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At the Speed of Life

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For the album by Mint Condition, see Music at the Speed of Life.
At the Speed of Life
Studio album by
Xzibit
ReleasedOctober 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)
Recorded1995–1996
Studio
GenreHardcore hip hop
Length49:14
Label
Producer
Xzibit chronology
At the Speed of Life
(1996) 		40 Dayz & 40 Nightz
(1998)
Singles from At the Speed of Life
  1. "Paparazzi"
    Released: May 27, 1996
  2. "The Foundation"
    Released: November 11, 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Muzik[2]
Q[3]
RapReviews8.5/10[4]
The Source[5]

At the Speed of Life is the debut studio album by American rapper Xzibit. It was released on October 15, 1996, through Loud/RCA Records.[6] The recording sessions took place at Tha Concentration Camp and The Compound in Los Angeles and Ameraycan Studios in North Hollywood. The album was produced by Craig Sherrad, E-Swift, Thayod Ausar, Diamond D, DJ Muggs, DJ Pen One, and Saafir. It features guest appearances from Hurricane G, J-Ro, King T, Ras Kass, Saafir, Tash and Ron Hightower.

In the United States, the album made it to number 74 on the Billboard 200 and number 22 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It also peaked at number 19 in the Netherlands, number 35 in Switzerland, number 36 in Finland, number 57 in Sweden and number 74 in Germany.

Its lead single, "Paparazzi", peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 39 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, No. 61 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 9 on the Hot Rap Songs in the United States. It found more success in Europe, reaching Top 20 in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Austria, and received Gold certification by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie. The instrumental version of "Paparazzi" can be heard in the end of "Pax Soprana", the sixth episode of the first season of crime drama television series The Sopranos. The song was used for the soundtrack to 2001 video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

The song "Eyes May Shine" was released as a promotional single on October 15, 1996 with its remix version featuring Mobb Deep.

The album's second single, "The Foundation", was less successful only peaking at No. 1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, No. 29 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, No. 58 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 16 on the Hot Rap Songs in the United States.

The song "Just Maintain" off of the album appeared in Richard Donner's 1997 film Conspiracy Theory.

Track listing

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Grand Opening" (Interlude) Craig Sherrad1:32
2."At the Speed of Life"
Thayod Ausar3:45
3."Just Maintain" (featuring Hurricane Gee)
E-Swift3:20
4."Eyes May Shine"
  • Joiner
  • Brooks
E-Swift3:57
5."Positively Negative" (featuring King Tee)
Craig Sherrad3:36
6."Don't Hate Me" (Interlude) Thayod Ausar1:31
7."Paparazzi"
  • Joiner
  • Banks
Thayod Ausar3:56
8."The Foundation"
DJ Muggs3:55
9."Mrs. Crabtree" (Interlude) 
1:16
10."Bird's Eye View" (featuring Catashtraphe and J-Ro)
Diamond D4:41
11."Hit & Run (Part II)" (featuring Ron Hightower)
  • Joiner
  • Sherrad
Craig Sherrad3:49
12."Carry the Weight"
Thayod Ausar4:13
13."Plastic Surgery" (featuring Ras Kass and Saafir)
E-Swift4:40
14."Enemies & Friends"
  • Joiner
  • James Haynes
DJ Pen One4:00
15."Last Words" (Interlude) Craig Sherrad1:00
Total length:49:14

Personnel

[edit]
  • Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner – vocals, executive producer
  • Gloria "Hurricane G" Rodriguez – vocals (track 3)
  • Roger "King Tee" McBride – vocals (track 5)
  • Rico "Tash" Smith – vocals (track 10)
  • James "J-Ro" Robinson – vocals (track 10)
  • Ron Hightower – additional vocals (track 11)
  • John "Ras Kass" Austin – vocals (track 13)
  • Reggie "Saafir" Gibson – vocals (track 13), producer (track 9)
  • Craig Sherrad – producer (tracks: 1, 5, 11, 15)
  • Eric "Thayod" Banks – producer (tracks: 2, 6, 7, 12), engineering (tracks: 1–6, 9–15)
  • Eric "E-Swift" Brooks – producer (tracks: 3, 4, 9, 13), engineering (tracks: 1–6, 9–15), executive producer
  • Lawrence "DJ Muggs" Muggerud – producer & engineering (track 8)
  • Joseph "Diamond D" Kirkland – producer (track 10)
  • James "DJ Pen One" Haynes – producer (track 14)
  • Ross Donaldson – engineering (track 7), mixing (track 8)
  • Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing (tracks: 1–7, 9–15)
  • Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
  • Ola Kudu – art direction, layout
  • Brian "B+" Cross – photography
  • Noa Ochi – album coordinator
  • Bill "Bigga B" Operin – A&R
  • Che Harris – A&R
  • Lisa Duvernay – A&R

Chart positions

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stanley, Leo. "At the Speed of Life - Xzibit | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Ashon, Will (November 1996). "Trainspotting: Xzibit – At the Speed of Life" (PDF). Muzik. No. 18. London: IPC Media. p. 141. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Xzibit – At the Speed of Life". Q. June 2000. p. 132.
  4. ^ Mennella, Dan (August 19, 2003). "Xzibit :: At the Speed of Life :: Loud/RCA". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Morales, Rigoberto "Riggs" (September 1996). "Record Report: Xzibit – At the Speed of Life". The Source. No. 84. New York. pp. 150, 152. Archived from the original on November 28, 1999. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Ducker, Jesse (October 14, 2021). "Revisiting Xzibit's Debut Album 'At the Speed of Life' (1996) | Tribute". Albumism. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  7. ^ At the Speed of Life (booklet). Loud Records. 1996.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Xzibit – At The Speed Of Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Xzibit: At The Speed Of Life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Xzibit – At The Speed Of Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Xzibit – At The Speed Of Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Xzibit – At The Speed Of Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
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