Man vs. Machine

This article is about the Xzibit album. For the browser game, see Man vs. Machine (video game).
Man vs. Machine
Studio album by
Xzibit
ReleasedOctober 1, 2002
Recorded2001–02
Genre
Length67:14
Label
Producer
Xzibit chronology
Restless
(2000) 		Man vs. Machine
(2002) 		Weapons of Mass Destruction
(2004)
Singles from Man vs. Machine
  1. "Multiply"
    Released: March 5, 2002
  2. "Choke Me, Spank Me (Pull My Hair)"
    Released: 2002
  3. "My Name"
    Released: 2002
  4. "Symphony in X Major"
    Released: December 9, 2002
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic59/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[5]
HipHopDX[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
NME7/10[8]
RapReviews8.5/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Uncut[11]

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.

Music

The 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

"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

In 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

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Release Date"
Rockwilder4:06
2."Symphony in X Major" (featuring Dr. Dre)
3:55
3."Multiply" (featuring Nate Dogg)
4:08
4."Break Yourself"
  • Rick Rock
3:11
5."Heart of Man"
Jelly Roll4:08
6."Harder" (featuring the Golden State Project)
Jelly Roll4:10
7."Paul" (Interlude) (performed by Paul Rosenberg)  0:27
8."Choke Me, Spank Me (Pull My Hair)"
Dr. Dre3:28
9."Losin' Your Mind" (featuring Snoop Dogg)
Dr. Dre4:16
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)
  • Thomas
  • Joiner
  • Andre Wilson
Rick Rock5:22
14."Right On"
Erick Sermon3:29
15."Bitch Ass Niggas" (Interlude) (featuring Eddie Griffin)  1:43
16."Enemies"
  • Jeremy Jackson
  • Joiner
J-Beats5:00
Disc 2 (Bonus edition only)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."My Life, My World"
  • Harrell
  • Joiner
  • Traci Nelson
Bink!3:49
18."What a Mess"
DJ Premier3:32
19."(Hit U) Where It Hurts"
  • Stinson
  • Joiner
Rockwilder2:59
20."Multiply (Remix)" (featuring Busta Rhymes)
Just Blaze4:03

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer

Sample credits[15]

Singles

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Man vs. Machine
Region 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.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Critic reviews at Metacritic
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ 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]
  4. ^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
  5. ^ Man vs. Machine
  6. ^ HipHopDX review
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times review
  8. ^ Xzibit : Man vs. Machine
  9. ^ RapReviews review
  10. ^ "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)
  11. ^ "Uncut review". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
  12. ^ RIAA - Gold & Platinum - August 10, 2008 Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Xzibit Sharpens New 'Weapons'". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Xzibit's "Man vs. Machine" Still Packs a Nostalgic Punch". HNHH. October 2019.
  15. ^ a b Man vs. Machine (booklet). Open Bar, Loud, Columbia Records. 2002.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  20. ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  21. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. October 17, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2002. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  24. ^ "Xzibit: Man vs. Machine" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  25. ^ "Lescharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  27. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Xzibit". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  29. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  31. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  34. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  35. ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  36. ^ "Xzibit Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  37. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  38. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  39. ^ "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  40. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  41. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  42. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  43. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Music Canada.
  44. ^ "British album certifications – Xzibit – Man Vs Machine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  45. ^ "American album certifications – Xzibit – Man vs. Machine". Recording Industry Association of America.