Customer Reviews

Restless

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This album is great! All I can say is that it is Dr. Dre 2001 fallout. After that album was dropped, all sorts of nice stuff from the west started to pop up. The only downside to this album is that Dre wasnt involved in enough of the production. He only did 3 tracks, X, U Know and Best Of Things. But the other production was great and X to the Z had some of the other finest beat makers backin him up. He had Battlecat, Rockwilder, Soopafly, Mel-Man, DJ Quik, The Teamsters, Rick Rock, Eric Sermon and Eminem (producing Dont Approach Me) His lyrics were great as usual and the guests were dropping tight rhymes as well. Tha Liks, Snoop, Slim, Kokane, Nate Dogg, Defari, King Tee, Eastsidaz and KRS-1 really added flavor to X's album. This was a great album all around and if you like west coast, pick this LP up asap. The only other problem with this album is that the Usual Suspects (Xzibit, Rass Kass and Saafir) didn't team up and Tha Likwit Party (J-Ro, Tash, E-Swift, Defari and King Tee) weren't on a track together. All in all, great album (and it will go platinum), dope lyrics and beats, and X is finally getting the attention he deserves!

Dr. Dre has done it again! His recruiting of Xzibit was a perfect move as Xzibit has created a masterpiece album. Tracks such as "X", "U Know", "Best of Things", and "Kenny Parker Show 2001" rock this CD. "Don't Approach Me" shows Eminem and Xzibit when they're not making rhymes and their takes on fan pressure. "Loud and Clear" ends the album great. "Get Your Walk On" is a real uplifting and bumping track. I'm really feeling "Sorry I'm Away So Much". It shows you how much X is caring for his kid(s). "Double Time" and "D.N.A." were not some of my bigfavorites but I could still bounce to them. And finally, "Alkaholic" has a very funky beat and X, J-Ro, Tash rock the mike on that track. This album is perfect and is a west coast rap fan's dream. This is a must buy. Gotta get this one!

The Restless LP continues Xzibit's legacy of dropping quality albums and may get him the attention he so richly deserves. Xzibit's debut album, At the Speed of Life, had its faults but was a strong first album that was largely ignored by hip hop fans absorbed by the then dominant Death Row Records. Xzibit showed marked improvement in his second album, 40 Dayz and 40 Nightz, one of the strongest releases of 1998, but again was slept on by the masses. However, by hooking up with hip hop icon Dr. Dre, the Restless LP may give Xzibit the fan base that his excellent lyrics and dedication to hip hop should have already provided him with.

Xzibit's lyrics aren't going to revolutionize hip hop; they're a mix of violent braggadocio and hearty amounts of drugs and alcohol. Still, despite these limitations, Xzibit provides clever wordplay in each song and drops more than a few memorable lines. Even more notable is his gruff, aggressive flow. Xzibit doesn't just rhyme over a track, he rampages over it with an electric enthusiasm that leaves even the most robust track thoroughly decimated.

Restless starts out with a Rockwilder track, Front to Back. This is your standard Rockwilder beat; definitely a strong start to the album, but nothing spectacular. The album then slips into a passive Battlecat beat featuring Nate Dogg. This track feels and sounds like pure West coast g-funk, something mellow to chill to. While these first two tracks are nice, the Restless LP begins to pick up steam with the first of three Dre-produced tracks, U Know. Following U Know is the first single, an outright banger, X. This is classic Xzibit, a strong, consistent beat, with an infinitely hungry emcee tearing it to shreads.

The album continues to pound up banger after banger right up to Don't Approach Me, possibly the finest track on the Restless LP. This duet of Xzibit and Eminem provides an intoxicating insight into these two rappers' takes on stardom, with very appropriate production by Eminem himself. Xzibit comes off nice on this track, but Eminem steals it with two beautiful verses.

The rest of the album is all quality material. Especially notable is the hilarious F-ing You Right, Best of Things, and Get Your Walk On.

The only real problem I have with this album is that some of the production doesn't quite feel right for Xzibit. He handles himself well on all the tracks, but after hearing him on two grimy, underground albums a few of the beats just feel a little out of place. Also, the standard joint with fellow Golden State Warriors Ras Kass and Saffir is unfortunately absent. However, don't let these minor faults deter you from buying Xzibit's best album to date, defnitely one of the best of 2000.

Although, I must admit that I didn't purchase Xzibit's first two CDs: "At The Speed Of Life" and "40 Dayz And 40 Nights", I have to admit that Xzibit has a tight CD on his hands with "Restless". Xzibit got my attention when I heard him with Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg on "B Please". Then once that song was on the radio and got real popular, you heard Xzibit on various songs. "Game Don't Wait" (Remix) w/Warren G, Snoop Dogg, & Nate Dogg, "B Please 2" w/Eminem, Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg, "What's The Difference" w/Dr. Dre & Eminem, "Focus" w/Erick Sermon & DJ Quik, etc. What I like about Xzibit's style is that he is confident in what we raps and every line that he recites sends most other West Coast MCs packin' and running to another coast. The tracks that are provided on this CD are complimentary to what Xzibit is expressing in his rhymes. "Restless" is executive produced by Dr. Dre and you know if he's behind the project than it's definitely going to be tight. Dr. Dre also contributes 3 tracks to this project as well as contributions from Erick Sermon, Rocwilder, Mel-Man, Soopafly and others. The first sinlge from "Restless" is the banger "X". If you don't like this song then you might as well not even but this CD, because this defines Xzibit's CD in one track. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the CD. The rest of Xzibit's CD follows the 1st single. "U Know" w/Dr.Dre, "Front 2 Back", "D.N.A." w/Snoop Dogg, "Rimz & Tirez" w/Defari, Kokane, & Goldie Loc of The Eastsidaz are also examples of the Xzibit that his fans have come to know and love. You also get a track with Erick Sermon & J-Ro & Tash of Tha Liks: "Alkaholik". If anyone has liked Xzibit's guest appearances over the past year and a half, then they will like "Restless". This is a quality CD all around.

Of course it is very difficult to have a PERFECT album. This one takes off from track 1 - Intro to track 6. Track 7 could have been left off, 8. D.N.A is mediocre, 9. Double time. ehhhh. o.k...., 10. Don't approach me (Eminem) Tight, 11. Rimz & Tirez Tight, 12-14 ehhh...could have done without, 15. DJ Quik beat - Smooth, and 16.Loud and Clear - One of the best tracks on the CD and nice closing song. All and all I liked more songs than I didn't like. Although I wish I could have played this album straight through. Maybe next time Xzibit will come off with a play straight through album. Nothing but high hopes for this RAP STAR.

This CD definitely goes immediatley into that area marked "west coast classics." Xzibit manages to stay tight for almost all the tracks and having Dre's producing and beat behind him doesn't hurt either. The best tracks, in my opinion are: 2. Front 2 Back, 5. X,6. Alkaholik, 10. Dont approach me, 11. Rimz and tires, 12. F---in You right, 13.Best of things, 14. Get your walk on, 15. Sorry I'm away so much, and 16. loud & clear. Most of the other songs are pretty good too, I only listed the really great ones. Anyway, fans of Xzibit, Dre, Eminem, Snoop, Kurupt, and rappers like them should definitely PICK UP THIS ALBUM NOW.

For years Mr. X to the Z had been putting in his dues in the hardcore underground of the west. He has one of those unforgettable voices matched by his flow that never seems to lag. Despite how non-mainstream they were, tracks like Paparazzi, Foundation, & What U See Is What U Get all pushed out and were popular for a solid following on the charts. With the way things were going from the beginning, it always seemed like he was about to blow up. Guest spots only created a bigger buzz. All it took was his hook-up with the good ol' D-R-E. Finally Restless came out with Dre's executive production stamp on it, and that was it.

Restless is one of those examples of an album that straddles hardcore rap and popular music, ironically Dre seems to always be behind these kinda project (Snoop, 50 Cent). But, this really was the last time X was hungry... still sounded like he's got something to prove.

You can't replace having Dre as an executive producer for your album. Not only do you ensure a healthy dose of beats from the good Dr. but his endless connections help out as well. The album opens with the bass thumping "Front 2 Back" from Rocwilder. From the beginning you'll notice that X writes incredible hooks (if it's not a ghostwriter) cause they are all over this album. Battle Cat handles "Been a Long Time" which is an ok track with a Nate Dogg hook. X really carries the beat along and it holds up better than it should thanks to him.

Eric Sermon handles the production for "Alkaholik" (which is a nice spot for the Likwit crew) & "Double Time". The latter is a nice quick paced track that gives X a chance to switch up his flow a little bit, which ends up not being incredible but it still works pretty well. X himself gets on the production tip with his tribute to the old school "Kenny Parker Show 2001" featuring KRS-One as the hype man (sorry no verse from the Blastmaster). Xzibit actually flows pretty nicely in this format.

"Don't Approach Me" is a great track were both Em & Xzibit just rail on critics. It's kinda annoying that Em sets himself up to outshine X, but that's just how it happens when you put him on as a guest. "Get Your Walk On" is one of those neck-breaking tracks and X drops some classic rhymes within rhymes to add to it ("Recognize all men are not created equal/ I'm lethal, all y'all faggots remain see-through/ Only the kid from `The Sixth Sense' can peep you (DEAD PEOPLE!) ").
"Sorry I'm Away So Much" is a DJ Quick production about their kids that actually doesn't come off sappy (especially with Quick's hilarious adlibs at the end). The smooth groove of the track makes this one a repeat listener.

When Dre has his hands on the track, it brings Xzibit to the next level. "U Know", "X", & "Best of Things" are the best tracks on the album. The latter two are two of Dre's finest beats and Xzibit doesn't waist `em dropping lines like "It's funny how things change overnight when you thinkin right/ I beat the odds like Ike beat on his first wife" or "Shine bright, make sure that X stay tight/ Cause tonight I might meet my next X-wife".

There are some really big problems on the album though. "D.N.A." waists Snoop Dogg's guest spot, it's an uninpired lack-luster track. "Rimez & Tirez" isn't really bad production wise with the nice laid back beat, but the chorus is just AWFUL & X is only on the mic for 40 seconds. "F'in You Right" has a horrible beat and is really silly. Easily the worst song on the album.

Xzibit manages to make a hardcore album that easily listenable for the masses. Yet, he still hadn't gotten to the point of his career where he "dumbed down" his lyrics for popularity. I don't really care about him "selling-out" or whatever you want to call it, the guys trying to make money however he can get it. I will say that it's unfortunate for his fans from "At The Speed of Life", "40 Dayz", and even "Restless" that he's clearly not as focused on making great albums anymore. It's unfortunate the he didn't change the game, because this is a great album: the solid material tremendously outweighs the bad ... instead of continuing on this path, X lost his rugged sound after this. But, when his efforts are focused on his music and he's got that hunger, which is the case for "Restless", no one does it like Xzibit. (8/10)

Xzibit comes through with the best rap release since Dr Dre's "2001". With beats coming from Dre, Rockwilder, Eminem, Battlecat and others, Xzibit finally gets to shine on his own with some amazing beats. The guest appearances add another element to the album. If you are feeling rap music at all, this album will not disappoint.

This album is definately one of my favorite West Coast albums of all time, and is highly reccomended.

1.Intro/Restless
2.Front 2 Back-Produced by Rockwilder-5/5-Hot production and great flow/lyrics from XZ, one of the best songs on the CD
3.Been A Long Time featuring Nate Dogg-Produced by Battle Cat-4/5-Hot production, and the chorus by Nate is a great addition, but Xzibit isnt at the top of his game lyrically
4.U Know featuring Dr. Dre-Produced by Dr. Dre, Nottz & Scott Storch-5/5-Great song, Dre shows he can still drop a nice verse
5.X-Produced by Dr. Dre, Mel-Man & Scott Storch-5/5-Xzibit's first big single, the song that launched him into the mainstream. Hot song, too.
6.Alkaholik featuring Erick Sermon and J-Ro & Tash of Tha Liks-Produced by Erick Sermon-5/5-Great Erick Sermon production, on an overall great song
7.Kenny Parker Show 2001 featuring KRS-One-Produced by Xzibit & Thayod-5/5-Remake of BDP's 'Kenny Parker Show' (same beat, too), with KRS playing the role of hypeman this time, one of the best songs on the CD
8.D.N.A. (Drugs N Alchohol) featuring Snoop Dogg-Produced by Rick Rock-5/5-I love the production on this one, great guest apperance by Snoop, too
9.Double Time-Produced by Erick Sermon-5/5-More top notch production from Erick Sermon, and Xzibit shows why he's a top 50 MC
10.Don't Approach Me featuring Eminem-Produced by Eminem-5/5-I really don't like Eminem's solo stuff (with the exception of Slim Shady LP & some other songs), but I usually love his guest apperances for some reason
11.Rimz & Tirez featuring Defari, Goldie Loc & Kokane-Produced by Soopafly-4/5-Very good song, pretty basic beat with a little west coast flavor
12.F***in You Right-Produced by Soopafly-4.5/5-Some of the best production on the CD (courtesy of Soopafly) and Xzibit's flow is great on this one
13.Best Of Things-Produced by Dr. Dre-5/5-Nice production by Dre, and one of Xzibit's best tracks lyrically
14.Get Your Walk On-Produced by Mel-Man & Battle Cat-5/5-Best produced song on the album, and one of the best overall
15.Sorry I'm Away So Much featuring DJ Quik & Suga Free-Produced by DJ Quik-5/5-Great track dedicated to Quik & Xzibit's kids, nice change of pace and one of Xzibit's best tracks lyrically
16.Loud & Clear featuring Butch Cassidy, Defari & King T-Produced by Battle Cat-4/5-A nice beat, some hot verses and Butch Cassidy's smooth chorus make this a very good song

Highly reccomended

I really think this is the hottest album to come out... from anywhere.. there are no 'filler tracks' on it, no annoying skits, and the only non-rapping track is the introduction... the production is from many different producers but X seems to meld into every different beat, finding the perfect lyrics to accompany the producers effort... dont approach me is a very hot song and eminems verse is blazin... the only thing i dont like about this is Kokanes guest spot... i cant stan his high pitched scratchy voice... hot LP and hopefully more to come from the illest...