May 19, 2025
Loud Records’ Steve Rifkind was not about to let him off the label without a substantial payment.
West Coast rapper Xzibit said Dr. Dre wanted him to sign with his Aftermath Entertainment label, but there was just a small problem—or 11 million of them.
Xzibit, who is releasing a new album, Kingmaker, spoke to Red Bull about almost becoming an Aftermath artist. He was invited to drop a feature on Snoop Dogg’s ‘Bch Please’, which Dre produced.
After conjuring up his verse in 15 minutes and then laying it down, Dre was so impressed that he invited Xzibit to appearing on Dre’s second solo album, 2001. The rapper was featured on three songs: “Lolo (Intro),” “What’s the Difference,” and “Some L.A. Ngaz.’”
The offer to record for Aftermath was presented to Loud Record owner Steve Rifkind, who had signed the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and M.O.P.
But there was a catch.
“He asked for an $11 million buyout,” X said. “He just didn’t wanna let me go.”
With that price apparently being too high, Dre instead offered to executive-produce his next album.
“He told me that no matter what he was doing or where I landed, he was gonna make sure he was there for me,” Xzibit said.
Dre kept that promise, doing two of Xzibit’s albums, 2000’s Restless and 2002’s Man vs. Machine.
Xzibit’s new album will be released on a newly formed label, Greenback Records. The label, billed as multi-genre, was co-founded by former UFC world champion, entrepreneur, and entertainer Conor McGregor.
“I’ve worked on this record to a point where not only am I confident that it’s my best work, but I feel like I owe this to my fans,” Xzibit told Red Bull about Kingmaker. “Speaking from a place of maturity, power and growth is all I can do—and I think that’s what this record does. It’s entertaining, but at the same time, the Kingmaker title is based off a transfer of information.”
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