XZIBIT

03.06.01
S.O.B.'s, New York City

If LA rapper Xzibit calls the left coast home, what was he doing in NYC at the height of a predicted blizzard?

"New York is like my second home," the bi-coastal rapper admitted midway through his brief but aggressive set. I n the face of the mounting snowstorm and his canceled show two days earlier, Xzibit's devoted fans packed the house.

Fresh off the arena circuit and various tours with rap and rock heavy weights Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop, Ice Cube and Limp Bizkit, Xzibit returned East to show us what he learned in the big spotlight - how to work a room.

"We gonna do this straight-up," the rapper announced to the cheering crowd the moment he took the stage. With his no-bullshit approach to hip-hop, Xzibit has continued to attract a growing fanbase in search of more music and less bling. After ruling the underground hip-hop scene since the mid-'90s, the west coast-based rapper is finally blowin' up in the mainstream, thanks to his balance of hardcore aggression and lyrical dexterity. Undoubtedly, support from Dr. Dre as well as friends in the Likwit Crew - Tha Alkaholiks, Defari and King Tee - hasn't hurt, either.

Poppin' with energy, Xzibit bounced and rocked the crowd, displaying tight vocal interplay with Defari while spilling out catchy joints such as "1, 2, 3, 4," "Paparazzi" and the lyrically entertaining "Bitch Please."

"[Xzibit's] got the best lyrics," the blunted DJ announced with a wide grin. Various members of Xzibit's crew, staring down the crowd from either side of the stage, bobbed their heads affirmatively and contributed a word or two behind Xzibit's whirlwind of spastic limbs.

After demonstrating his physical stamina and lyrical strength, Xzibit launched into the night's final cut, "X," from his recent Dr. Dre-produced album Restless. "Anybody smoke in here?" the rapper rhetorically asked the energized crowd. The room filled with a familiar fragrance as the fans showed love with "X" gestures directed at their man on the stage.

Given the treacherous weather and two weak rappers opening the show on a late start, it was a long night, but that couldn't stop us from feelin' the X.

Story and photos by Hal Miller

This review originally appeared on FUBU's Y2G.com.