Xzibit has opened up about why he left Pimp My Ride, the legendary MTV show that transformed beat-up vehicles with outrageous – and sometimes legally questionable – upgrades.
The multi-talented star hosted the program throughout its original six-season run, except for one 2007 episode where a Honda CRX was turned into an epic Fantastic Four tribute.
“Chamillionaire did that episode because apparently any n***a with braids could do what Xzibit does,” X quipped during a recent chat with Metro UK.
The Chamillionaire episode happened after Xzibit departed for an overseas tour. He revealed he refused to come back to the series when executives wouldn’t 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.”
While prepping for his tour, Xzibit got a call from the advertising team thanking him for filming one final Pimp My Ride episode. The rapper/actor said he had no idea the show’s executives had secured a deal with Fantastic Four, and needed him to shoot the episode before heading overseas.
“I was like, ‘I’m on my way to Europe. I ain’t filming no fucking Fantastic Four episode,'” Xzibit remembered telling the ad department. Executives called Xzibit shortly after trying to convince him. They reportedly offered to cover his travel on a private jet and even double his hosting fee; however, Xzibit wasn’t impressed with the offer. What the executives didn’t know was that the advertising department had already revealed to Xzibit how much the Fantastic Four collaboration was paying the studio. And apparently, it was a massive amount.
“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 expressed gratitude for Pimp My Ride and hinted he’d be down for a reboot – under the right circumstances.
“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.”
