Xzibit has a new album, titled Kingmaker, coming out Friday. Marking his first album since 2012, he says that his years of experience in the game eliminated any form of self-doubt about releasing new music.
“I think the benefit of being able to have had a career spanning from 1996 to now, the self-doubt kinda [goes] out the window,” he tells Billboard. “I’m coming into the energy of where music is right now — and not necessarily ignoring what’s happening in music, but just realizing I need to do what I need to do extremely well. I don’t need to chase a trend or follow a sound, I just need to do Xzibit music really well.”
He adds he also doesn’t feel pressure to cater to the youth or the algorithms, because he believes his true fans will gravitate toward him and his music, which he’s excited to return to.
“People will find me if they find me, but you can’t perform an algorithm. My audience is in front of me at that stage. My algorithm is in live performances, but whatever this album does, I feel really good about getting back in front of my people. I feel really good about the music I’ve created, and let’s let this thing be a good time, man,” said Xzibit. “This is gonna be a really big moment for me. I worked really hard on this record. Still being able to do it at this level is a blessing, I can’t tell you enough how excited I am.”
Kingmaker features 20 songs, including “Leave Me Alone” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Dr. Dre. Xzibit said of the “really exciting” connection, “To have Dre on the album after all this time means the world to me. He’s my brother, he’s coach.”
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