"Coming out of the West Coast, Xzibit was hailed as one of the hardest rhyme-spitters of the late '90s, and kept his reputation intact by continuing to produce records and singles that landed high on the charts.Xzibit was born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner in 1974 in Detroit. In time, he found himself in Los Angeles and dedicated to rap. He appeared on a couple of tracks for Tha Alkaholiks before inking a deal of his own and releasing his debut album, 1996's At the Speed of Life. He scored a Top 10 single on that record, with ""Paparazzi"" peaking at nine on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. On that track, Xzibit didn't mince words. He came right out and declared war on the MCs that were merely poseurs fooling themselves and others.""I don't need no lights no cameras/just action god dammit/never no superstar/I'm more like a planet/so my composure is kept while others start to sweat/A merchant from the fog with my fucked up dialogue/try to live high on the hog leaves you bankrupt/and niggaz you spent it on, would not give a fuck/now that's deep, how deep, It's deeper than Atlantis/Home of the scandalous/Big bad Los Angeles,"" he raps.His follow-up, 40 Dayz and 40 Nightz earned him his biggest hit yet with ""What U See is What U Get,"" which peaked at three on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Those two records built his reputation on the national stage, but his third album, Restless, featured a cadre of special guests and the hit song ""X"" that made him a superstar.2002's Man Vs. Machine did poorly, and Xzibit began acting more around this time. He took on numerous roles, most notably in 8 Mile and Derailed, and became host of MTV's Pimp My Ride. In 2006 he returned to rap with Full Circle."