Restless [EXPLICIT LYRICS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Xzibit

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 12, 2000)
• Original Release Date: December 12, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics, Original recording reissued
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000053GUO
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (132 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,879 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #20 in	Music > Indie Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > West Coast
  #29 in	Music > Indie Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Gangsta & Hardcore

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With two critically praised albums to his credit, and over 30 guest appearances on other artists' tracks in 1999 alone, Xzibit is, as Snoop Dogg phrases it, "one of the most dominant West Coast underground rappers in the game." Snoop should know--it was Tha-X-To-Tha-Z's smoking verse that pushed Tha Doggfather's hit single, "B Please" (from his No Limit Top Dogg album) into the crossover zone. Xzibit's latest release shows that the artist formerly known as king of the underground battle rhymers is angling to take over the mainstream. He's laid out his blueprint flawlessly. The diabolical Dr. Dre is the executive producer of this project, so it has that platinum sheen. The beats (provided by Battle Cat and Rockwilder, among others) are skull-crackers. Walk-on appearances by the likes of DJ Quik, Tha Alkaholiks, and Compton's favorite crooner, Nate Dogg, help keep things moving. Look out for the Blastmaster KRS-One, who winds up playing the Flava Flav role to Xzibit's KRS on "Kenny Parker Show 2001," and Eminem, who besides rhyming, also produced "Don't Approach Me," which is basically the flip side of Em's own "Stan". --Rebecca Levine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Off tha hook!, December 16, 2000

By A Customer

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!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Is The Way You Describe Xzibit's Latest Album!, December 28, 2000

By	Roberta L Roth "rlroth" (Redwood City, California United States) - See all my reviews

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Xzibit's Best Album to Date, December 18, 2000

By	Scott Esposito "Readsalot" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.