Loyalty Over Controversy: Xzibit Explains Why He’s Standing By Conor McGregor
Xzibit is standing by Conor McGregor’s side.
Last year, the UFC star announced that he was launching his own record label in Ireland dubbed Greenback Records. One of the first talents signed by McGregor and his team was Xzibit, a rapper with more than 30 years of experience in the industry and seven studio albums.
Xzibit has also delved into the worlds of film, television, and video games, appearing in such fare as 8 Mile, The Country Bears, XXX: State of the Union, and Derailed. He also hosted MTV’s popular TV series Pimp My Ride for three years.
McGregor and Xzibit certainly seemed like an unlikely pairing when their partnership was first announced, but the Paparazzi rapper recently shared some insight into how the pairing came to be.
“We went out to Marbella, Spain, well, first we went to Ireland and I met the team of people that he [McGregor] wants to form Greenback Records with,” Xzibit explained to AllHipHop.com. “These people have worked in the buildings. They’ve been in there. They’re music people with the business people. So I wanted to check that out. I was like, okay, cool. That makes me feel a lot better.
“That’s basically how it happened. When we came home, it was just like, okay, it’s time to go. We’re gonna push go and we pushed the button. That sh*t’s working.”
Xzibit Compares Conor McGregor’s Record Label to Other Athletes Who have Tried and Failed in the Music Industry
Xzibit ultimately signed with McGregor’s label after seeing the Irish megastar’s unique approach to the music industry compared to other athletes who have attempted to launch their own record labels.
“We’ve seen athletes try to do the label thing,” he said. “But usually, it’s like football players and basketball players that also kind of want to rap,” he said. “No, he’s not trying to rap whatsoever. He’s approaching it differently and he’s not jaded by any other record politics that we all know about. He’s literally looking at this like fight promotion.”
While Xzibit has stayed active in the industry, it’s been more than a decade since he released a studio album. After seeing McGregor’s innovative perspective firsthand, the Detroit native finds himself very excited about getting back to work.
“We’re talking about approaching it like that, really building it in that fashion,” he said. “And that’s exciting to me. Again, the risk versus reward, I’ve never been afraid to step out on faith.”
‘X’ Refuses to Desert McGregor in his ‘time of need’
Of course, you can’t talk about Conor McGregor these days without touching on his legal troubles. In November, Ireland’s high court found him liable for the December 2018 rape of a woman at a Dublin hotel. The victim, 35-year-old Nikita Hand, was awarded €250,000 in damages. McGregor was also ordered to pay more than a million dollars in Hand’s legal fees.
Since the verdict, multiple organizations have parted ways with McGregor, including Proper No. 12, the Irish whiskey brand that McGregor sold to Proximo Spirits a few years back for a whopping $600 million.
“I gotta look at it like this; If you can’t stay down with the people in their dark times, you don’t deserve to stand up with them in the light,” Xzibit stated. “From what I’ve seen, the dude is doing the best he can. Great businessman too. His whiskey’s huge.”
As for Proper No. 12 no longer utilizing McGregor as a spokesman for the brand, Xzibit said:
“It’s crazy because without him, there’s no [Proper No. Twelve]. But it is what it is. I stay down. I don’t desert my people in their time of need.”
