On this day, Dec. 12, in hip-hop history...

2000: Having enlisted the executive producing services from Dr. Dre following the acclaim of his previous project, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, West Coast MC Xzibit dropped his incredibly successful Restless album on Dec.12, 2000 through Loud Records.

Long before he was Lucious Lyon's rival Shyne Johnson on the TV show Empire or engaged in lyrical battle with B-Rabbit during his lunch break in the film 8 Mile, Xzibit was known as one of the most respected MCs among Los Angeles' abundant Hip-Hop landscape in the mid to late-90s. After a few notable guest appearances and two acclaimed solo albums, the L.A. lyricist caught the ear of the legendary Dr. Dre, and it was on from there.

With the coveted Dre co-sign, X would begin to earn high praise with standout features on tracks from some of the left coast's finest. With that momentum rolling, X to the Z would soon let his presence be known in a big way on Dre's classic album, 2001, which earned him a spot performing with superstars like Snoop Dogg and Eminem on the Doc's massive Up in Smoke Tour throughout the summer of 2000. From that point, all the stars were aligned and at the tail end of the year, it was time for the Likwit Crew affiliate to drop his most critically acclaimed album, Restless. 

The tracklist for Restless reads like a who's who in Hip-Hop during that era, featuring verses and production from some of the best on both coasts like Nate Dogg, Rockwilder, KRS-One, Eminem, Erick Sermon and DJ Quik. Aside from serving as the LP's executive producer, Dr. Dre also blessed X's breakout album with production on three tracks, laying the beat down on "Best of Things," "U Know," and the project's lead single, "X," featuring Snoop Dogg, a track that saw the Aftermath boss co-producing with Mel-Man and Scott Storch.

Restless would prove to be the "Alkaholik" MC's most commercially successful album to date, reaching peak positions of No. 12 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts respectively, and being certified platinum by RIAA.

X's third solo LP made way for the renowned West Coast spitter to become one of the game's most recognizable figures in the years that would follow. Now, 18 years later, the project still holds its place as Xzibit's masterpiece.

Loud Records
Loud Records
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