Xzibit: other rappers heat up quickly and self-combust; this one keeps sizzling

For a kid just off the bus from New Mexico, Los Angeles is a choose-your-own-adventure novel. Take the wrong turn and the story's over, but navigate wisely and you'll have a long-lasting journey ahead. For Xzibit, the gravelly voiced rapper with precision delivery, it's the latter: A slow but carefully plotted rise to the point where only now--with the release of his fourth album Man vs. Machine (Columbia Records)--is he finally getting the credit he deserves. Despite early boosts from the Alkaholiks and Dr. Dre, Xzibit has always insisted on standing on his own two feet. For that, he's earned himself a well of respect from his many fans-including the like-minded Busta Rhymes.

BUSTA RHYMES: X to the Z, what up?!

XZIBIT: I'm on tour, man. Everything's crazy. We're killing them.

BR: I'm honored to be doing this interview, man. You're a veteran in this rap thing. So, Man vs. Machine, album number four. You survived a lot of the turning points of the game, which, unfortunately, a lot of other people aren't strong enough to withstand.

X: I call them cats microwave rappers. [Rhymes launghs] They heat up in five seconds, they get hot and then after that, when the lights go off, its over.

BR: I love the title Man vs. Machine, because it speaks for a lot of us. Now, where are you originally from?

X: I'm an immigrant, a transient. [both laugh] I was born in Detroit and when my mother passed, my father got remarried and we moved out to New Mexico. I lived there for six, seven years. After that, I smashed out to California when I was 17.

BR: Why'd you choose L.A.. though?

X: I didn't have enough bus money to get to New York. [both laugh] When I went out to California, I was still doing the shit that saw a lot of my friends killed or put in prison. But I got a job in a car wash and just started hitting underground clubs, doing a cappella because I didn't have a track, or a DJ.

BR: So you just nose-dived headfirst with no parachute into a situation where anything could've happened.

X: It's called a leap of faith, brother.

BR: Word. What do you feel that L.A. has given you that no other place has?

X: Well, reflexes, for one. [both laugh]

BR: The streets'll definitely do it to you.

X: L.A. provided me with an opportunity to make my dreams come true. There are two sides to every coin, and there are two types of artists. There's a guy who really thinks he deserves everything that's happening to him and there's a guy who knows he worked his ass off and was blessed. I really feel like everything is a blessing. You know, I go to New York and I feel like it's home. I go down to Dallas or to the U.K. and feel like it's home. But I made a home in the West and I'm gonna stay there.

BR: Then L.A. did a damn good job. I met your son at your house and he had a real dominant energy. Do you feel like involving him in this rap thing?

X: I encourage my son to do things with his mind and with his hands. His academics come first, but I'll support him in whatever he does.

BR: No question. I've got little monsters of my own, my little sons, and they seem like they really want to do it, too-but you've got to prioritize. You can't rhyme unless you know how to spell. Unless you know how to apply metaphor and use verbs and nouns and adjectives and pronouns, that whole science.

X: Exactly.

BR: OK, last question: Sometimes in our situation it feels like the negative can outweigh the positive. You know, labels try to rob us, we have to move a lot because it's not sale once people know where we're living, we've got to protect our kids. What motivates you to fight that battle every day?

X: It's simple, boss. It's that kid in the front row with the T-shirt and the X painted on his face, screaming my lyrics back at me, word for word, as soon as I hit the stage.

Busta Rhymes' latest album is Genesis (Flipmode/J Records). He was last seen onscreen in Halloween: Resurrection. Above: Tracksuit by NIKE. Styling: DENISE WILLIAMS. Grooming: RITA MARMOR/i Group. For fashion and photo details see page 195. Photographer: NICOLAS WAGNER.

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