Alvin Nathaniel Joyner, who has adopted the creative pseudonym Xzibit, is successful in many areas.
The artist's songs sounded all over the world, the films in which he starred as an actor became hits at the box office. The famous TV show "Pimp My Wheelbarrow" has not yet lost the love of the people, it will not soon be forgotten by fans of the MTV channel.
The Early Years of Alvin Nathaniel Joyner
The future multi-stop artist was born shortly after Christmas in 1974 in Detroit, Michigan. This city became the place where he spent most of the childhood of the future artist. When he was 9 years old, his mother died.
Soon, Alvin's father met a woman and married her. The new family decided to try their luck in a new place - the wife's homeland, in New Mexico.
The relationship between the young man and his stepmother was very difficult to call warm. Feeling an inexplicable dislike for her adopted son, she constantly loaded him with work and provoked arguments.
As Xzibit later recalled in an interview, the father was in no hurry to understand the situation and protect the teenager. Often he took the side of the foster mother. Therefore, the relationship between father and son began to deteriorate gradually. Unable to bear the tense situation at home, Xzibit left the house and found that his family was in no hurry to look for him.
Thus, shortly before his coming of age, the future multi-platinum musician was on the street. Constantly being in a criminogenic environment and communicating mainly with bandits, he got into trouble with the police.
When he was 17 years old, he was arrested for illegal possession of a pistol. Staying in a juvenile detention center shocked Alvin. He promised himself never to be in a place like this again. While serving his term, he pondered what he would do in freedom.
The first step he wanted to take after leaving the colony was to move to sunny California with old acquaintances. He occasionally rapped and also wrote songs with them.
The first successes of Xzibit
Arriving in Los Angeles, he was warmly welcomed by old friends. He was surprised to find that in the time they hadn't seen each other, the band had become successful in the music scene. They no longer had to engage in dubious business to earn a living.
From that moment on, Xzibit began to work on himself and methodically work his way into the music industry. Alvin's group of friends was called Tha Alkoholiks. She was part of a large association of rappers, producers and creative young people called the Likwit Crew.
Having joined the company, the artist quickly proved himself and began to help Tha Alkoholiks in writing songs, gaining invaluable experience.
But a person with such charisma and a unique style of performance was cramped within the team. And he started working on a solo album. His debut album At the Speed of Life was released in 1996.
Of course, he did not become a world star. However, the sales of the album showed a very worthy result for an independent musician. His music was highly appreciated by music critics, and a small but devoted circle of fans formed around the artist.
The rise of Xzibit's career
One of the people who heard the debut record of the aspiring rapper was the cult hip-hop producer and performer Dr. Dre. He was so impressed by what he heard that he found a musician and offered him a contract to record an album.
He also became the executive producer of the second album 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz. The first single from the new album was What U See Is What U Get. She was included in the lists of the best rap tracks, which were compiled by The Source, XXL and The Complex.
The second solo album made the artist a national celebrity. Fans of hip-hop music, he was very impressed. In the wake of success, sales of the artist's first album increased. Subsequently, the artist recorded and released five more albums. All of them showed excellent sales results, and they were warmly received by listeners and critics.
In 1999, Xzibit received an offer to play one of the roles in the movie The White Crow. Having received positive reviews from film critics and viewers for his role, the artist decided to continue his career in cinema.
His acting talent was undeniable. Offers from film companies and directors to play in their new films began to arrive constantly. The most famous films in which Xzibit played were: "8 Mile", "The X-Files: I Want to Believe", "The Price of Treason" and "Second Chance".
He managed to work with such famous actors as David Duchovny, Clive Owen and Dwayne Johnson. Today, Xzibit has worked as an actor on more than 20 films. Currently, it is the acting sphere that is the main occupation of the artist.
"Wheelbarrow for pumping"
No less, and maybe more than a film career and musical creativity, the artist was made popular by the TV show “Pimp My Car” (on the MTV channel). Xzibit hosted the show for three years.
The program was released a few more years after the musician left the post of presenter. It is these three years that are considered “golden” in the history of the project. Participation in the program "Pimp My Car" allowed Xzibit to become the host of major festivals and various award ceremonies, such as MTV EMA, etc.
Xzibit's personal life
Xzibit's personal life is remembered for a series of novels. All of them were bright girls, mainly working in the modeling business.
He was engaged twice to models Aishia Brightwell and Karin Stephans. The musician has a son, Tremaine. It is also known that the second son of the artist died during childbirth.
