Historical Spotlight: Xzibit
Pimp My Ride was one of my favorite TV shows when I was a kid. I used to binge-watch every single episode because I had an early interest in driving and I loved seeing how the cast would take a person’s interests and hobbies and incorporate them into a totally tricked out ride. It’s now a nostalgic legend from MTV’s early 2000s reality TV show lineup that probably will never be recreated because of the instantaneous nature of the internet. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on Xzibit, the iconic rapper and actor who not only became the face of such a unique moment in pop culture, but also built long-term success and notoriety.
Before the fame, Xzibit was born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner on September 18, 1974. He lived with his parents in Detroit, Michigan, but his mom, Zelma, died when he was just nine years old. She was a huge influence on his life and helped cultivate his creativity from an early age. His dad, who was a Marine and a strict disciplinarian, eventually remarried, and they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a fresh start.
The death of his mom took a toll on Alvin and he got into a lot of trouble during his adolescence. He was kicked out of almost every school in the Albuquerque Public School System. By high school, his father took him to a Marine Corps recruiter after getting frustrated with all the foolishness. Alvin buckled down and got his GED, but continued to get into trouble once he completed the program.
In an effort to stop the cycle of violence and crime he found himself stuck in, he moved to Los Angeles for a new environment. He initially started rapping when he was 14 under the moniker “Exhibit A”, but moving out on his own forced him to take his music career more seriously.
He spent time working the underground rap scene, and his first official feature was on “Hit and Run” by The Alkaholiks, which was released in February 1995. He also appeared on King Tee’s song “Style Ghetto” soon after. He toured for a while with the Likwit Crew before he earned enough recognition to get signed to Loud Records, an imprint of RCA Records.
He released his debut album, At the Speed of Life, in October 1996, and it peaked at number 74 on the Billboard 200 and number 38 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The most noteworthy single, “Paparazzi”, reached number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album itself was incredibly successful in Germany and Europe.
He released his second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, two years later on August 25, 1998. It hit number 58 on the US charts and number 50 in Canada. His success caught the eye of Dr. Dre, who helped him secure features with Snoop Dogg and Eminem. Dr. Dre also produced a few records for him and included him on his album 2001, which went platinum six times.
Towards the end of 1999, he got his first big break into acting when he starred in The Breaks. He was featured on a few well-performing songs and a compilation album before he released his third album, Restless, in December 2000. It sold 205,000 copies during its first week thanks to being produced entirely by Dr. Dre and boasted appearances from Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Nate Dogg, DJ Quik, and others. The album did extremely well, selling two million copies and earning a platinum certification.
After the album’s success, Xzibit was invited to join Dr. Dre’s Up in Smoke Tour. The next year, he was included as a playable character in Madden NFL 2001. He continued picking up acting roles that ranged from direct-to-video projects to major theatrical productions. He also released two concert films in 2001 that chronicled the recording of his third album and introduced a behind-the-scenes look into his numerous live performances.
He switched from Loud Records to Columbia Records and released his fourth album, Man vs. Machine, on October 1, 2002. The album reached number 3 in the US and number 8 in Canada before being certified Gold, but Xzibit was unhappy with the production and promotion of it and decided to officially end the partnership with Dr. Dre.
After forming a rap collective named The Golden State Project and going on his All Access Europe tour in 2003, Xzibit caught his major break into TV by becoming the host of MTV’s Pimp My Ride. During the three-year run of the show, he grew into the iconic, funny, and bold character that made viewers tune in for every episode.
It became a major part of MTV’s identity and reached about 10 million viewers globally. The show occupied a unique space in pop culture before social media, TikTok, and YouTube blew up that captivated viewers and kept them coming back to see the crazy upgrades, insane builds, and wild reactions.
It also led to more people wanting a modded vehicle with huge sub-woofers, custom paint jobs, and unique features, especially since other popular car shows and movies like Fast & Furious were being released around the same time. It gave Xzibit a platform and introduced him to viewers and fans who might have never known him if he would’ve stayed focused primarily on his music career.
He released another compilation of tracks that didn’t make the cut for his previous works before releasing his fifth album, Weapons of Mass Destruction, in December 2004. It went Gold, but he was again unhappy with his label’s promotion of the project and decided to go independent. He created his own label called Open Bar Entertainment, which operated as a subsidiary of Columbia Records.
That same year, he starred in another movie called Full Clip, guest-starred in CSI: Miami, and hosted the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2005, he was featured as a playable character in three more video games, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Def Jam: Fight for NY, and NFL Street 2.
Xzibit was extremely busy in 2006 after being cast in multiple Hollywood blockbusters, including Derailed, XXX: State of the Union, Gridiron Gang, and Hoodwinked and making two guest appearances in The Boondocks. He also released Full Circle, his sixth album, and was included in two more video games, Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover and Pimp My Ride, before the end of the year.
He kept his passion for cars and in 2007, he competed in the Gumball 3000 rally, an international celebrity motor rally that travelled from London to Istanbul on public roads. He drove a black Jaguar XJ220, but Dutch police seized his driver’s license during the first day for speeding. He had to apply for a new license when he got back to the States, but was able to compete again during the 2013 and 2014 Gumball 3000 events.
Pimp My Ride was officially cancelled in 2007, marking a turning point in his career. After previously pulling in almost $500,000 annually, his revenue dropped to only $70,000 in 2008 despite starring in The X-Files: I Want to Believe and American Violet. Unfortunately, his financial woes continued, and he filed for bankruptcy in July 2009 and January 2010, but both attempts were dismissed and his possessions were liened to cover his financial obligations. By late 2010, it was estimated that he owed more than $900,000 in federal taxes.
In an effort to better his situation, he continued working and acting in projects as frequently as possible. In late 2010, he was added as a permanent cast member of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and released his seventh album, MMX. Refusing to allow his creativity to be corrupted from the harsh realities that he found himself in, he released a compilation album titled Urban Ammo 2 that included 40 tracks for professional music and television use in March 2011.
Over the next decade, he continued releasing music, touring, and acting. He married his wife, Krista Joiner, in 2014 and the couple had two children together named Xavier and Gatlyn. The pair had been together since 2001, but filed for divorce in 2021 because of infidelity. Unfortunately, Xavier was born premature and died just 11 days after his birth. Xzibit has an older son named Tremayne from a previous relationship who also became a rapper.
After 13 long years, he released his eighth album, Kingmaker, on May 16, 2025 as his comeback to music. He also co-founded a few cannabis companies in California as laws have changed. As for business properties, he maintains a recording studio in the San Fernando Valley.
Xzibit worked hard to follow his passions by fighting through financial hardships and dealing with personal struggles, including loss from an early age. Some people will remember his songs and collaboration with Dr. Dre, while others, like me, will remember his legendary run as the charismatic host of Pimp My Ride. Regardless of how you were introduced to him, he put in the work to achieve worldwide success.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
