Originally due Sept. 19, rapper Xzibit’s new album, “Full Circle,” will now arrive Oct. 17. As previously reported, the set will be issued by his new label, Open Bar Entertainment, in association with Koch. It features guest appearances from the Game, Daz, Kurupt, T-Pain and DJ Quik, among others.
The popular “Pimp My Ride” host describes lead single “Concentrate,” which was produced by Rick Rock, as an “energetic song that has positive connotations.” Other album cuts include second single “Family Values” and “Black and Brown,” about the tension between Latinos and African-Americans in Los Angeles.
That type of political commentary runs the gamut on “Full Circle.” “I just want my fans that know me from music and [for] the fans that know me from other genres of entertainment — like the show or the movies — to lend an ear to it,” Xzibit tells Billboard.com of his expectations. “It’s rare that I get this much visibility and [am] able to come with music that matches. It’s a crossroads for me and I think the music is a good representation of that.”
“Full Circle” will be the follow-up to 2005’s “Weapons Oo Mass Destruction” (Columbia/Sony Urban), which has sold 283,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Xzibit says the lack of promotion for that disc, and its 2002 predecessor “Man Vs. Machine,” compelled him to take the independent route.
“I really wasn’t happy with the way Sony put out my last two records,” he says. “There was no marketing or promotion involved. I don’t want to be represented like that. It was a difference of opinion and I really wanted to get out there and represent my music as strongly as I did everything else.”
“Everything else” includes his appearance alongside Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen in the 2005 film “Derailed” and his starring role in the recently released “Gridiron Gang” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
In addition to organizing a tour and continuing as host of “Pimp My Ride,” Xzibit also plans to launch his official Web site, Xzibit.com, after years of legal wrangling with the site’s original owner. “He was trying to auction it off for $4 million,” says Xzibit. “[But] I got it now and it’ll be up before the album comes out.”
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