diverse and photo-filled album art itself indicates this album as a sort of victory lap for X to celebrate his finally breaking into the mainstream, and there was even a documentary made to go alongside the project: Restless Xposed - heavy stuff.

So, did this apparent massive crossover album work? Well, let's see.

1. Intro/Restless (prod. Sir Jinx & Thayod)

Xzibit chooses to introduce himself via the sounds of various pedestrians talking about him and what he's doing for the West Coast, which is pretty intriguing, if a bit self-important. Is that "Thayod" the same one who produced "Paparazzi"?

2. Front 2 Back (prod. Rocwilder)

Xzibit raps over a beat made out of the sound of a low-rida's hydraulics bouncin' up and down, and the results are surprisingly spectacular. The Rockwilder (or "Rocwilder", as the wrongly spelled liner notes indicate) production is easily one of his best ever, although considering most of his beats are just straight up noise that isn't really saying all that much, and the singing from Xzibit is actually quite enjoyable, especially on the intro and outro bridges. The verses themselves are easily some of the lyrically weakest he had dropped up to this point though - starting with the line "will the real X-to-tha-Z please stand up?" was a terrible idea, and most of his other rhymes are misogynistic and stupid in equal measure (see "pop pills and ride the dick" - now that's such a clever line). Still, if you look at this as just a fun club banger then you'll be better off, because that's what it is: a BANGER.

3. Been A Long Time (feat. Nate Dogg) (prod. Battle Cat)

One of the first times X featured a G-funk flavoured cut on one of his own albums, and it's very good, and a calm comedown after the energetic opener. Nate Dogg's hook is pretty damn catchy, meanwhile Xzibit actually sounds far more comfortable on here than on the club-ready "Front 2 Back". It's worth noting that X references the title track from At the Speed Of Life on here, which shows that he hadn't entirely forgotten those days yet, so that's appreciated.

4. U Know (feat. Dr. Dre) (prod. Dr. Dre & Dominick "Nottz" Lamb)

Produced by not only Andre himself, but also by one of my favourite beatmakers Nottz, who if you remember crafted the legendary first three songs on Busta Rhymes' E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. I was excited for this upon first listen (which was, come to think of it, almost exactly two years ago), and it didn't disappoint, with Xzibit sounding excellent over the intense and layered production, and Dre delivering a solid verse too (a verse that was almost certainly ghostwritten, but there you go). The hook is catchy too. Great stuff.

5. X (prod. Dr. Dre, Mel-Man & Scott Storch)

Probably the most notorious Xzibit song of all time, one that most would probably assume to be his first single if they hadn't familiarised themselves with his catalogue already. This is also easily one of the best songs in his stacked discography. The rapping on here is brilliant, with Xzibit appearing to be the funniest guy in the world with lines such as "goin' up and down my dick like the stock exchange" and "'cause tonight I might meet my next ex-wife" - I mean, sure, this song is lyrically kind of stupid, and it doesn't really stand up to tracks such as "Paparazzi"or "Recycled Assassins" in any way, shape or form, but the production is banging, the hook is great, Snoop's outro is funny, and Xzibit proves himself a worthwhile addition to the mainstream scene here. I like this a lot.

6. Alkaholik (feat. Erick Sermon & J-Ro and Tash (of Tha Liks)) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Even though he was making his big break into the eyes of the music world with this album, Xzibit of course still didn't leave his friends behind, opting to put them on this album, of course in exchange for all of the marijuana that Tash had stashed up in his apartment. Unfortunately, Tash refused a similar offer two years later, which led to X's infamous falling-out with the people he had once created "Let It Rain" with. Sad stuff. Anyway, this track is brilliant. Erick Sermon (of EPMD, although you should know that already) provides one of his funkiest beats ever (and he did Redman's production through the '90s, so that's saying a lot), and all of the rappers here kill the shit. Yes, the hook is rather silly, but that doesn't lessen my enjoyment. Great track. 

7. Kenny Parker Show 2001 (feat. KRS-One) (prod. Xzibit & Thayod)

Xzibit gives up the more mainstream type tracks for what is easily the best rapping performance on the album so far, spat over an almost cypher type beat that Xzibit rocks with precision - he did produce the thing, after all. The beat itself is fairly simple, but it serves its purpose, and Xzibit makes the song into something energetic and replayable. The only real disappointment here is that KRS didn't spit a verse - he simply delivers a bit of spoken word. Still, great stuff.

8. D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol) (feat. Snoop Dogg) (prod. Rick Roc)

Over an absolutely hateful Rick Rock (or "Rick Roc"? - what is it with the misspelled liner notes?) instrumental, and tied together by one of the worst hooks I have ever heard, Xzibit and Snoop Dogg spit some basic-ass rhymes about... well, you saw the bloody title. I honestly can't stress enough how awful this shit is. You're better off piercing some kind of sharp implement through your eardrums - at least then you'll never run the risk of ever hearing this garbage.

9. Double Time (prod. Erick Sermon)

Kind of weird, but I still like it. Erick Sermon's beat is pulsating and has a quick tempo, which makes for a very much anti-Xzibit sound, but nonetheless he sounds good on here, and the hook is fun. Pretty solid stuff.

10. Don't Approach Me (feat. Eminem) (prod. Eminem)

One of Eminem's many classic guest appearances of the early 2000s - that man was really killing it back then, wasn't he? Of course, this isn't to discredit the work Xzibit puts in here, as he delivers two of his most memorable and serious verses since the days of "Paparazzi" and "Carry the Weight". It's Eminem who owns this though - not only does he come through with an engaging and menacing beat, and a catchy as all hell hook, but he also delivers two of his best ever verses on here. "It's not that I don't like you - it's just that when I'm not behind the mic, I'm a person who's just like you" - if that's not a classic line, I don't know what is.

11. Rimz & Tirez (feat. Defari, Goldie Loc & Kokane) (prod. SoopaFly)

I would criticise the title on this thing, if it wasn't for the fact that these guys have some of the worst rap names I have ever seen, thereby boiling my blood even more. Kokane? Goldie Loc? GOLDIE LOC?? That is the cringiest, most disgusting name you could think of. It's worse than "Shorty Shit Stain". It's so bloody bad. Jesus. Anyway, on with the song. While the bassy beat on here is rather simplistic, I do like the utilisation of tom-toms, and the bassline is actually quite nice. The rapping is pretty good too, even if Kokane's squeaky hook will make you want to plunge a large piece of metal through your CD player.

12. Fuckin' You Right (prod. SoopaFly)

While the Soopafly beat on here would be more suited to a circus than a sex song, at least X senses the tone, and chooses to make the obligatory "I like having sex with lots of different women" song a bit more unique. This track is based on one of the worst excuses for cheating I have ever heard - "I was only having sex with other people so that I could make the sex with my actual girlfriend just perfect". Canadian pie-sniffer Drake later flipped this idea on it's head for his song "Practice", which was even more difficult to hear. Anyway, while the message of this song is ignorant, at least we see more of Xzibit's funny side on here, which is always appreciated.

13. Best Of Things (prod. Dr. Dre)

Has recently become one of the more notorious tracks on this LP, probably thanks to the pulsating Dr. Dre production, that always reminds me of Tech N9ne's "Slacker" for some reason. You could argue that it's popularity is due to Xzibit's reflective lyrics, but then surely people would head to "Carry the Weight" instead? Still, despite this track being inferior to that masterpiece, it's still pretty damn good - the dark instrumental is the perfect fit for Alvin, and once again the singing on the hook is actually good. Nice stuff.

14. Get Your Walk On (prod. Mel-Man & Battle Cat)

Xzibit encourages listeners to do the Crip Walk, a dance that I wish I could master, but simply cannot be bothered to try. Sorry, X. I remember the video for this one attempted to unite the Bloods and Crips, the US' two major rival gangs (although you already knew that), through red and blue graphics, but all this led to was Xzibit getting his face cut wide open (although this could also have been to do with label politics, but... surely not?). The synthy beat is a bit too poppy, but this track would still do well in the club, that's for sure.

15. Sorry I'm Away So Much (feat. Suga Free & DJ Quik) (prod. DJ Quik)

As lazy as the title suggests. X and his two guests get on their serious heads for this one, rapping to their families about how they feel bad about leaving them whenever they go on tour and such, and while the sentiment here is nice, this just feels so forced to me. The beat is also one of the dreariest I've ever had the misfortune of hearing, and really, if you want this type of song from Xzibit, just listen to the much more genuine "The Foundation". A miss.

16. Loud & Clear (feat. Butch Cassidy, Defari & King T) (prod. Battle Cat)

Oh, if only this thing ended at "Get Your Walk On". While I didn't hate this track as much as the previous one, I still don't find it to be anywhere near engaging enough of a closer to such an album. Butch Cassidy (who the hell told him that was a good stage name?) is an incredibly weak singer, and Defari is predictably forgettable on here. King T (no, it's not King Tee anymore, why do you ask?) appearing was a no-brainer, as he not only had clear previous ties with X, but had also signed to Dre's label in the late '90s (which, come to think of it, could have been a key factor in X and Dre's hooking up), but unfortunately he sounds out of place over this slow instrumental. Xzibit does walk away from this one with his head held high, though, so at least he proved himself on the last song, I suppose.

It's funny - I used to think this album was the shit. I would play this thing constantly, and I can still remember a lot of these tracks today. And, up to track 7, Restless truly is a great album, offering hit beats, hit hooks and often great bars (aside the lyrically weak "Front 2 Back") - I can definitely see why I thought this was a classic project, as listening to those tracks run through back to back would certainly give that impression. Once we reach the dismal "D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol)", however, the album becomes a bit of an inconsistent mess, and one with one of the weakest endings compared to the rest of the thing I've ever heard. Seriously, if you chopped off the last two songs, then I would probably feel a hell of a lot more inclined to play this thing through to the end. For what it is now, though, this is still a great album. As I said, the first 7 tracks are all brilliant (besides the intro skit), and then there are other absolute classics thrown in after that too, such as the intense "Don't Approach Me" and the fun "Get Your Walk On". There are so many bangers on this album, but unfortunately they are often sandwiched between songs with weak beats ("Fuckin' You Right"), weak verses ("Rimz & Tirez") or simply weak everything ("D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol)"). Still, I'd recommend a listen - the awful moments here are worth sitting through to get to all the good stuff, which is in abundance. This is a step down from his first two, though, and X's attempts to enter the mainstream were moves he would never recover from, resulting in this being his last truly great effort. And yes, I said great. Get rid of four or five tracks, and this would be a bloody classic, for sure. Very good stuff.

Best Tracks: Front 2 Back, U Know, X, Alkaholik, Kenny Parker Show 2001, Don't Approach Me, Best Of Things, Get Your Walk On

Worst Tracks: D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol), Sorry I'm Away So Much, Loud & Clear

There's a few more Xzibit albums that I've covered - go on, you know you want to.

Image for "Front 2 Back" single taken from Discogs