West Coast vet reveals untold backstory behind one of DMX’s biggest hits
Xzibit has shared a bombshell piece of Hip Hop history, claiming that DMX’s 1999 mega hit “Party Up (Up in Here)” was actually a diss track aimed at Tha Dogg Pound’s Kurupt.
Speaking on the Effective Immediately podcast, the rapper and former Pimp My Ride host said that the late Ruff Ryders legend used the now-celebratory club anthem as a response to Kurupt’s blistering shots on “Callin’ Out Names”.
“I think what was crazy was when I found out that ‘Party Up’ was the answer to ‘Callin’ Out Names’,” Xzibit said. “‘Party Up’ was his response to Kurupt. ‘Your girl’s a hoe / You’re broke, the kid ain’t yours, and e’rybody know.’”
The beef reportedly stemmed from a love triangle involving Foxy Brown, who Kurupt was engaged to at the time.
On “Callin’ Out Names,” Kurupt fired hard shots at X, rapping:
“Mothafuck D / Mothafuck M / Only X I know is Xzibit or RBX… Just to come to the West Coast and get stripped down / Beat to death and stripped, all over a bitch.”
Kurupt later admitted that his emotions and rumors fueled the diss. Speaking to HipHopDX, he said:
“I was in my feelings. I was really upset at the whole experience with this young lady… DMX was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
However, cooler heads eventually prevailed. In a separate interview with Bootleg Kev, Kurupt revealed that he and DMX reconciled, sharing drinks at an airport and ending the feud like grown men.
“It’s all learning experiences. Me and Earl were very good, cool friends. He was a good dude,” Kurupt reflected.
While “Party Up” remains one of DMX’s most commercially successful and widely beloved songs, this new context adds a gritty layer to its origins — revealing that even club bangers can carry the scars of personal battles behind the scenes.