At the turn of the millennium, the relatively young genre of hip-hop began its now-decades-long dominance of mainstream pop culture. During that pivotal era, the rapper Xzibit played an instrumental role in defining hip-hop's sound and sensibility to the world.
An acclaimed rapper and accomplished actor, the Los Angeles native’s groundbreaking career also helped sow the seeds for the year’s most discussed hip-hop concert to date. Kendrick Lamar’s sold-out Los Angeles show this month may have come on the back of his thrilling rap battle with fellow hip-hop star Drake, but the gig – available to stream on Amazon – holds a larger cultural impact for re-cementing the city’s standing as a citadel of hip-hop.
Speaking to The National ahead of his concert at the Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday, Xzibit expresses pride in how Lamar’s global stardom reminded the world of Los Angeles's contributions to an art form born in New York 50 years ago.
"I was watching Kendrick's show in Australia and I was just jumping around my hotel room," he says. "It was amazing and the leadership qualities I saw in Kendrick are phenomenal. A hometown hero like Kendrick, one who was born and raised in the city and who is bringing its people together, is exactly what Los Angeles needed. That’s not just kudos for Kendrick but everybody involved on that stage, everybody that supported him and everybody that knew him from the ground up.”
Xzibit also deserves plaudits for playing his part in bringing the city's funk-fuelled hip-hop flavours to a wider audience. Fans in the UAE will get a taste of that when he is joined by Eminem’s former group D12 and rapper Obie Trice at the Coca-Cola Arena in a nostalgic concert celebrating their respective biggest releases.
For Xzibit, the album in question is 2002’s Man vs Machine, a blockbuster release that housed hits Multiply and Symphony in X Major. The latter features deft samples of Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 3.
While nostalgia-themed hip-hop tours are lucrative of late, Xzibit feels the development is another sign of hip-hop’s evolution. "I still feel that hip-hop is fairly new because it's only 50 years old and this is new territory when it comes to doing these kinds of shows, " he says. "While there are plenty of great artists that came before us, it is our generation that is now able to go out and perform to fans who have been with us for so many decades."
These tours, which often are housed in high-capacity venues, also owe a lot to Xzibit and those of his generation who embarked upon the genre's first major arena tours. Xzibit alone took part in two of the genre’s most seminal outings, including 2001's Up in Smoke Tour featuring Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube and numerous versions of the Anger Management Tour alongside Eminem, 50 Cent and Cypress Hill.
Recalling those halcyon days that featured sell-out dates across North America, Europe and Asia, Xzbit says the artists on the bill were acutely aware they were part of something bigger.
"I mean, this is all in hindsight because we were just having fun, releasing albums and rocking shows,” he says. "But looking back, we were spearheading something and breaking barriers. I feel really good about being part of that elevation of hip-hop and giving it that international recognition.”
The music’s cultural cache also meant movie and television opportunities. Xzibit built a steady career in both mediums, including strong roles in the 2005 action film XXX: State of the Union and a three-season stint (2016 to 2019) on the TV drama Empire.
His most memorable television appearance continues to be his former role as host of Pimp My Ride from 2004 to 2007, an MTV programme where cars in poor condition were restored and customised. Pimp My Ride’s original producers are set to launch a new version, dubbed Resurrected Rides, on Netflix in July.
While wishing “nothing but the best", for the new endeavour, Xzibit recalls only signing on to Pimp My Ride to maintain his public profile. "I just did it so MTV can play my videos, that was my thinking at the time," he says. "But when it hit pop culture the way it did, it did open me up to more platforms like doing major films.
“I was never afraid to step out of my comfort zone. A lot of people want to be perceived in a certain way and they end up getting trapped in that perception. But we really don't know if we are good at something until we try it. Music is always something I can do in my sleep, so I like the idea of finding new ways to challenge myself."
Xzibit, D12 and Obie Trice will perform at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, on Saturday. Showtime is at 9pm, tickets start at Dh199; coca-cola-arena.com
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Dunki
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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SPEC%20SHEET
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RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
The years Ramadan fell in May
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
