Xzibit

Xzibit

Eclectic selections from the West Coast legend, featuring Run-D.M.C., Metallica and Pharrell among others.

Listen to the new single “Been A Long Time Pt.2” from Xzibit’s forthcoming album KINGMAKER here.

What song reminds you most of your childhood? 

I was a really big Public Enemy fan as a kid, and still am. Fear of a Black Planet was one of my favorite albums. “Welcome to the Terrordome,” “Fight The Power,” those were my anthems as a child. I was born in Detroit, so of course my parents were listening to a lot of Motown, Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, a lot of that kind of music. My mother would always play records on Sunday while cleaning the house. But they hated hip-hop!

What was the first record you remember buying? 

When I was younger I didn't have any money to buy anything, but the first physical piece of music I got my hands on was brought by my stepbrother. He got the Raising Hell cassette from Run-D.M.C., and that was the coolest shit ever. We would listen to it together, and I was really into the song “Hit It Run.” I specifically remember that one verse: “I was born son of Byford, brother of Al / Bannah's my mamma and Run's my pal / It's McDaniels, not McDonald's / These rhymes are Darryl's, the burgers are Ronald's!” That really stuck with me, that piece of that album. Run-D.M.C. are just iconic, but that was the first cassette that I ever put my hands on, and I thought it was so cool.

Cassette

What song is the best representation of your hometown?

I left Detroit after my mother passed away when I was nine years old, then I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was kind of on my own at like 14, 15, and ended up moving to California at 17. So I've been there the longest, and I definitely consider LA as more of my hometown. I think, hands down, you have to look to Dr. Dre and his legacy for the soundtrack to LA. Even from the NWA days, it was always constant representation of what was happening in the streets and what was happening around him. It’s too hard to pick one song, but I would say it would be something from him.

What song reminds you of traveling to a specific place?

I listen to a wide variety of music a lot of the time. I'll listen to everything from Peter Gabriel to The Prodigy, to Metallica, to ’60s music like Creedence Clearwater Revival. I listen to everything, but hip-hop is my love. On this trip to London, I’ve honestly been mostly listening to the KINGMAKER album. I'm really excited about dropping this project and seeing how things will roll out, so you kind of listen to it and double check your homework. 

What song do you wish you had written?

Oh, shit. “Ba-da, ba-ba-ba, I'm loving it.” Haha! No, no. I really dig “Power” by Kanye West, and then “Runaway” is dope too. Yeah, one of those two would be really fun to play live with with a band.

What song would you want played at your funeral?

I actually have a song called “Play This at My Funeral” on the new album, so we have to go with that one!

What’s the best song to play at a house party?

Frankie Beverly, “Before I Let Go.” That gets it going. Old people, young people, everybody parties to that. Everyone comes together, and it goes down.

You’re abducted by aliens, and when you wake up on the spaceship, they pass you the aux. What is the song you’re playing to convince them not to destroy Earth?

I can't play something fucking irritating because they're going to blow up the earth. All my folks are down here, man. Let me see. I'm going to have them play... ooh, let’s go with “Happy” by Pharrell. Yeah, I'm going to save everybody with that fucking song. I want something that’s going to feel very positive. That's a very high vibration song, so let's go there.