At the Speed of Life

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.

  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.