Man vs. Machine is the fourth studio album by American rapper Xzibit. It was released on October 1, 2002. Special guests include Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, M.O.P, and Nate Dogg. Producers on the album include Rick Rock, Bink, Rockwilder, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre (who was also the executive producer). The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with over 156,000 copies sold in its first week. Since then album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12] It was the last album released by Loud Records before it went defunct the same year.
Man vs. Machine | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 1, 2002 | |||
Recorded | 2001–02 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 67:14 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Xzibit chronology | ||||
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Singles from Man vs. Machine | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 59/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [3] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[5] |
HipHopDX | [6] |
Los Angeles Times | [7] |
NME | 7/10[8] |
RapReviews | 8.5/10[9] |
Rolling Stone | [10] |
Uncut | [11] |
Music
editThe track "My Name" which features Eminem and Nate Dogg, is a diss track aimed at Canibus, Jermaine Dupri, and Moby.
Two of the songs from Man Vs. Machine were featured in the 2005 film Domino. The specific songs were "Choke Me, Spank Me (Pull My Hair)" as well as "The Gambler", which played during the film's opening credits.
Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, makes a guest appearance on the album by performing a "Paul" skit (which is a skit that is commonly used for Eminem's studio albums).
Commercial performance
edit"Man vs. Machine" debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 156,000 copies in its first week of release. The album spent a total of 19 weeks on the "Billboard" 200 chart. On November 12, 2002, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies. It was certified shortly after a month of being released. As of November 2004, the album has sold 593,000 copies in the United States.[13]
Reception
editIn a retrospective review, Mitch Findlay from HotNewHipHop said: "Once again executive produced by Dr. Dre, who provided production on two tracks and mixing engineer credits on seven, Man Vs. Machine emerged at the peak of Xzibit's musical popularity. His work on Restless had ushered him from an acclaimed underground presence to a household name, an equal affiliate to Snoop Dogg, Dre, Eminem, and his Golden State Project groupmates Ras Kass and Saafir. With Man Vs. Machine, Xzibit continued to build on the foundation of its predecessor, albeit with a slight gaze toward a more futuristic aesthetic; such qualities were largely realized by Rick Rock, who contributed production on tracks like "Symphony In X Major" and "Break Yourself.". He singled out songs like "Multiply", the Dre-produced songs "Losin Your Mind" and "Choke Me, Spank Me (Pull My Hair)", "BK To LA", "My Name" and "Harder" as highlists. He also said: "If there's anything keeping Man Vs. Machine from unmitigated greatness, it might very well be the inconsistent hooks. Slight blemishes aside, X's fourth studio album is an insanely listenable, crisply mixed, and nostalgic reminder of a classic musical era."[14]
Track listing
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Release Date" | Rockwilder | 4:06 | |
2. | "Symphony in X Major" (featuring Dr. Dre) |
| 3:55 | |
3. | "Multiply" (featuring Nate Dogg) |
| 4:08 | |
4. | "Break Yourself" |
|
| 3:11 |
5. | "Heart of Man" |
| Jelly Roll | 4:08 |
6. | "Harder" (featuring the Golden State Project) |
| Jelly Roll | 4:10 |
7. | "Paul" (Interlude) (performed by Paul Rosenberg) | 0:27 | ||
8. | "Choke Me, Spank Me (Pull My Hair)" |
| Dr. Dre | 3:28 |
9. | "Losin' Your Mind" (featuring Snoop Dogg) |
| Dr. Dre | 4:16 |
10. | "BK to LA" (featuring M.O.P.) |
| 4:57 | |
11. | "My Name" (featuring Eminem and Nate Dogg) | 4:32 | ||
12. | "The Gambler" (featuring Anthony Hamilton) | Bink! | 4:55 | |
13. | "Missin' U" (featuring Andre "Dre Boogie" Wilson) |
| Rick Rock | 5:22 |
14. | "Right On" |
| Erick Sermon | 3:29 |
15. | "Bitch Ass Niggas" (Interlude) (featuring Eddie Griffin) | 1:43 | ||
16. | "Enemies" |
| J-Beats | 5:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "My Life, My World" |
| Bink! | 3:49 |
18. | "What a Mess" |
| DJ Premier | 3:32 |
19. | "(Hit U) Where It Hurts" |
| Rockwilder | 2:59 |
20. | "Multiply (Remix)" (featuring Busta Rhymes) |
| Just Blaze | 4:03 |
Notes
Sample credits[15]
- "Heart of Man" contains an interpolation of "Africa", written by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro.
Singles
edit
"My Name"
"Multiply"
|
"Symphony In X Major"
"Choke Me Spank Me (Pull My Hair)"
|
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[42] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[43] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[45] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ Critic reviews at Metacritic
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Much of the material features clamorous, heavy-handed production, and though Xzibit's subject matter ranges from orgies to the benevolence of his mama, his dexterous rhyming style is a little too undifferentiated. [#10, p.132]
- ^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- ^ Man vs. Machine
- ^ HipHopDX review
- ^ Los Angeles Times review
- ^ Xzibit : Man vs. Machine
- ^ RapReviews review
- ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Uncut review". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ RIAA - Gold & Platinum - August 10, 2008 Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Xzibit Sharpens New 'Weapons'". Billboard.
- ^ "Xzibit's "Man vs. Machine" Still Packs a Nostalgic Punch". HNHH. October 2019.
- ^ a b Man vs. Machine (booklet). Open Bar, Loud, Columbia Records. 2002.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 30th June 2003" (PDF). The ARIA Report (697): 14. June 30, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. October 17, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2002. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Xzibit: Man vs. Machine" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Xzibit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Music Canada.
- ^ "British album certifications – Xzibit – Man Vs Machine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Recording Industry Association of America.