Rapper Xzibit Helps out on 'Extreme Makeover'

Rapper and actor Xzibit wasn't sure what to expect when he agreed to appear on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," but he's glad he did.
He'd seen the show, but he wasn't aware of how much hard work goes into building a house in a week.

"It was something I was definitely interested in," Xzibit, born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, told the Daily News on Wednesday. "I didn't know what I was signing up for; building a house in seven days is something else."

He appears in Sunday's episode (ABC, 8 p.m.) helping the "Extreme Makeover" team construct a home for the Hill family of Suffield, Conn.
He's the latest in a series of celebrities who have been part of the series this season. Last week, for instance, Patricia Heaton from ABC's "The Middle" helped out.
"I have no problems giving back, especially for anything that has substance to it," Xzibit said.
"And you know what, I learned some skills," he added. "I'm going to pick up a trade before this is over."
During production, he did some roofing, some framing and other work around the house.
Xzibit is no stranger to television, or to the makeover genre. As the host of MTV's "Pimp My Ride" from 2004 to 2007, he oversaw a team fixing up people's cars.
In contrast to customized cars, though, "This is something people really need," he said of the homes people get at the end of "Extreme Makeover."
"It's totally different," he added. "I got to know the family, the mother, the father, the kids, and the situation they were in," he said. "To see them go through that, and see the transformation ... it's something to know anticipation for myself, but when you anticipate something for somebody else, it's something exciting."
The episodes end with the a big reveal of the house to the family - and, usually, with tears.
"I couldn't even look at the house," he said. "I put my blood, sweat and tears into the thing."
Did he cry?
"No, come on, man," he said, laughing. But he added: "You can definitely see the emotion. If you're going to watch this episode Sunday, you're going to need a box of tissues."
The experience went so well, the producers invited him back for a second one, shot in Kentucky, that will air Nov. 1 and also include an appearance by Clint Black.
"I had no expectations going into this," Xzibit said. "I just anticipated doing something good for somebody else. I don't have to have something in the pipeline to pump to do that."
Despite the TV exposure, he's not given up on the music game.
"I definitely have the love for music. There's a passion there I still need to fullfil," he said. "I just need to get that done before my [14-year-old] son thinks it's uncool for his dad to be rapping."