by Kenji Jasper A & E Editor

It's a shame. Traditional hip-hop has found itself living a guerrilla existence. Instead of spending time developing new material and concepts, many artists use their LPs and compact discs as soap boxes and rail against the wiles of the commercial and the crossover. Xzibit's At the Speed of Life seems to be a part of this camp.

His 15-track debut effort is a compactly constructed, well-produced product. The mostly West Coast production team features tracks by DJ Muggs, Craig Sherrad, E-Swift from the Alkaholiks, Diamond D and Thayod Ausar. Guest appearances include King Tee, the Alkaholiks (on whose albums Xzibit was first introduced), Ras Kass and Hurricane G. With these credits alone one might think that this work is untouchable, but it is Xzibit himself who brings about the albums downfalls.

Rhyming in his razor-sharp raspy voice, Xzibit rides over the same territory time and again, namely, the concept of fake rappers trying to be hard and brothers not keeping it real. The theme is prominently featured on "Paparazzi," the first single; here, one of the most beautiful string loops ever provides the background for Xzibit's rhymes about rappers who are hard on camera and nowhere else. Still, the beats are innovative enough for the average hip-hop consumer who only wants to bob his head in the jeep with one hand on the wheel, the other on a 40 ounce of malt liquor. Maybe that's who Xzibit is targeting. However, the next time around he might want to widen his scope so the rest of us can enjoy as well.