"Paparazzi" is a song by rapper Xzibit

Xzibit

Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...

 and appears on his debut album At the Speed of Life

At the Speed of Life

At the Speed of Life is rapper Xzibit's debut album. The album peaked at number 74 on the Billboard 200 music chart. The single Paparazzi was featured on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 video game soundtrack...

. The track became the rapper's breakout single, and is often seen as his signature song

Signature song

A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

. The track was produced by Thayod Ausar, who provides a classical sample from Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...

's "Pavane

Pavane (Fauré)

The Pavane in F-sharp minor, Op. 50, is a composition by the French composer Gabriel Fauré, written in 1887. It was originally a piano piece, but is better known in Fauré's version for orchestra and optional chorus...

". It details his dislike of many faux rappers who don't care about the music but rather do it only for the flash and being a rich celebrity. The song is referenced to by E.D.I. Mean

E.D.I. Mean

Malcolm Greenridge , better known as E.D.I. Mean, is an American rap artist and a member of the Outlawz. While in the third grade, Malcolm became friends with Katari "Kastro" Cox who later introduced his cousin, Tupac Shakur, to E.D.I. Mean.-Dramacydal:In 1992, Kastro, Greenridge, and Tupac's...

 on 2pac's

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

 "Bomb First" where he disses Xzibit with the line "Got a little question for that nigga that made 'Paparazzi'/If you ain't in this rap game for the motherfuckin' cash, man/Then what is your motherfuckin' purpose?" An instrumental version of "Paparazzi" was featured on The Sopranos

The Sopranos

The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

episode "Pax Soprana". The song was also featured in the soundtrack of the popular video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, often abbreviated to THPS3, is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation. In 2002, it was published for the...

.

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Billboard Hot 100	83
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	61
Billboard Hot Rap Singles	9
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	39