Today, Wednesday September 18th, is everybody's favorite ride pimp Xzibit's 39th birthday. From his Alkaholiks affiliation to his time on MTV's Pimp My Ride through becoming the subject of one of the all time great internet memes, Mr. X-to-the-Z has brought us a bevy of entertainment over the the past 20 years. We would like congratulate him on another year of being Xzibit with six of our favorite Xzibit moments!
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King Tee Featuring Tha Alkaholiks N Xzibit – “Free Style Ghetto” 1994
Xzibit made his world premiere on King Tee's 1994 track “Free Style Ghetto.” Joined by his longtime Likwit Crew family Tha Alkaholiks, Xzibit more than held his own alongside some of the best in the West. It's not super uncommon for a rapper to debut on a posse cut, but to make your very first widespread public verse the FIRST on the track AND steal the show is an absolute feat.
The Golden State Warriors (Xzibit, Ras Kass and Saafir) – “Plastic Surgery” 1996
Speaking of posse cuts, Xzibit's well received 1996 debut album At The Speed of Life boasted the first alliance of rap's arguably greatest unsung supergroup, The Golden State Warriors. Xzibit aligned with celebrated lyricist Ras Kass and influential innovator Saafir for “Plastic Surgery.” While the full album never materialized due to each member's conflicting record labels and Saafir's health issues, the few songs they did record together are each incredibly dope and a great glimpse of what could have been.
Xzibit – “What U See iz What U Get” 1998
The underrated nature of Xzibit's “What U See iz What U Get” video is nothing short of shameful. Masterfully directed by Gregory Dark, the one-take clip has so much going on in every frame that it easily lends itself to repeat viewings. Aging better than most of its contemporaries, “What U See iz What U Get” is the standard that all one-take videos have to live up to.
“Pimp My Ride” 2004-2007
While the early 2000s saw Xzibit signing to Aftermath and working alongside the biggest names in the game, this period is mostly remembered as the point when MTV gave him a show where he made some of the worst automobiles in the world into some of the flyest. Pimp My Ride was a blockbuster hit for the network and allowed Xzibit's personality to shine. In honor of that, here's some lovable YouTube scamp's megamix of every single elaborate Xzibit intro the show ever broadcast. Glory days.
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The Xzibit “Yo Dawg!” Meme 2007
Pimp My Ride also birthed one of the internet's greatest creations, the “Yo Dawg!” meme. While Xzibit will be the first to tell you that he questions the accuracy of the phrasing, the running gag of the X-man hooking you up with stuff inside your stuff so you can you do something that he heard you love while you do something that he heard you love has become a cherished corner of cyberspace for years.
Xzibit and Nicolas Cage Together At Last! 2009
Along with being an absolute miracle of cinema, the 2009 film Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans finally brought Nicolas Cage and Mr. X-to-the-Z together onscreen. Some were surprised that their chemistry was off the chart, but those of us who knew better had a feeling director Werner Herzog was on to something special with the pairing. If you're looking for a way to properly celebrate Xzibit's birthday, give this gem a watch. It's legitimately great, and yo dawn, we aren't joking.
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