Crooked I Interview

Crooked I is an emcee from Long Beach, CA. He first appeared on 19th Street LBC Compilation and Straight Outta Cali from Big C-Style’s record label. At age 17, he started an independent record company with NFL players Chuckie Miller and Leonard Russell. Crooked was featured on the soundtracks Ride and Caught Up, collaborating with Luniz, Snoop Dogg, and Tha Eastsidaz. He later signed to Death Row Records and recorded two unreleased albums, along with a mixtape, Westcoasanostra Vol. 1, that was released in 2003. In 2004, Crooked left Death Row and released the mixtape, Young Boss Vol. 1. In 2005, he released another mixtape, Boss Music, and recorded two songs with Scott Storch. In 2006, Crooked released the mixtape, Young Boss Vol. 2, and a DVD, Life After Death Row. In 2008, Crooked linked up with Joe Budden, Royce Da 5’9″, Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless to record “Slaughterhouse” on Budden’s album, Halfway House. Four of them formed the group named after the song and they released several songs in 2009 as well as a full-length, self-titled album. Crooked continues to balance his solo career and group responsibilities on Shady Records. His latest album in 2013, Apex Predator, features Tech N9ne and producers Mr. Porter, StreetRunner, Cardo, and more.