Thirty years ago today, on October 15, 1996, two very different MCs dropped albums on the same Tuesday: Xzibit introduced himself with his debut, At the Speed of Life, and Jeru the Damaja came back with his second album, Wrath of the Math. One was a West Coast newcomer, the other a Brooklyn lyricist with DJ Premier behind every beat.
Xzibit Arrives
Born in Detroit and raised on the West Coast, Xzibit came up around the Likwit Crew and made his first recorded appearance on The Alkaholiks’ “Hit and Run” in 1995. At the Speed of Life came out on Loud/RCA, with production from E-Swift, DJ Muggs, Diamond D, Thayod Ausar and more, plus guests including King T, Ras Kass, Saafir and Tash.
The lead single, “Paparazzi,” was the moment. It reached No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs and No. 83 on the Hot 100, cracked the Top 20 in several European countries and went Gold in Germany. The album peaked at No. 74 on the Billboard 200 and No. 22 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “The Foundation” followed as the second single, and “Eyes May Shine” got a remix featuring Mobb Deep.
“Paparazzi” had a long second life, too. Its instrumental closes a first-season episode of The Sopranos, and the song landed on the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 soundtrack.
Jeru and Premier Go to War
Jeru’s Wrath of the Math, released on Payday/FFRR, was produced entirely by DJ Premier, just like his 1994 debut The Sun Rises in the East. It also charted higher than Xzibit’s debut, peaking at No. 35 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “One Day,” a concept track that took aim at Bad Boy Entertainment, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles, and “Ya Playin’ Yaself” and “Me or the Papes” kept him on rap radio into 1997.
The Legacy
Neither album was a blockbuster, and critics were mixed on Xzibit’s debut at the time. But both say a lot about 1996. Jeru was the voice of the underground pushing back on the shiny-suit era, while Xzibit was building the foundation for what came next: work with Dr. Dre on 2001, a spot on the Up in Smoke Tour, Dre-backed albums like Restless, and eventually a whole new generation of fans as the host of MTV’s Pimp My Ride in the mid-2000s.
So which one are you running back today, “Paparazzi” or “One Day”?
More from the archive: On This Day: Prince Drops the Love Symbol Album (October 13, 1992).
Sources: At the Speed of Life (Wikipedia), Wrath of the Math (Wikipedia), Xzibit (Wikipedia), Jeru the Damaja (Wikipedia), 1996 in hip-hop (Wikipedia)
