Thug Life Army

West coast hip-hop legend Xzibit, aka Alvin Joyner, has inked a deal with Koch Records for his own Open Bar Entertainment Imprint.

KOCH Records is said to be thrilled at the addition of the west coast hip-hop rap artist Xzibit to its ever-expanding hip-hop roster. With 5 previous albums to his credit and over 3 millions units sold, X to the Z is already a true hip-hop West Coast legend.

The new deal will run via Xzibit's own imprint, Open Bar Entertainment. The new album titled "Full Circle" will hit stores on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 and will be preceded by the single/video, "Concentrate." "Concentrate" will hit Radio and Video outlets shortly.

"Full Circle" marks an aggressive return to form for the hip-hop rapper who recorded the bulk of the material in New York and Los Angeles.

Xzibit comments, "After 10 years of being signed to a major label, I have learned a lot. KOCH Records is giving me the opportunity to put this knowledge to work. I am excited to be putting an Independent record out through Open Bar Entertainment/KOCH Records and am looking forward to doing what I love to do best."

Long before becoming a TV personality on MTV's "Pimp My Ride," Xzibit began his career as a member of the Likwit Crew, a loose collective of West Coast rappers including Tha Alkaholiks and King T. He released his first album "At the Speed of Life" in 1996, and the album soon became an underground hit, making him one of the West Coast's most promising young talents.

Xzibit's big break came when he joined another west coast hip-hop legend, rapper Snoop Dogg for the Dre-produced coast-to-coast hit "Bitch Please." He then appeared on "Some L.A. Niggaz" the posse song from Dre's "2001" album, another high-profile appearance. By this time, Dre had obviously recognized Xzibit's talent and invited the young rapper to crisscross America during the summer of 2000 with the massive "Up in Smoke Tour," which featured Snoop, Eminem, and Ice Cube, among many others.

Xzibit released four more acclaimed albums including "40 Dayz & 40 Nightz," "Restless," "Man vs. Machine" and "Weapons of Mass Destruction" selling over 3 million copies in the U.S.

Xzibit has also made a name for himself in Hollywood. In 2000, he first appeared in Snoop and Dre's hit comedy, "The Wash." He went on to appear in Eminem's movie, "8mile," the suspenseful "Derailed" with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston, and also in the box office smash "XXX: State of the Union."

X is now set to appear alongside WWF Superstar The Rock in a new blockbuster movie, "Gridiron Gang" which is set for release in September 2006.

Check out Xzibit at www.xzibitcentral.com