Kxng Crooked Archives

There Was Scary Good Hip-Hop In October. Here’s Some Of The Best (Audio)

October was a scary month for a number of reasons. Of course, itended with Halloween, but it also featured some of the most low rent politics the country has ever seen, with even the FBI getting into the action. What's even more frightening, amongst all the jockeying for position, there... Read more

November 7, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked Pulls a Fast One On Killer Cops To Teach Them a Lesson (Video)

They say the best way to understand another person's pain is to walk a mile in their shoes, but history has proven time and again that empathy is not a lesson easily taught. When it comes to solutions to the problem of police violence, many say hiring officers to police... Read more

October 27, 2016 Video

Kxng Crooked Shoots Back At Racist Police With A Lyrical Demand For Justice (Audio)

For many this election season, the issues of police brutality and the militarization of law enforcement in this country are front-and-center, as racially charged discourse continues to emerge. Police versus citizens has become a prominent theme in music today, with Hip-Hop artists like T.I., Big K.R.I.T., and Nas making the... Read more

October 21, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked Tears Into A Statik Selektah Soul Creation (Audio)

Statik Kxng was more than just a one-off for Kxng Crooked (p/k/a Crooked I) and Statik Selektah. The Showoff Records/Penalty Entertainment, Long Beach-to-Brooklyn duo exists beyond their early 2016 10-track EP. "Street Music" appears on Mike Epps' forthcoming Meet The Blacks soundtrack, but stands taller than a typical peel-away track.... Read more

April 4, 2016 Audio

Listen To The Best Hip-Hop of February (& January) 2016 In One Playlist (Audio)

The month of February brought many surprises in Hip-Hop. DJ Premier partnered with ambient songstress Yuna, for some boom bap vibe music. Blu rocked on a 45 King track reminiscent of "Hard Knock Life." Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube got funky with Funkadelic. The Game waxed poetic with nothing but... Read more

March 7, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked & Statik Selektah Are Winning Against All Odds With Pure Hip-Hop (Video)

Over the last several weeks, Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I) and Statik Selektah quietly have been releasing one amazing release after another. Rather than stir up controversy with Twitter beefs and other distractions, they've simply let the music talking, and it speaks LOUDLY. Today, they have released their album Statik... Read more

February 12, 2016 Video

Kxng Crooked Nods To Eric B. & Rakim As He Destroys Another Statik Selektah Beat (Audio)

Real recognize real. Even though he says he hates the term "Real Hip-Hop" (as do we...) at the end of his new song, Kxng Crooked is most definitely a fan of choice beats and raw raps. As he and Statik Selektah near the release of their joint album, Statik Kxng,... Read more

February 2, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked & Statik Selektah Are Ruthless With This Music. Let’s Go (Audio)

The MC formerly known as Crooked I has been on a tear in early 2016. The same week he unleashed a beast of a freestyle at Tony Touch's radio show, Kxng Crooked returns with a fully-produced bar massacre. "Let's Go" teams with album partner Statik Selektah on the boards, and... Read more

January 30, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked Is A MONSTER. This Acapella Freestyle Is Downright Scary (Video)

Kxng Crooked has been lyrical royalty, long before he dubbed himself a King. The MC, formerly known as Crooked I, has been abusing microphones for more than 20 years, both as a solo artist and as a member of the fearsome foursome known as Slaughterhouse. In fact, it was his... Read more

January 28, 2016 Video

Listen To The Best Hip-Hop Of December 2015 In One Playlist (Audio)

The number of Hip-Hop releases in December slowed, but the quality did not. In fact, it was one of the densest months of the year in terms of audio dope. Here's a playlist of the best the month had to offer. You'll hear music from PRhyme (DJ Premier & Royce... Read more

January 4, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked Takes A Rare Jay Z Beat & Gets Absolutely Savage (Audio)

2015 has been a relatively quiet year for Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I). The part-time Slaughterhouse member and full-time wordsmith did not have a full album or mixtape release, though he did drop a few poignant raps about police brutality, trying circumstances he overcame and other substantive messages. As the... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

Bobby Ross Avila’s “Humanity” Featuring RZA Is A Timely Message On A Day Of Sorrow (Album Stream)

Bobby Ross Avila is a distinguished and celebrated musician whose work has been heard by Heads before, albeit they may not realize it. Having worked in multiple capacities for artists like Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, Usher, and many others, Avila is a performing artist and acclaimed producer... Read more

December 2, 2015 Audio

Kxng Crooked’s “Dead Or In Jail” Verses Demand A Lyric Video

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Kxng Crooked (f/k/a Crooked I) and Statik Selektah gave Heads some food for thought. "Dead Or In Jail," which features Jessica Quintero, examines the skewed justice system, and how institutional racism is very much around, in the United States and beyond. Less than one week later,... Read more

December 1, 2015 Video

Kxng Crooked & Statik Selektah Serve Up That Good Food For The Soul (Audio)

Ever have someone say you wouldn't accomplish something? Kxng Crooked did, and boy were they wrong. The sometimes Slaughterhouse member (formerly known as Crooked I) links with Statik Selektah on "Dead Or In Jail" with a message to all those who said that's where he would be when he got... Read more

November 26, 2015 Audio

With Compelling Photography, An Artist Hopes To Lessen The Stigma Of Mental Illness

Dior Vargas, a self-described "Latina Feminist Mental Health Activist," is bringing much-needed attention to the prevalence of mental illnesses in communities of color through a photography project that asks everyday people to raise awareness about the issue. In general, mental illness is one of those touchy subjects that makes many... Read more

October 21, 2015 Lifestyle

2015’s Best Battle On Wax? Funk Volume & Horseshoe Gang Trade Diss Tracks (Audio)

The year 2015 has seen a re-emergence of "beef" or diss records on wax in the world of Hip-Hop. While Mos Def a/k/a Yasiin Bey had a video leaked of him calling out MCs earlier this year, only for him to retract his challenge, 2015 has seen much hype around... Read more

August 29, 2015 Audio

Slaughterhouse’s Kxng Crooked Exposes His Vulnerabilities & Struggles with Depression (Video)

Back in July, a demo version of a track called "Don't Close Your Eyes (Ashamed)" was released, and with it came one of the most emotionally wrenching releases in Hip-Hop this summer. A painfully personal tale of personal demons, the song is a single from Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I),... Read more

August 28, 2015 Video

Yelawolf, Kxng Crooked, Royce Da 5’9″ & Rittz Host a Lyrical Clinic. MCs Take Note…(Audio)

Rittz is a confident MC--so much so that he invited three of Hip-Hop's fiercest spitters to join him on his remix. The result? Six minutes of nothing but rapid-fire BARS. Yelawolf, Royce Da 5'9" and Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I) join the remix to Rittz's "LAF," and it plays like... Read more

July 9, 2015 Audio

Kxng Crooked Remakes A 1990s Rock Power-Ballad (Audio)

Slaughterhouse MC Kxng Crooked (a/k/a Crooked I) and Shalé pair up in “I Didn't Mean to Treat You Bad”, a single from the recently dropped collaborative effort When Music Worlds Collide. In this experimental jam, producers DJ King Tech (The Wake Up Show) and company create a fresh interpretation of... Read more

May 3, 2015 Audio

Kxng Crooked Goes Hard Over a Beat That Recalls Vintage Dr. Dre (Audio)

Kxng Crooked, formerly known as Crooked I, returns with a new banger than shows why he deserves his new title. Producer, Jonathan Elkaer, is a Denmark-native whose style on "I Don't Give a F**k" can be compared to a Chronic 2001-era Dr. Dre, which only adds to Crooked's delivery. While... Read more

April 9, 2015 Audio

Killer Mike & Crooked I Run Their Mouths Eloquently For DJ EFN’s Album (Audio)

DJ EFN is a Miami music scene mainstay. From his work with N.O.R.E. to his legendary underground tapes, EFN gets Hip-Hop on a global level. This is evident from EFN's Crazy Hood platform too. "If U Run" is the critical first look from March 3's Another Time. The LP spans... Read more

January 21, 2015 Audio

KXNG Crooked Releases the Powerful and Reflective I Can’t Breathe (Audio)

KXNG Crooked (formerly Crooked I) is the latest to step to the forefront of Hip-Hop and speak out against the failure to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo in the choking death of Eric Garner. Crooked starts off softly, meditatively rapping about what he feels is a complete devaluation of the lives... Read more

December 5, 2014 Audio

Shady XV Is Expected To Debut At #1, Nobody’s Happier Than Crooked I (Audio)

Even with Eminem's backing of Slaughterhouse, Crooked I has never enjoyed a #1 album. The Long Beach, California MC veteran is a long way from those mid-2000s pitfalls he suffered while stranded on Death Row. However, if skills equated to sales, Kxng Crooked would have been #1's, with plaques covering... Read more

December 2, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Crooked I’s Intimate Freestyle Chronicles The Formation Of Slaughterhouse (Audio)

Crooked I, or Kxng Crooked as he's now known, is gearing up for his SMH Records debut, Sex, Money & Drugs. To kick things off in style, Crook' takes the stand, under oath, and tells it like it is in this slow, intimate freestyle. Within, he recalls sitting in his... Read more

November 20, 2014 Audio, Fresh