Xzibit has shed more light on his exit from Pimp My Ride, the iconic MTV series that saw run-down cars receive over-the-top — and sometimes legally questionable — makeovers.
The multi-hyphenate hosted the show throughout its original six-season run, except for a 2007 episode in which a Honda CRX was transformed into a next-level Fantastic Four tribute.
“Chamillionaire did that episode because apparently any n***a with braids could do what Xzibit does,” X joked in a recent interview with Metro UK.
The Chamillionaire episode was filmed after Xzibit left for an overseas tour. He said he declined to return to the series after executives refused to meet his contract demands.
“You really want the truth about why Pimp My Ride only lasted six seasons?… Some people don’t want their childhood ruined,” he said. “It ended because my contract was up and I didn’t want to renew it. I was on my way out the door at 20th Century Fox after filming the last episode, and it was like, ‘Yo, all good things must come to an end.’ I’m good. I’m very good. I’m shaking hands and I’m like, ‘Okay guys, contract’s up, I don’t want to renew. I’m out.”
As he prepared to embark on his tour, Xzibit received a call from the advertising department thanking him for doing one last Pimp My Ride episode. The rapper/actor said he had no clue the show’s executives had locked down a partnership with Fantastic Four, and needed him to film the episode before leaving the country.
“I was like, ‘I’m on my way to Europe. I ain’t filming no fucking Fantastic Four episode,'” Xzibit recalled telling the ad department. Executives called Xzibit shortly after in an attempt to persuade him. They allegedly offered to cover his travel expenses on a private jet and even double his hosting fee; however, Xzibit wasn’t satisfied with the proposed deal. Unbeknownst to the executives, the advertising department had already told Xzibit how much the Fantastic Four collaboration was paying the studio. And from the sounds of it, the sum was pretty hefty.
“I had just heard the fucking number.’ I said, ‘Hey, okay, give me a million dollars. I’ll do it,'” he recalled. “They’re like, ‘Oh, Xzibit. You know that’s not in the budget, we don’t have it.'”
Xzibit said he was grateful for Pimp My Ride and suggested he was open to doing a reboot — if the conditions are right.
“Ownership is what’s attractive,” he said. “Let’s sit at the table together, not underneath it. Don’t sit me underneath the table. Let me sit at the table with you.”
