Xzibit

Space Shuttle Launch: An Atlantis Playlist

08 Jul 2011 11:04:06 EDT

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Lauryn Hill Reminds Us Of 10 Other Artists We Miss

20 Aug 2010 17:11:37 EDT

While anticipating L-Boogie's triumphant return, we can't help but reminisce on other artists who have dropped off the radar.
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Amy Winehouse's Husband Back In Court; Plus Justin Timberlake, J.K. Rowling, Radiohead, Hilary Duff, Tom Morello & More, In For The Record

12 Nov 2007 18:36:00 EST

JT to host PGA Tour event; Rowling could beat Al Gore for Time honor; Radiohead announce Rainbows U.S. release date.
By MTV News Staff

The trial involving Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has been delayed in light of allegations that he "perverted the court of justice," or the U.S. equivalent of obstruction of justice. He was back in court on Monday (November 12) for a brief hearing, and according to Agence France-Presse, he smiled throughout the session. The trial, previously slated to start Monday, has been adjourned until November 23, and Fielder-Civil — who was arrested last week following a raid on his and Winehouse's London home — is to remain in custody until then. Michael Brown, a 39-year-old who is supposed to stand trial with his friend Fielder-Civil, was not in court on Monday, and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. BBC News also reports that James King, who was allegedly beaten by Fielder-Civil and Brown in June, was one of the men arrested last week, and that he has also been charged with the aforementioned crime. Fielder-Civil was remanded on technical bail. ...

Teeing with JT: Justin Timberlake has inked a five-year deal with the PGA Tour that will find him hosting a tournament in Las Vegas next year. "Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open," which will be played October 13-19, will help raise funds for the Shriners group, which provides medical care at no charge to children under 18 years old. The singer will play in a celebrity-golf game that week as well. "Raising money to better children's lives while playing golf? I can't think of a better way to pass the time," he said in a statement. ... Timberlake's visibility has also landed him on Barbara Walters' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2007" list, and they'll be seen chatting on an hourlong ABC special set to air December 6 at 10 p.m. ET. Former President Bill Clinton, Jennifer Hudson, Posh Spice and two surprise guests will also appear on the show. ... Could J.K. Rowling top Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore on a competing list, Time's Person of the Year? That's how the voting is shaping up on the Time Web site, although, as it indicates, the editors reserve the right to give the honor to the person of their choosing. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are also in the running, and the December issue will be on sale December 21. ...

Radiohead have set the North American release date for In Rainbows. The album will hit stores January 1 through the band's own TBD Records (which, as expected, is teaming with ATO Records Group for the release), with "Bodysnatchers" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" as the first two singles. According to a press release, more information on the album and the band's tour plans will be announced soon. ... In case teens need an extra incentive to rack up credit-card debt, branded cards featuring Hilary Duff and Usher are on the way, according to Brandweek. Duff is getting a prepaid Visa gift card "aimed to show the young ones how to manage their pocket change (and learn about service fees)," according to the branding-news magazine, while Usher has a Debit MasterCard that features an empowerment message. The Platinum Plus Visa card devoted to Elvis Presley actually has a charitable aspect, as money from it goes to a foundation that helps homeless families. A Kiss credit card is available too. ...

Tom Morello, guitarist for reunited rockers Rage Against the Machine, serenaded some 3,000 people involved in the Hollywood writers' strike outside 20th Century Fox Studios in Century City, California, last week, the Los Angeles Times reports. ... Chiodos, Mindless Self Indulgence and Finch are among the first confirmed bands for next year's Bamboozle Festival, which is scheduled for May 3-4 at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Jack's Mannequin, Less Than Jake, Forever the Sickest Kids, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, I Am the Avalanche and the Starting Line have also been booked for the bill. ... Xzibit has signed on for a tour of duty in Oliver Stone's upcoming Vietnam movie, "Pinkville." The film revolves around the 1968 My Lai Massacre, during which 500 people — mostly women, children and the elderly — were killed by U.S soldiers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Pimp My Ride" host will play a soldier who is convinced he acted ethically when he carried out his orders. ...

My Chemical Romance's Bob Bryar has issued a statement concerning the band's cancellation of a recent gig at the University of Maine, which had prompted school officials to consider legal action against the band. Late last week, the college's newspaper, The Maine Campus, announced that MCR would be paying the student government $20,500 in restitution fees for scrapping the October 27 show. The student government had previously said it would pursue legal action against the band unless it paid all expenses incurred by Monday, arguing that if it did not recoup the money, it would cost more than $2 from each student's activity fee. "We are very sorry about canceling our recent show in Maine. I have been having many problems with my wrists over the past few years," Bryar wrote in his statement. "They have been getting worse but I kept playing. I have seen many doctors to get some relief so I wouldn't have to stop playing. I guess I pushed it too hard this time. During our [recent] show at Maxwell's [in Hoboken, New Jersey], I got a golf ball-sized lump in my wrist, I started to not only have pain, but lose control and feeling in my fingers. I went through a process to control the swelling and attempted to play the show [opening for] Bon Jovi the next day. The Bon Jovi show was really bad for me — I was dropping sticks and could barely hit my drums. After that show, we decided I had to go get immediate treatment. I had to leave the tour. Being the stubborn person I am, I made a last-minute decision to give it another shot on the second Bon Jovi show. It didn't work, [and] we had to cut the set in half. We have a fill-in now as I am getting treatment. He learned the songs in one day." At press time, the identity of Bryar's fill-in was unconfirmed. ...

In a note posted on his Web site late last week, Kid Rock gave props to the head of his security team, Little Bear, for "finding a hidden camera in the dressing room at the show at the Myth Nightclub" in Minneapolis on Thursday night. "Little Bear, who runs SpyOps.net, discovered the device before the show and alerted the authorities, who are now investigating," Rock wrote. TMZ obtained photos of the alleged spycam from Little Bear that appears to indicate it was set up to broadcast on the Internet, but in a statement from the club released to the Star Tribune, the management explained, "The green-room camera in question is part of the venue's security aspect, available for viewing by head of security only ... Rock's allegation that there was some kind of Internet broadcast in progress is simply not true and without foundation." ...

The Broadway stagehands' strike isn't just affecting theatrical productions — Duran Duran's 10-night residence at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theatre has also been stymied by the protest. The band canceled its Saturday night show and moved its Monday and Tuesday gigs to the Roseland Ballroom. "We are really disappointed that we weren't able to finish up the run on Broadway, which has been in the planning for months," singer Simon LeBon said, according to BBC News. "However, we are relieved that there was somewhere else available to us so that we don't have to disappoint our fans by not playing." ... With Army of Anyone's future in doubt — the band, featuring former Filter frontman Richard Patrick and two former members of Stone Temple Pilots, is said to be on "hiatus" — drummer Ray Luzier has opted to handle drum duties during Korn's upcoming European tour, set to begin in early 2008. Luzier replaces Slipknot's Joey Jordison, who in turn replaced Terry Bozzio earlier this year, as the band's touring drummer.

11.9.07

Britney Spears fans must be asking themselves why the singer risks getting behind the wheel anymore. According to a video posted on TMZ.com, the singer blew through a red light and made an illegal turn against oncoming traffic, with her two sons in the backseat of her Mercedes as she was driving in Los Angeles on Thursday. The footage also apparently shows Spears' court-appointed monitor ducking in the passenger seat. The video came to light following Thursday's emergency hearing in her child-custody dispute with Kevin Federline, her ex-husband. Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan hadn't seen the footage by the time the hearing commenced, and there's no word yet if this will affect his motion to prevent Spears from driving with her kids. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told MTV News on Friday that authorities weren't planning to cite Spears with any traffic violations because they hadn't been made aware of any unsafe left turns. The spokesperson also said police hadn't heard anything further about Spears recently running over a cop's feet. ...

Weezer fans, the countdown for a new album has begun. The band's mysterious Amy Winehouse

Radiohead

Hilary Duff

Xzibit

My Chemical Romance

Mixtape Monday: Nas Has 'Hope' For Hip-Hop; Game Stops Hating Xzibit

11 Dec 2006 06:00:00 EST

By Shaheem Reid and Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway, Rahman Dukes and Bridget Bland

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New Releases: Diddy, JoJo, Xzibit, C-Murder, Ruben Studdard & More

17 Oct 2006 06:01:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Frankie J, Glenn Danzig, Jeremy Enigk, Badly Drawn Boy, It Dies Today, Hi-Tek.
By Kurt Orzeck

Mo' Diddy: It's been five years since we last heard a batch of new material from Diddy — even though he's been doing just about everything else in the meantime, between the clothing lines, record-label signings and humanitarian efforts. The mogul/artist/fill-in-the-blank is re-entering in style, getting big names to help with the Press Play festivities: Christina Aguilera ("Tell Me"), Nas and Cee-Lo ("Everything I Love"), Mary J. Blige ("Making It Hard"), Jamie Foxx ("Partners for Life"), Mario Winans ("Through the Pain (She Told Me)"), Brandy ("Thought You Said"), and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Plus, behind the boards he's got Kanye West, Will.I.Am, Big Boi, Mobb Deep's Havoc, Timbaland and the Neptunes. Now there's a guy with a few friends.

This week's second most impressive guest list belongs to Hi-Tek, who roped in Nas, Busta Rhymes, Common, Talib Kweli, Jadakiss, Papoose, Bun B and Ghostface Killah for Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip. Going above and beyond the call of duty, he tapped Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Slim Thug and Raphael Saadiq for three tunes that appear on a special edition only available at Best Buy stores. That set also comes with a bonus DVD loaded with videos, a documentary and more.

JoJo's Mojo: Expect to see a lot of JoJo this week — on MTV, "The Today Show" and beyond — as she hops back from the big screen to the music world for The High Road. Her "Too Little Too Late" single is skittering up the charts, but — shocker! — there are other tracks on the album as well: "Let It Rain," "Good Ol' " and "Note to God," among others. Oh, and there's a bonus DVD with plenty of JoJo fruits as well.

Circling Around: Xzibit has some mighty hip-hop competition this week in the form of Diddy, but his fans should be coming around for Full Circle. Too Short ("Movin' in Your Chucks"), Kurupt ("Say It to My Face," "Movin' "), DJ Quik ("Poppin' Off") and T-Pain ("On Ball") have all hopped onto the affair, which furthers Xzibit's pattern of releasing an album every two years since he burst onto the scene in '96.

Murder Is the Case: Also in the rap mix is C-Murder, the criminally prone younger brother of Master P who is reservicing his LP The Truest Sh-- I Ever Said with five additional cuts he laid down after getting out of prison: "I Want It," "I Live in the Ghetto," "Calliope," "On My Block" (featuring Bootleg of the Dayton Family) and "Die for Mine" (featuring B.G.). There's also a bonus DVD with a 60-minute documentary hosted by B.G., plus behind-the-scenes material and videos to boot.



			MTV News RAW: Diddy The rapper/producer tells MTV why listeners have no choice but to 'Press Play', and explains why there's a bed in his studio.

Studly Efforts: He's won "Idol," Grammy-nomination honors and sold more than 3 million albums, but Ruben Studdard clearly has an appetite for more. On The Return, he redoes "If Only for One Night" — Rube's version has more in common with Luther Vandross', as opposed to original singer Brenda Russell's — as well as three songs he co-wrote: "I'm Not Happy," "Blow Ya Mind" and "To Tha Crib." The velvet teddy bear gets some production boosts from Scott Storch, Ne-Yo, Bryan-Michael Cox and Dre & Vidal. As it turns out, Ne-Yo and Cox also lend support to Latin R&B prince Frankie J with his Priceless album, which is peppered with guests Chamillionaire, 112's Slim and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

Weird Stuff: This week's crop of new releases is a strange one indeed:

When it comes to being odd, no band does it better than Primus, and they don't fall short this week with their Primus Singles: They Can't All Be Zingers CD and "Blame It on the Fish" DVD releases. On the DVD is a 30-minute documentary in which leader Les Claypool, playing a 102-year-old, talks about what life has been like for Primus into the year 2065.

Badly Drawn Boy is also pretty batty, and to coincide with the release of his Born in the U.K. LP this week, he's put up a contest on his Web site that asks viewers to choose their favorite fish-and-chips restaurant in England. Or, more specifically, "the chance to vote for your favourite local 'Batterie' and gamble the fishy reputation of your regular chish 'n fip shop." The contest prize? Nothing.

It Dies Today haven't exactly made a reputation for themselves as a family-friendly band, after touring as part of Ozzfest and with Trivium, Machinehead and other brutal bands. But as it turns out, "Sacre Coeur" — a song featured on their new release, Sirens — is actually named after a Parisian church where singer Nick Brooks says, in a press release, "I hopefully plan on proposing to someone there someday."

A mishmash of "Whatever Happened To ... ?" musicians — including members of Jellyfish, the Candy Butchers, Self, Semisonic and Papas Fritas — have joined forces for L.E.O. It isn't exactly a cover band but tries its best to channel prog-rock legends ELO all the same with Alpacas Orgling. It's doubtful that when those guys headed to the studio they limited themselves to ingesting only bread, water, eggs, coffee and whiskey, but that's exactly what Denison Witmer did for Safe Away, which is being reissued this week with a bonus EP.

To close out a 30-year career that has seen way too much hair and too many half-hearted reunions, Twisted Sister are regrouping one last time for ... a Christmas album? Yes, it's true: With singer Dee Snider leading the pack, the band bizarrely runs through "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas)" and other selections that will lead fans to say, "Uh ... OK." Can you take it?

Toronto quartet the Sadies have crafted the soundtrack to "Tales of the Rat Fink," a film that lives up to its odd mantle: It revolves around cartoonist/custom-car designer Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and his anti-Mickey Mouse character, Rat Fink. The soundtrack is heavy on instrumental surf music, while the film features vocal contributions from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the Smothers Brothers, John Goodman, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and other people you wouldn't expect.

Also getting back together — a whopping 27 years after issuing their last studio LP — are all-women punks the Slits, with frontwoman Ari Up leading the pack. Equally surprising is that they've only come up with enough new material for an EP, Revenge of the Killer Slits, although it does feature appearances from such question-mark contributors as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and Adam and the Ants axeman Marco Pirroni. Oh, three daughters also help out: Cook's child Holly, Mike Jones' daughter Lauren, and Phoebe, who calls Slits guitarist Tessa Pollitt mom. Even if it's just an EP the Slit

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For The Record: Quick News On Nelly Furtado, Kristin Cavallari, Xzibit, 30 Seconds To Mars, Gwen Stefani & More

06 Sep 2006 18:32:00 EDT

Furtado, Cavallari swank up Guess party; Xzibit turns up at Tommy Lee's shindig.
By MTV News staff report

It was one swanky soiree Tuesday night at New York's Capitale as Guess celebrated its 25th anniversary, one of many Fashion Week kickoff parties. (Feast your eyes on the smokin' snaps right here.) Kristin Cavallari and DJ AM mingled together in the VIP area, while Nelly Furtado made the rounds, posing for the paparazzi in a not-so-promiscuous outfit: a black dress covered by a bulky white jacket. Brit beauty Natasha Bedingfield gave a strong solo acoustic performance, and KT Tunstall sang her heart out to the chichi crowd, admitting that she's always been a "black horse" when it comes to fashion. "After being penniless for 10 years, this is very educational," she said. "I don't know much about fashion really. Some ladies are really tall, though. I'm not tall." Speaking of tall, statuesque models posed in front of blown-up Guess images of Carrie Otis, Claudia Schiffer and Anna Nicole Smith, re-enacting sultry black-and-white ads from the past. One model, who was sitting atop a huge pile of hay for three hours in nothing but a slinky dress, told MTV News she was a little uncomfortable and "itchy." Ah, what some women will do for fashion. Jimmy Fallon, Denis Leary, Eva Mendes and others will be presenting at the Fashion Rocks concert, airing Friday on CBS. ...

30 Seconds to Mars have beat out Angels & Airwaves, Blue October, Ima Robot, the Pink Spiders and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus for a Radio City Music Hall gig. After scoring the most text-message votes in the Want You to Sound Off contest, the band will play a set from the marquee of the legendary New York theater at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday to kick off the Fashion Rocks festivities, featuring live performances by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera and many others. ...

Xzibit, Jaime Pressly, Shannon Elizabeth and Elisha Cuthbert were a few of the celebs who turned out to party with Tommy Lee and Papa Roach at their three-day Bacardi Global Gathering party last weekend in Las Vegas. Damien Fahey of "TRL," Melinda Clarke ("The O.C."), Roger Cross ("24"), Kelly Carlson ("Nip/Tuck") and Stacy Keibler ("Dancing With the Stars") also made the afterparty, held Sunday in the Real World suite at the Palms casino and hotel. Xzibit joined Papa Roach for an impromptu collaborative performance as well. ...

They don't holla back, but they look a lot like Gwen Stefani. The No Doubt singer announced Tuesday she's releasing a series of eight limited-edition dolls named after her debut solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Each 10-inch doll represents Stefani or one of her Harajuku Girl dancers dressed in costumes from the singer/designer's tour, and will be available for $24.95. Stefani isn't just focusing on toys — the singer has also been recording new music, according to a statement posted on her Web site. ... American Eagle Outfitters is dishing up songs and videos on its Web site, Aerie.com, as part of the urban mass-market label's new Artists Music Series. On Wednesday (September 6), the site premiered Ben Lee's new single, "Since I Met You," and a new cut by Zero 7 collaborator Sia, "Pictures." Lee is performing Wednesday night at the Union Square store in Manhattan, New York, and his Awake Is the New Sleep and Sia's "Colour the Small One" LPs will be released as special editions through AE. Videos for both artists, as well as interviews, live performances and more content, will be unveiled in AE stores and on the company's Web site. ...

After five months of speculation and rumor, Suri Cruise finally made her public debut on Tuesday. The offspring of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is featured with her parents on the October cover of Vanity Fair, as revealed by Katie Couric on her first night hosting the CBS Evening News. The infant — who has a head of remarkably thick dark hair — was shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for a 22-page spread and is seen on the cover cradled inside Cruise's leather jacket, with Holmes looking over his shoulder. ... Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson amassed $36 million in assets during their three-year marriage — and since Simpson refused to sign a pre-nup, Lachey can claim approximately $18 million of that under California law. But according to TMZ.com, Lachey has agreed to less than his fair share in the couple's divorce proceedings in order to avoid a messy court fight. He will reportedly take more than the $1.5 million he was originally offered by Simpson, but considerably less than the 50 percent he's entitled to by law. ...

Death Cab for Cutie have scheduled yet another tour in support of Plans and their latest single, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." The trek begins October 26 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and ends November 30 in Houston. ... The Pussycat Dolls casting call continues, with open tryouts being held Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. Final contenders will face off on the CW series "The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll." Visit CWTV.com for an application and audition requirements. ... Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has started working on new material for the follow-up to 2005's With Teeth. There's no official word yet on the album's title, but the LP could be out later this year or early 2007. ...

Michael Jackson will have to pay ex-wife Debbie Rowe $60,000 in attorney fees as she continues pursuing a custody case against him, The Associated Press reports. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert A. Schnider said Jackson must pay Rowe by September 28, although he did not rule on whether Rowe can have visitation rights to their children, Prince Michael and Paris. ... In related news, the man who won a multimillion-dollar settlement from Jackson in 1993 after accusing the pop star of molestation has won a permanent court restraining order against his father, according to AP. The unnamed man, now 26, said his father "struck him on the head from behind with a twelve and one-half pound weight and sprayed his eyes with mace or pepper spray and tried to choke him," according to an appellate court ruling. He was granted a temporary restraining order against his father in August 2005, but the judge refused to issue a permanent order at the time, a ruling a two-judge appellate panel said was a mistake. ...

A Kurt Cobain action figure, inspired by Nirvana's 1993 appearance on "MTV Unplugged," will be released this December. The 7-inch figurine will feature Cobain with his acoustic guitar, a chair, microphone and music stand. The toy will carry a $16 price tag. ... Willi Ninja, the New York dancer who inspired Madonna's song and video "Vogue," died Saturday at age 45 of AIDS-related heart failure, according to The New York Times. Ninja (born William R. Leake) — called the Grandfather of Vogue — helped popularize the dance style on the New York club scene in the 1980s, taking the strutting, posing gestures to the big screen in the acclaimed 1990 documentary "Paris Is Burning." He began dancing at age 7 and by the early 1980s he was vogueing all over New York in his signature style, which included swift, sharp arm movements inspired by martial arts. He later modeled in runway shows for designers Jean Paul-Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, and gave models including Naomi Campbell advice on how to strut on the runway, most recently working with Paris Hilton on her red-carpet sashay. ...

The cop is avoiding the slammer. Victor Willis, the former "policeman" in the 1970s disco band the Village People, was sentenced by a California judge on Tuesday to three years probation on drug and gun possession charges, according to a Reuters report. Willis, 55, who co-wrote such hits as "YMCA" and "In the Navy," pleaded no contest and got a suspended three-year, eight-month prison sentence on condition that he complete a 30-day drug treatment program at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, followed by at least six months in a treatment program in Long Beach, California. The judge warned that Willis would go to prison if he violated his probation.

09.05.2006

Plenty of artists release special editions of their new CDs with bonus tracks a few months after the discs hit stores. But a few weeks? Paris Hilton didn't authorize an early update of her disc, but British graffiti artist Banksy has placed 500 doctored copies of the heiress' debut CD in 48 U.K. record stores, replacing Hilton's album with 40 minutes of remixes and altering the cover to advertise titles including "Why Am I Famous?" and "What Am I For?," according to BBC News. The guerrilla artist also changed pictures of Hilton on the CD sleeve to show her topless and with a dog's head, but kept the original barcode intact — which means that some may buy the LP thinking it is the real thing. A representative for record chain HMV told BBC News that it has recovered seven altered copies from stores but no customers have returned a tampered version of the disc. The altered copies also include a Hilton remix CD credited to "DM," which Danger Mouse's management confirmed is him. "It's hard to improve on perfection, but we had to try," the Gnarls Barkley mastermind said in a statement. Danger Mouse and Banksy are believed to have met while shopping for costumes in SoHo, New York. ...

In other Paris news, the actress/singer is getting ready to shed her babe-on-the-beach image from her "Stars Are Blind" video for something a little more whole

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Nelly Furtado, KT Tunstall, More At Guess' 25th Anniversary Gala

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Xzibit's An Indie Rapper Again, With Game And Quik In Tow

06 Sep 2006 06:00:00 EDT

'Pimp My Ride' host says October LP is 'like a rebirth.'
By Corey Moss, with additional reporting by Yasmine Richard

Xzibit has pimped his career.

With Full Circle, due October 17, the rapper is six records deep, but he feels brand new. "Not only because the audience is broader," X explained, referring to his "Pimp My Ride" fans, "but because of the energy. The way that I'm coming out on this record, it feels like a rebirth. A lot of the politics and bullsh-- that went behind making so many records in the past don't exist anymore."

In other words, Xzibit has cut ties with his former label and gone back to being an indie rapper (with Koch distributing Full Circle).

"I took a strong stand to get away from Sony Records," X explained, detailing how he believes the label failed to promote his two most recent releases. "I sold 2 million records on Loud, which was one-tenth of the size of Sony [2000's Loud release Restless has been certified platinum by the RIAA]. Going over to Sony, they can only push my records to gold [500,000 shipped]. And I'm not going to sit here and believe it was the music. It was the people behind the music.

"So I refused to put another record on there and that's where 'Pimp My Ride,' film and television and everything came from," he continued. "I'm going to show you that I can do something else. We had to pull some strings to get off of Sony ... so I'm taking this as an opportunity to not let music run me. I run the music. I reorganized, rearranged some things — and man, it is so much better."

A spokesperson for Columbia Records did not return a request for comment.

As an independent artist, X has never worked harder on an album, but he believes the reward will be much better, creatively and monetarily. "It's a difference between 15 cents a record or 7 dollars or 8 dollars a record," he said.

To assist in making Full Circle, Xzibit enlisted Keith Shocklee of the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy, Ice Cube) to co-executive produce, and friends like the Game, DJ Quik, T-Pain, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, King Tee, Donell Rawlings and Jelly Roll to contribute production or guest spots.

Longtime collaborator Rick Rock produced the first single, "Concentrate," which samples a Buddhist chant. "It has a lot to do with tranquility, with having peacefulness and everything coming together, moving in one motion," X said. "I think that was the feel to this whole album. Not to get religious on anybody, but it was a good element to provide for the first single."

Full Circle is full of classic Xzibit boast tracks, but it also goes in a few more serious directions. On "Black and Brown," for instance, he addresses the tension between Latinos and African-Americans in Los Angeles, much like Snoop Dogg's "Vato" does (see "Snoop Reclaims His Old Doggystyle, Goes Gangsta For 'Vato' Video").

"I come to this with some experience, because I had altercations with Latin dudes," he said. "I could have come with, 'Man, f--- this, we can perpetuate the cycle.' Or I can sit back and show a different perspective, show a different sign of something that is learned with maturity and learned with some kind of sense about yourself."

On "Rampart Division," Xzibit raps from the perspective of police officers working some of L.A.'s most dangerous neighborhoods. "We got to say, 'F--- the police,' but now we get to hear what the police have to say back to us," X said. "I actually didn't even have to do any research, because as crazy as the song sounds, I actually just took real things that happen in the news. It's not like I'm making it up.

"When the flak comes — 'cause I know you're all coming — when it actually falls on me, all I got to do is just point out places that it actually happened," he said.

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'Gridiron Gang' Story Squeezed Tears From The Rock

05 Sep 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Football flick hits theaters September 15.
By Shawn Adler, with additional reporting by Chris Williams

MALIBU, California — It was F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote that "there are no second acts in American lives," and it was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who helped prove him wrong.

A juvenile-delinquent-turned-football-player-turned-pro-wrestler-turned-action-star, Johnson has made a career out of seizing second — and third, and fourth — chances. In "Gridiron Gang," opening September 15, the Rock finally gets the opportunity to give something back (see "The Rock Tackles Football Film About High-School Gangbangers").

Playing real-life coach and probation officer Sean Porter, Johnson leads a youth-football team typical in many respects — except for the fact that its roster is made up entirely of offenders from the juvenile detention center Camp Kilpatrick in Malibu. These kids are hard-nosed, and have been caught up in often gang-related crimes involving guns and store robbery. And the Rock is adamant that such real-life offenders, like him, deserve a shot at change.

"Every kid deserves a second chance," he said. "A lot of these kids, with their past, where they came from, they never even had a first chance. We've got to realize that. That's our responsibility as adults."

The children Johnson wants so badly to redeem are described by his "Gridiron Gang" character as having "trouble responding to authority, being a member of a team, and accepting criticism." The Rock himself describes them as "losers."

"They come from a word of neglect, of failure," he sighed. "They expect to fail, and they expect to either end up in jail or to die. It's that simple."

Porter believed early on that football would be the ideal vehicle to instill core values into the kids, hopefully reversing the effects of negative and selfish thinking.



			OUR NEWEST TRAILERS Check out Ne-Yo in the trailer premiere of "Stomp the Yard," plus the trailer for "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" and more, on Overdrive

"In baseball, if the pitcher throws a no-hitter, what's your left fielder doing all day?" asked the real-life Porter, who was spending the day alongside his Hollywood alter ego. "But in football, if your left guard doesn't block anybody all day, you're in trouble. Football takes 11 people; [it] forces the kids to make different choices, to work together."

Working together to succeed — what Porter called a sports "microcosm" for life in general — paradoxically gave many of his players a greater sense of self-worth, enabling them to overcome their own failures by fully committing to something larger than themselves.

Ironically, it was failure, not success, that Johnson believes most inspired the players to cooperate. Only in defeat, he says, were they compelled to re-evaluate their responses to frustration.

"They all banded together and said, 'We're not going to be losers anymore,' " he said. "They had no idea they could handle that type of failure. They had no idea they were going to cry on the football field because they couldn't kill or fight anybody. They had to accept that failure as men."

The story of Sean Porter and the Mustangs football team was first presented to worldwide audiences as a small-screen documentary. Directed by Lee Stanley, the made-for-TV flick, also titled "Gridiron Gang," won an Emmy in 1993. The Rock credits the documentary with inspiring him to star in the film version.

"The script had been around for a little while," the former WWE champion recalled. "I watched the documentary at 2 in the morning [the night I got the script]. I called my agent and said, 'I love it — I'm in.' As a matter of fact, I told them it would be an honor to make this movie."

Known for being a tough guy in his wrestling days, the Rock said the documentary — in particular the confessions of one former player — moved him to tears. "They asked him in the documentary, 'Why are you playing football?' " he recalled. "And he simply said, 'Well, I'm playing football because I think my mom would love me if I started to play.'

"All these kids had that same thought," he continued. "Which was, 'I've been a loser all my life. Everybody's been calling me a loser. I'm tired of it.' "

To become a champ, however, takes more than desire — it takes the dedicated tutelage of someone who cares. The Rock is certain the Mustangs had the best of all possible worlds in Sean Porter.

"Sean has that way which is admirable about him and makes him a great human being," the 34-year-old actor said. "He looks you in the eye when he talks to you. No bullsh-- whatsoever. These kids had a father figure in Sean."

Most admirable of all, the Rock argues, was that Porter was willing to give the detainees a second chance by refusing to be influenced by their past cruelty and poor judgment.

"When they come in, he doesn't read their rap sheets," Johnson said. "That's amazing to me, because their life starts right [then]."

For Porter, living by this code is absolute. He teaches his players to put their mistakes in the past, which, when the time comes, means Camp Kilpatrick as well.

"One of the things that we have talked about in the program is to move on, to make better decisions and put this behind you," the coach said. "Well, part of them putting that part of life behind them is putting Camp Kilpatrick behind them. So they don't keep knocking on the door, they don't keep calling us on the phone. That's part of putting it behind us."

Porter, who the Rock calls "a hero," hopes his philosophy inspires others to be "less skeptical."

"We pass judgment on people and don't always give them a chance. The more we give to these kids, the more we get out of these kids," he said. "And that makes the world a better place."

Take that, F. Scott Fitzgerald.

For a closer look at the Rock's inspirational film, don't miss "Your Movie Show: Gridiron Gang," airing Friday, September 8, at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on MTV.

Check out everything we've got on "Gridiron Gang."

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Xzibit

Snoop, Ice Cube, Xzibit Show 'Cali' Love In DPGC Video

24 Apr 2006 17:27:00 EDT

Dogg Pound Gangsta Clique's 'Cali Iz Active' features who's who of West Coast stars.
By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Yasmine Richard

LOS ANGELES — MTV recently organized the Great Day in Atlanta, Source had its own Great Day in Houston, and on Saturday, it was a veritable Great Day in Los Angeles when Snoop Dogg called just about every artist on the West Coast to appear in Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta Clique's video for "Cali Iz Active."

"Snoop opened his little black book and called everybody up," Snoop's cousin Daz Dillinger said at the clip's Elysian Park set. "I'm asking who's coming up here."

"We're still wondering who's coming," Kurupt offered. "It's a mystery."

Shortly after the waiting and anticipation was over, cars started pulling up with the likes of Ice Cube, Too Short, Warren G, Xzibit and Strong Arm Steady, Evidence, Dilated Peoples, JT the Bigga Figga, WC, and DJ Quik.

"This reminds me of the ['Nuthin' but a] "G" Thang' video," Quik, standing next to Xzibit, said of the camaraderie, "and that video is like 12 years old."

Later, most of the guys in the video filmed a picnic scene together as well as some DPGC performance shots.

"This was how the West was one," Snoop said, surrounded by all his homies, referencing the title of his West Coast unity tour (see "Snoop And Game Beef Up Their How The West Was One Tour"). "We all love each other, we're all one movement. It's beautiful."

"We always had a lot of love for each other, but Los Angeles keeps it spread out," Cube observed. "So we coming together. We realized that it's all one coast, we need to galvanize the West Coast. Show we all need to support each other."

As to what "Cali Iz Active" means, Kurupt said, "The song represents the West Coast as a whole. We're pushing [it] as one positive thing."

"You getting busy, you in trouble, it's a lot of stuff going on," Daz added. "You've got the police situation in Cali, the race issue in California, Congress. It's time for us to step up and show what's really going on. We're letting you know it's active."

The vibe was so great during the video shoot, all the artists were talking about going on tour together. Ice Cube has started his own tour with Daz and Kurupt and the Clipse, and Snoop has been jumping on some dates.

Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta Clique's Cali Iz Active LP is due June 27. Kurupt's next solo LP, Same Day, Different Sh--, comes out June 20, and Daz's first solo LP on Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label, So So Gangsta, drops July 18.

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Snoop, Cube, More On The Set Of The "Cali Iz Active" Video, 04.22.06

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Xzibit Exhibiting Maturity On New LP, Full Circle

16 Mar 2006 06:00:00 EST

'Pimp My Ride' host's sixth studio album due this summer.
By Brandee J. Tecson

BEVERLY HILLS, California — After 10 years, nine films, five albums and one "Pimp"-ed out TV show, Xzibit has finally come Full Circle.

The 32-year-old rapper, who first blasted onto the scene with his lyrically charged Speed of Light in 1996, is about to drop his sixth studio album this summer.

"I've been making records [for so long], so to be able to do what I love and do it well, I gotta take it back to what I love to do," X said recently of his upcoming, aptly titled LP, Full Circle.

"My perspective has definitely changed [over the years]," he added. "The things I used to say when I was 18, 19 or 20 aren't the things I'm feeling now, you know? I've definitely grown a lot as an individual, as a man, and as a father, and that perspective needs to be shared and put out there.

"I think having powerful music that says something is a must for me [now]," explained X, who first tackled political issues on 2004's Weapons of Mass Destruction (see "Xzibit Joins The Anti-Bush Fray With New LP, Compares Iraq To Detroit"). "So that's what I plan to do with this record: shed some light on the growth that I've had so hopefully someone can relate and feel me."

X still won't divulge too many details about the disc — like which producers he's working with or who he might be teaming with in the recording booth — but he said there'll be 17 tracks on it when it drops in August (see "Xzibit Far From Done With Music").

As for his first single — well, let's just say you probably won't catch it on iTunes anytime soon. "Watch the mixtape circuit," X said. "There's so many ways for music to get out nowadays that the traditional way of just dropping a single before the record is out is obsolete."

The hardcore-MC-turned-actor was among a handful of performers, including Tyrese, Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill, honored earlier this month at the Tinseltown to Gotham event in Beverly Hills for accomplishing what few of their contemporaries could: successfully crossing over into a mix of entertainment genres, including film, television and music.

"It feels good to be able to go from music to film and have a good transition and be given the opportunities I've been given," Xzibit said backstage, donning a slick black tuxedo for the ceremony. "The roles I've had have worked out great for me, and tonight is just another stepping stone in the right direction."

Of course, X attributes much of his breakout success and crossover appeal to his tricked-out MTV show, "Pimp My Ride," which has been able to show a different, more personable side of him.

"That show really exposed a side of my personality you don't get to see on rap videos or read [about] in magazines," explained X, who helps kids transform their sad, weak wheels into pimped-out masterpieces on the show, now wrapping up its fifth season.

"There were decision-makers that watched that show, and the personality was there for them," he said. "They gave me different chances and it just worked."

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