Xzibit

Everything super-producer Dr. Dre touches turns into the platinum that Juvenile rocks in his grill; white gold, at minimum. Yet, interestingly, Man vs. Machine is an example of what happens when rap's finest talents go superstar collabo-hunting: the magic remains just where it started--on paper. Do Eminem's verbal jabs at Jermaine Dupri on "My Name" add anything to the Xzibit mix? Nope. And is that Dr. Dre producing the beats of a mere mortal on the Nate Dogg-assisted "Multiply"? Absolutely. Conceptually, "Release Date," a provocative first-person look at what goes through a prison inmate's mind just before being discharged, showcases what you'd come to expect from an Xzibit track: rugged beats, even nastier rhymes. However, the track's production by the much-fêted Rockwilder is an afterthought. So clearly, when the X-man sticks to his growling flows over purist beats by DJ Premier ("Wha ...

2000-01-01 - Sony