Live & In Colour: Xzibit - Kingmaker

(Debuting a new series - "Live & In Colour", where I listen to brand new albums from artists I'm already familiar with. I told you guys I was gonna start doing more new stuff!!)

Xzibit is an interesting career study. The man begun as a West Coast underground MC affiliated with Tha Alkaholiks, who made a name for himself among the more hardcore hip-hop heads for his aggressive and punchy rapping, and his albums which blended humour, reflection, and moments of murderous rage. His debut At the Speed of Life is one of the strongest albums of the mid '90s in my opinion, with hits like "Paparazzi" and "Eyes May Shine" cementing him as a force to be reckoned with (even 2Pac was threatened - one of his fellow Outlawz even found time to diss him on Pac's Makaveli posthumous record). And after his even better sophomore record, X managed to find himself in the company of the likes of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem - not a position to be sniffed at, especially at the turn of the millennium when these guys were the biggest names in hip-hop. His third album Restless was expected to catapult him into legend territory, but despite it being a pretty great record it didn't really do that - sure it charted, but you certainly won't have seen it put up against 2001 or Doggystyle, even at the time. Soon after, X was approached by MTV to host a new program about turning people's cars into nightclubs, called Pimp My Ride, and while this did make X a household name, it also heavily tainted his reputation as a legitimate MC, and his output from 2002 to 2006 went largely under the radar, with the reception from those who actually bothered to listen being lukewarm. 

When Pimp My Ride ended in 2007, Xzibit celebrated by taking part in the Gumball Rally (no, seriously), but the partying was short lived, because the lack of attention towards any of his music meant he found himself in financial trouble. He had alienated almost all of his past collaborators, and his image was nothing more than a now stale joke to most music fans. He went through a dark time, but got back on his feet in time for 2012, when he released what for a long time was recognised as his final solo album Napalm, an album which I'll wait to review before sharing my thoughts on. But what the album did seem to do was show the world (or the tiny percentage of it that actually listened) that Alvin Joiner was back on his feet. Through the 2010s he actually released some other projects as part of a group called the Serial Killers, but it wasn't until 2022 that he announced another solo effort might be coming. I remember being hyped when he announced a new album on his instagram late that year, but unsurprisingly this excitement was unfounded, because like many hip-hop artists nowadays this announcement came with a wait of two years before he would drop the lead single. Maybe the album should've been called Restful instead. 

And yesterday, he finally dropped the album. The pretentiously titled Kingmaker comes with a predictably shoddy album cover, and a tracklist longer than any he's attempted before (well, in terms of amount - for having 20 songs this thing is short, at just over an hour), which should mean we might be in for some filler. I'm personally not expecting too much though. Xzibit is far past his prime, and even with Dre behind the boards and Redman on the guest list, I'm ready for this to be overly long, packed with filler, and lacking in much substance outside of Xzibit's legend status (well that's what I'll infer from the title). Hopefully setting my hopes low will give us a positive outcome. We'll see. 

1. Play This At My Funeral (prod. Köach)

Even though Xzibit's opening line as well as reference to taking a "selfie" indicate a man who is trying too hard to fit in with the younger generation, I actually thought this track was kind of great. X goes all in with no hook here, even making reference to the fact towards the end of the verse, Prodigy style, and he sounds pretty great - unlike Busta Rhymes, Xzibit has managed to find production styles that actually fit his very gruff delivery, meaning even though he sounds like he's had a pack a day since birth on here, he still doesn't come across like a Disney villain who specialises in gargling gravel. The lyrics and rhyme schemes here aren't Grammy worthy, but they do at least sound like Xzibit put a portion of his heart and/or soul into them, and helped along by some emotional and varied production, the end result is truly great. A very strong way to start the album. 

2. Everywhere I Go (feat. Dem Jointz) (prod. Dem Jointz)

This one sounds like a more updated and less annoying version of the tracks that Jelly Roll would produce for Xzibit back in the day, and I'm all for it - despite the overly repetitive chorus I was a huge fan of this joint. "Hydraulics singing like The Weeknd" is my favourite bar of the album so far just because of how goofy it is, and Xzibit flows with some semblance of self awareness over this banging beat - he really does sound like he's having a lot of fun. This isn't anything crazy, but it certainly is enjoyable, and that's all I can really ask of the man at this point in his career. 

3. Been a Long Time Pt. 2 (feat. Jenn Em) (prod. Dem Jointz)

A not so long awaited sequel to one of the deep cuts off of Restless, "Been a Long Time", a track which actually featured Nate Dogg. It's quite insulting to his memory I would say to have the singing on this track be so bad - all respect to Jenn Em, but she sounds just like one of those robotronic sounding female singers that appeared on early 2000s Xzibit albums, and it does not sound good at all. Aside from the singing (which sadly takes up quite a lot of time) I do quite like this one. The instrumental on here is groovy as fuck, and Xzibit continually improves to still be an entertaining MC - I especially like the self awareness here, where he not only acknowledges that he's considered kind of irrelevant these days, but also flat out admits that his "rap career is finished". I respect that - not many could acknowledge such a thing. Hell, he even refers to himself as an "elephant" on here. Sure, the singing here kind of sucks, but I still like the song. Xzibit is really impressing me so far. 

4. The Moment (feat. Busta Rhymes & JasonMartin) (prod. JasonMartin)

Perhaps I spoke too soon. This is the first song on the album that wasn't released as a single prior (personally I didn't check any of the singles, as I wanted the album experience to be whole), and it's a complete clusterfuck. After a completely random and unnecessary rising sound effect, the track drops in with a predictably awful Busta Rhymes verse, where he uses that weird vocal effect he's been utilising as of late as a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that his voice sounds awful. Seriously, Busta's music ever since the surprisingly great E.L.E. 2 has been a complete spiralling disaster. Xzibit also makes his first truly poor vocal performance of the album on the hook here, where he uses some amateur autotune straight out of 2006 to create the worst chorus I've heard all year. At least his verse is okay. And while JasonMartin (formerly Problem) is alright, he doesn't do enough to save the song, which by the way has the blandest beat yet. Yeah, I think it's best we forget this song existed.

(It's highly likely that this track was rushed onto the album, because it's the only track not seen on advance track listings we saw). 

5. Earth Is Over (prod. Big Duke)

Surely Busta Rhymes should have been on the song with this title instead. This track is kind of overdramatic, but yet and still I found it pretty great. On the first verse here X seems to be dissing some unnamed group, if lyrics such as "when the pawns get lucky and start to close in on the queen" and "put some respect on my name, baby, all three of y'all" are anything to go by - maybe I'll have a look into recent X controversies after I've finished this write-up. I don't know who this Big Duke guy is, but his beat here is certainly entertaining, with an unsettling atmosphere that truly does sound straight out of an apocalyptic film, and Xzibit's lyrics are highly intriguing. There's some Louis Farrakhan samples in there too, because of course there are - this is the album of a veteran rapper after all. Whatever, I fuck with this. 

6. Leave Me Alone (feat. Dr. Dre & Ty Dolla $ign) (prod. Swizz Beatz & Dr. Dre)

Remember when there were rumours that Dr. Dre was going to be producing this entire album? Yeah, like that was ever going to happen. And I guess Ty Dolla's working relationship with the world's most famous neo-Nazi hasn't slated his image - I mean, he did disassociate himself with an Instagram story, so maybe he simply missed everything Ye said before Vultures 1 was recorded. And hold on... Swizz Beatz? Really? This whole song has to be the product of a fever dream. And yet... it's kind of good. Well, that is until Xzibit starts reciting some lyrics from fucking "Not Like Us", which is a complete turn off. Maybe that would have worked about a year ago... . Still, I found the beat on here to be really fun, and Dre's verse was great too, despite the irony in the line "strange morning if I wake up with nothing to say" (given Dre's notoriety for having his verses ghostwritten). Ignore Ty Dolla's rather bland appearance on this cut, and you've got a dope banger. 

7. Belly Of The Beast (feat. JasonMartin) (prod. David Moss)

Even if musically this song isn't anything to jump in the air about, it is interesting how well both Xzibit and Problem are still able to rap. Initially I was kind of thrown off by Problem (I'm not calling him fucking JasonMartin anymore - what kind of stage name is that?), due to his incredibly casual and conversational flow here, but I slowly got into it, and with Xzibit I was engaged from the start. The rapping on here is bloody great, and while this beat is very low key, it does it's job at giving the MCs something to spit over. "What's your definition of a GOAT? By the time you have your answer we'll be on the boat" is also an incredibly cold bar. This shit is dope!

8. History (prod. Justin Rhodes)

I'm a little conflicted on this one, but I think I like it. There's a bunch of shit wrong with it though. For starters, that godawful vocal sample in this beat is a heavy turn-off, and completely ruins the otherwise hardcore drum, bass and synths throughout this track. Furthermore, Xzibit's cramming of the phrase "perfect attendance" into the end of one of these lines sounds so off that it reads like he couldn't be bothered to find a different rhyme, so shoved that one in instead even though it didn't fit. There's also a horribly acted skit at the end here - stick to the rapping, Xzibit. I will say, however, that aside from this small complaint the second verse on here is pretty dope, especially the line about Lizzo (the first verse sadly sounds like it was ghostwritten by The Game - go listen, you'll see what I mean). You may have noticed this paragraph is a bit confused, and that's because I can't decide what to say - I enjoy this song, but most of it is bad. Got it? Good. 

9. Genesis (prod. Köach)

The preceding skit would lead one to believe that this one would be about X growing up, but instead it seems more focused on dissing modern mainstream rappers and their glorification of drug use, and referring to an unnamed member of his audience as "a motherfucking imbecile", which surely can't be a good marketing strategy. Even though the hook on here is rather unnecessary, I enjoyed the shit out of this - the synthy production makes me feel like I'm in LA 30 years in the future, and Xzibit continues to impress behind the mic, with his rhyme schemes standing out especially on this joint. This thing is shaping up to be rather good. 

10. Perfect Alibi (feat. STALONE) (prod. Dem Jointz)

X gets his lover boy on for this "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" type track where X expresses his love for a woman, with his bars ranging from damn great to bloody embarrassing. "I touch on records like Tony Touch" - really Xzibit? That's the best you could come up with? And don't get me started on "I'm a martian, I have landed, I'm conquering Venus". On the other hand, I fucking loved "your head game is out of the equation if your brain can't function", which is so good it cancels out the other two. Musically, again I'm conflicted. I don't mess with Stalone - sorry - STALONE (!)'s chorus much at all, and similarly the beat is kind of weird, if kind of nice as well. But again this is pretty well written for an old ass man, and aside from those two particularly weak bars I thought everything else was nice. This isn't a huge highlight, but it's a chill cut nonetheless. 

11. American Idols (feat. Symba) (prod. SNDTRAK)

A song in which Xzibit dedicates multiple bars to dissing the metaverse and Bitcoin, and guest rapper Symba seems to actually defend Kanye West, unless I'm reading into his bars wrong. I also feel like the use of the word "cracker" is kind of outdated in 2025, but again maybe I'm just not in the know. Whatever, I wasn't a massive fan of this one. The production was pretty enjoyable, sure, but this was the first song where it felt like I was listening to something made by old men trying to sound "hip" while also inevitably having their music age poorly by referencing current trends. I'm quite happy this album has only done that once up to this point though, so I'll forget about this slightly off moment and move onwards. But as I said the beat wasn't bad...

12. Crash (feat. Royce Da 5'9"& K.A.A.N.) (prod. Big Duke)

Aside from the disgustingly awful hook from something called "K.A.A.N." (who the fuck is coming up with stage names these days??), I kind of liked this one, even if it took a short while to get into. The instrumental that constantly sounds like it's building into a drop that never drops is kind of weird, but also gives the track a uniquely intense atmosphere that has it stand out from the crowd of veteran hip-hop, and while Royce certainly isn't the MC I'd choose for a beat like this, he seems to do his thing as well as is possible. But it's X who is the star of the show. This man flows over this beat like he never even took a 13 year break from releasing solo music. Since when was 2025 Xzibit this good?

13. For The Love (feat. Ice Cube & Lorine Chia) (prod. Big Duke)

This was another one of the singles, and while I didn't listen to Ice Cube's album last year (I probably will at some point), the negative reception of that plus everything else he's released in the last 25 years meant I wasn't entirely hyped for this track. So imagine my surprise when I found it was actually pretty goddamn incredible!! The instrumental on here takes a very obvious sample of Mobb Deep's classic "Quiet Storm", and while once again we have a slightly iffy female sung chorus, it's the way Xzibit sounds over this instrumental that makes this track - he exudes menace, and his verses here make you forget entirely about his past career as a yelling caricature who placed swimming pools in the back of people's Vauxhalls. Ice Cube is also okay, with his final line standing out as especially funny. This song is one of the best on the album, and one of the few instances where a sample of a classic hip-hop song actually works (looking at you Busta Rhymes). 

14. Shut Yo Mouth (feat. Compton Av & Butch Cassidy) (prod. DJ Battlecat)

Am I crazy, or did Compton Av just spend half his verse dissing me? Well, despite his accusations, I don't make any shit up in my blogs, hence why I'm about to say that his stage name is trash. Hah! I actually did like this song though. Given Battlecat's credit, this is predictably the most '90s West Coast sounding track on the entire album, with the bouncy beat sounding like something early E-40 might rhyme over, or perhaps something that would appear on The Documentary 2.5 by The Game. Butch Cassidy channels his inner Nate Dogg on here with a surprisingly effective hook, and both X and Compton Av do their thing. This is dope. Did Xzibit really have to reference Alexa at the end though? Are you fucking serious?

15. Higher (feat. Redman & B-Real) (prod. Focus...)

Probably my most anticipated song off of this album, given that it features Redman, who you'll notice has gotten quite a lot of coverage on this blog - he's one of my favourite rappers of all time, and he's still got skills today, and his verse here, while nothing mental, is pretty fun and shows someone who's really living the dream. X probably has the best verse though, although it has to be said that B-Real wasn't bad. All round just another great, fun song. This is exactly the kind of material these guys should be releasing - there are too many vets trying desperately to sound modern these days, and it never works. This here is the perfect balance between having that old school feel without being dated, and it's great. 

16. Success (prod. will.i.am)

More of a spoken word interlude than an actual song, Xzibit goes into detail attempting to personify the concept of "success", with some flowing towards the end. What makes this extra interesting is that will.i.am's jazzy production is actually pretty fucking awesome. This is the guy that made "My Humps"? You can check this interlude out for the music alone - it's truly enjoyable. 

17. Notified (feat. King Tee & Cold 187um) (prod. Beat Butcha)

Aside from a short introduction, Xzibit sits this one out, instead allowing King Tee to take hold of mic duties (Cold 187um provides the hook). The results are only alright though. For some reason the instrumental on here particularly grates on my ear drums, completely unlike the dope stuff we've heard on the previous few tracks, and while King Tee is okay, his crow-sound ad-lib certainly isn't. The chorus is actually quite decent, but unfortunately King Tee isn't quite the force to be reckoned with on here that he once was in the '90s. It's almost like his unique delivery has disappeared. Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. 

18. What U Like (feat. Guapdad 4000 & Daygo Fatts) (prod. DJ Khalil)

Guapdad 4000? What the fuck? Still, his performance on here at least sounded a lot better than that of Daygo Fatts, who mumbles his way through this groovy DJ Khalil instrumental as if he's just taken a giant bite out of a wasp's nest. Still, I kind of fuck with this - Khalil's beat is nice as hell, with the switches being particularly pleasant, and while his verse is weirdly short, Xzibit is killer, showing a more introspective side on this otherwise hype track. I enjoyed this one - just please never expose us to this Daygo Fatts bloke again. 

19. End Of The Day (feat. Tre Capital, Domo Genesis & Adé Békoé) (prod. Big Duke)

Over a somber boom-bap instrumental, X gets introspective with Tre Capital and Domo Genesis, really taking a look on their past lives and motivating themselves to move forward. "Never count the shots you miss only the ones that you make" is a great line, and I also like how Tre admitted a rather embarrassing anecdote about almost dying when he got his head stuck in a gate - that shows a willing to admit your vulnerability that not too many rappers will have. The instrumental on here was especially potent, almost reminding me of some of Hit-Boy's work on Nas' King's Disease II album, only with a slightly rougher feel. This is actually one of the best tracks on the album, and would be a great closer. Weirdly though, there's still one more song to go. 

20. Kingmaker (prod. SNDTRAK)

That sample from the opening of OutKast's song "ATLiens" is such a nice gem. The production on here is just nice in general too - it feels more like something you'd find on a conscious hip-hop album than something by Xzibit, and offers up a bit of a change of pace from some of the other instrumentals on this project, which is appreciated even though the other beats on here are still dope. Xzibit's performance here is dope too - the way he ends every four bars with the titular word should be annoying, but it's actually really cool in my opinion, and I especially like the fact that this is quite matter-of-fact, and not too melodramatic. X appears to know that he's no longer as anticipated as in the early 2000s, which is an attitude that makes this album a far less obnoxious experience than something like a Blockbusta. This was a dope closer to the album. 

Xzibit in the big 25 - he really knocked it out of the park. Kingmaker is an entertaining album on all fronts, with an Xzibit who sounds excited and motivated to be back in the studio, and a set of beats that don't sound like cheap Metro Boomin imitations without any of the creativity, but instead like instrumentals that X may have found himself rhyming over in his early days, perhaps with a more modern sheen that's barely noticeable when it's fucking Xzibit rapping. This album is not a modern classic, and as comebacks go I probably wouldn't put it in the area of a We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service. But I would say it's a hell of a lot better than what Busta Rhymes, Eminem and Ghostface Killah have been cooking up recently, and frankly a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be too. I think the reason I like this album is because X doesn't follow either of the big "no"'s of a veteran rap album these days - he doesn't pander to modern sounds, but he doesn't criticise them either (well he did once but that was it), and instead just creates a millenium-esque hip-hop album which just happens to have a release date of 2025. Sure, there were some bumps in the road, but the consistency of this project is mostly intact, and the highs here are some of the best of X's career since the days of Restless. Sometimes staying in your comfort zone as an artist can be a good thing, and this is certainly proof - I would highly recommend any X fan check this out, as it certainly exceeded my expectations and it may well for you too. Well done Xzibit, you should be proud - and as long as you don't start up a show about converting motorhomes into circuses in the next five years, then your legend status should be once again intact. 

Best: "For the Love"

Worst: "The Moment"

My score: 8/10

More Xzibit - here!