Crooked I

Originally published: July 2004

So first off, what everyone's been wondering at this point, will we see a Crooked I album this year?

Nah, I don't think so this year.

Are there any contractual obligations with Death Row? Or anything that says you can't release anything for a certain time after you left the label?

Nah, nah. Theres nothin like that, I'm just really watchin the game and tryin to drop in probly the first quarter of 05, tryin to run 05, know what I'm sayin. Pretty much everything is set up for this year. It's alot of things comin out this year, alot of heat. I'm just watchin the game and tryin to strike at the best time.

Then can we expect anymore mixtapes between now and then?

Yeah I'mma do mixtapes, probly just comin out later this year, I'm on compilations, I'm on soundtracks,and I defenitely have a presence this year. If things go well I may drop at the end of the year. But I'm really being realistic and sayin first quarter of next year.

So you have a distribution deal Universal for Dynasty at the moment?

Well what I got, I got an imprint deal, I got a deal with Treacherous Records, Treacherous has distribution through Universal. My label Dynasty/Treacherous/Universal, know what I mean. It's gonna be slashes for now, I got nothin but love for the guys at Treacherous, they really standin with me through all this, tryin to get everything in order.

So what's the Sucka Free affiliation, is it on a business tip or are yall just personal friends?

Well you know, the owner of Sucka Free, Humpty Hump, thats my homeboy and we jus been travelling around together, doing things, I been in Houston alot. Doing things with their artists, we just formed a cool relationship, so now we like, tie everything we do together, know what I'm sayin. He comin with Sucka Free West, and I have a big part in that.

So have you been working on your new album?

I been doing different little projects man, I been doing some things. I been doing a couple things but I'll probly get started on my album in August. Cause I wanna keep things fresh for 05, I don't wanna give the people no dated material. So probly like late August I get started, and completed by November, December, then we drop in January, February.

Which guest appearances do you have in mind, anyone specific your tryin' to get on this album?

Well really man, I got cool relationships right now in the game. So I could reach out to people man. My whole main goal was just to bring everyone together on one project, as far as all the regions, so you can expect somebody heavy from each region jumpin on it. East, or South, Midwest, try to cover all regions and markets and bring together somethin for the coast man. Cause Over here I ain't really hearin alot of dudes collaborating with cats outside of the West,

So this will be a diverse album? Will it have mainly a West Coast type vibe to it or are you aiming at something different that can appeal to all audiences?

Well you know, it's gonna always be West Coast, I feel like the West Coast has been pigeon -holed, we been put in one box, and thats what we sound like, but thats not true. You got from E-40 all the way down to the 4th Ave. Jonses know what I'm sayin. So it's like a whole big different types of music circulating on the West but only 1 particular type thats gettin the spotlight, so people think thats what the whole West Coast suppose to sound like. That ain't true. So it's gonna be a West Coast album, no doubt, cause that's what I represent, till it's over. It's just gonna have a new flavor on it, cause certain people haven't been able to break out. That's what we tryin to do. The whole West is about to get a makeover. If you notice, it's alot of young cats about to do they thang over here. You got Game, you got Guerilla Black, you got Sly Boogy, you got Spit Fiya, you got the Dynamics, I mean when these dudes get the spotlight, you gonna see a makeover on the West Coast. It's really gonna be a much needed makeover.

Would you say G-Funk music is dead and it's time for something new to come out the West?

Well I would say that everything gotta evolve. I just think that they have to take that particular sound and journey into other things with it. G-Funk is gonna stay alive for niggas on the streets of the West, cause we gon always like that shit, personally. But when you cross the state line and you cross in to the Midwest, and into the South and into the East, they not gettin down with that. So if you make the music, you mostly makin it for the people too, it aint always suppose to make music for you yourself, or your homies down the block, know what I mean? But I'm the type of dude that, I like Southern music, I like East coast music, I like Midwest music, I love West Coast music, so for me to make my music it's gonna automatically come out with a universal sound to it.

You recently did a song with East Coast artist, LG, who produced that track?

I think Denaun Porter produced that. That was a good look out there, I was in the East.

Can we expect to hear any other East coast collabs?

Man, you know what. Alot of the times, when I went out there man. I went out there and I was in attics in Queens, I was in basements in Brooklyn, I did alot of stuff with cats that nobody never heard of, know what I'm sayin. Dudes were respectin me like, I respect your flow, I love your shit, so I would just get down with them, no matter where. It was like, even people in New York didn't know who them cats was, they was up and comin. So I didn't really go out there and collab with alot of known artists. Although, I will be doing that this year. I just went out there and made a run man. It was some cats out there so I couldn't even tell you the name of it. Yeah man, on that internet homie, you'll find somethin.' [laughs]

Do you have any ties with Roc-a-fella and Dame Dash?

Nah I don't have no real ties to them, I met em, I talked to them a few times at the Hip Hop Summit, cause I've done the Hip Hop Summit. Russel Simmons' Action Network, going around with Russel and his program, speakin on a panel in different cities. That kinda gave me a relationship with different cats, beyond music, it's just like a cause, and we all got together, personally I don't have no real ties to them.

Do you at all feel like you have to kind of dumb down your flow to appeal to the mainstream, seein as that the 'battlerap' or freestyle flow doesn't really get you much play? Also what some people's opinion is that you don't have the same flow or "hunger" as you did on your earlier music, is the change intentional?

Well you know, my flow man, I haven't at all lost hunger. If I lost hunger I'd of just sat down a long time ago. Cause I just been on a whole roller coast ride my whole career. I still stay up till 3 in the mornin, in the bathroom writin, with my pad and my boombox. I'm the same cat I was when I first got into it. But, at the same time I think everything matures, I think everything evolves, and my style is evolving. I still feel myself getting better and better. I don't like to do the same thing that I've done already. I'm sayin I like to change, I like to reinvent my flow, I like to fuck with people a little bit and think "Oh I did this, oh I can't do that" because things I do are well thought out. People don't understand that sometimes you gotta evolve. I was doing the tongue twisting thing before it was popular. So it's like now its gettin back popular, but I can do that better then them, so I ain't trippin on that. I'm trippin mainly on song writin. People know me for--I never was a battle rapper, lets clear that up right now. I was never a battle rapper. I was always the song writer. But I just knew how to chomp niggas, on some real shit. So when people would invite me to the project blows, or to Goodlife, or cyphers to battle, you know, I'm an MC, I knew how to go hard on people. So that was just one thing that I knew how to do, and I like to do it at a certain time. So people try to label, "oh he's a battle rapper, his affiliation with the Wake Up Show." Nah I always been a song writer. If I go play you some of my demo's when I was 8 years old in the 80's and 9 years old, all you gonna hear is ghetto stories. All I ever did was write ghetto stories. So alot of people try to say, "Oh Crooked, he a battle rapper," but he's a song writer that knows how to battle.

On the song "Still Tha Row," you mentioned that you owned your own publishing. If you chose to use anty material recorded while at Death Row for a new Dynasty project would you be able to do that?

I'm pretty sure I could. But you know, the thing about publishing is, even if I own my publishing, which I do own my own publishing, and I still do. The thing is, Suge has rights to release things too, that he owns the masters to. But me owning my publishing just means I'll get a check if he releases it. Feel me, so if he releases a master that he owns, I'll still get my publishing.

You said you wanted to keep things fresh, do you plan to release any of your old material at all?

No I don't man. You know what I'll do. One day I'll try to release probably like a compilation of unreleased material that I done. Sorta like the Nas' "Lost Tapes" or whatever. But I see that being way in the future. Like right now, I wanna give the people somethin fresh, I got alot of opinions, I got alot of views, and I got alot of things that I write about that cats is not touching on right now. I want that out there.

You mentioned Game, Guerilla Black, Dynamic. Who else do you see takin it to the next level?

I mean, like I said, those guys that I mentioned, I think them dudes right there including myself, I think we can major damage in the game. Guerilla Black, you got Game, Game got the lyrics he got the machine...you got Sly Boogy, when I go out of town I hear his song more then I do out here on the radio right now, he doing his thing. Spit Fiya is a young cat outta Compton, given the proper push he can do his thing. We have talent over here, when Rass get out, I'm lookin forward to seeing Rass do his thing, I talked to Kam the other day, I want him to do his thing. I think we got all the elements man. To do a reniassance West Coast takeover where anything coming out the West is gettin their fair shake, and thats all I want. I just want radio, program directors, everybody and the media, give us our fair shake. In order for all that to happen, the artist gotta go out there, gotta ride for us, gotta put out quality music. We gotta stand together.

What would you say is the major cause for the West's downfall in the mainstream, would you say its on the Radio, or are we just not coming with original music?

Well, you got the powers that be man. And the powers that be say, B.I.G., 2Pac, they say both of those high caliber artists sell on the West Coast. Thats gonna always exist on some of the minds of the powers that be. Then you got radio programmers on this coast, that are not spinning our music, I dont care, when I'm in Texas, I hear local artists that don't even have a major deal getting heavy rotation. That enables that artist to do a show. That enables an artist to make money to make his fame grow, cause he got a song in rotation. On the West, I don't care if it's straight wack! Still play it. It's West Coast. It's our music, lets support each other. They playin wack music from the different regions. Some music from the East is dope, some is wack. Some from the South is dope, some is wack. It just means they'll play it no matter what it is if its from another region, but if it's from this region "Oh thats not original, oh they're not comin with a club banger, or this don't fit in the videos." Come on man, get off that. You gotta start supportin your own talent, thats one reason why I think we being held back. Another reason is we need to unify. It's that simple. I'm sick of these dudes over here tryin to "Oh this dude right here I can't work with him." or pickin up the phone makin a player hatin call against this dude over here. That's wack man. When I'm out East, I go to a video shoot, I see about 10 artists, come through from different labels, just to support that particular artist shootin the video. That's whats I wanna see over here. I wanna see dudes gettin together, droppin the bullshit, gettin the bread together, and makin a impact on the game man.

Do you think Snoop is one of those artists expanding and gettin' bread with anyone willing to, or would you say he could be doing more to help the West come up?

The thing about it is this, if you are a person in power be it Snoop, be it whoever, I still thing that you got a responsibility to make that call to the program directors, to the magazine editors and say "yo, look at my coast. My coast is doin things," know what I'm sayin. I just think that some people help themselves, some people are about helpin the next niggas. I was at the barbershop and a homie was tellin me about the picture of the arm over the gate pullin up somebody else, and thats the real. You gotta put your arm over the gate once you get over the gate, and pull somebody else over. You got to! If you don't do that you ain't keepin it real. Snoop has brought people to the picture. There's alot of people that we wouldn't know about if it wasn't for Snoop. There's alot of artist that we wouldn't know about if it wasn't for Snoop. So, he's doing his thing. I don't have no insight in his business, I don't know whats goin on over there. But the public has to elect more artists as their leader. I think he put people in the spotlight already, I don't know what happened to where they didn't fully blossom. I don't know. I just think that its time for a brand new resurgence over here, that's the only way the vehicle gon' keep movin.

You had run ins with Snoop in the past, is there still a conflict there?

Nah nah, see the thing about it is, when I was on Death Row, from the start I said that I'm not gonna get over there and start talkin about niggas. I didn't make one song talkin about the man on my whole album. I'll say it again, I didn't. My whole album was focused on being a West Coast classic. That's what I was focused on. I had a bigger picture in my mind. I heard the mixtapes, I heard the little comments. He made some comments on some mixtapes so I said ok, bam I made a comment. Cause thats just how I am. You come at me I'm gon come back. Now, before those comments that he made, I didn't say one thing. Cause I wasn't on that. I'm still not on that. I'm not trippin on none of that. People be like, "oh you should go hard on this person, you should go hard on that person." Nah homie, I should build a Dynasty thats what I should do. So that's what what I'm tryin to focus on. At any time that a dude come at me, I gotta go back at em.

Yeah it seems like the whole beef was just on the fact that you were ridin with Death Row..

Yeah man I mean that ain't even no good enough reason. That ain't even real. That's what people wanna see they love that. Meanwhile we on the West man, we do this for real. We in the clubs tearing the thing up, tearin each other up, onsite. We ain't like them other artist that they beef with each other and still occupy the same club space.

Have you had any contact with the whole DPG camp since leaving Death Row? Is there a possibility of working with them if they were open to it?

Well you know what man, I'm just doing what I came to do, thats to put out a project. That's my main focus dude. I spent four years on Death Row Records without releasing a solo project. I stayed more loyal then any artist that I know. Alot of artists would have left after the second year, probly after the first year. I spent four over there, loyaly. Gettin on the projects. Now my whole mindstate is releasing a project, puttin it out on the street. Tryin to open doors for my people, and for underground cats on the West thats like my whole focus. If it ever came a day that one of the guys that I'm suppose to be beefing with when I was on Tha Row came up to me, I'm a man I'll sit down with any man and holla.

Who are your people, as far as Dynasty Records. Is it just the Horse Shoe Gang for now, or are there any other artists your trying to sign to the label?

If I had it the way I wanted it, it would be a gang of artists gettin put out. It's so many dope artists. Right now, yeah that is the Horseshoe Gang. We got other lil artists that we deal with, and R&B peopl singin on my projects, singing hooks, different types of producers that are up and coming you might not have heard of. But we defenitely tryin to get other people, producers in there and create a wave, thats the whole thing.

Were you able to take anything from your experience at Death Row that you can apply to your own imprint?

Yup, yup. I did man. I was able to see things from the inside. I was able to travel and meet people in the industry, key people that are still important to my career. I was able to take the experience with me of being on one of the most controversial but important West Coast hip hop labels that there ever was. So, I did, I took some experiences with me, I took some things. I mean, all my life, I been turning negatives into positives to where I could survive. No matter what went down, positive or negative, it's all gon' turn into a positive.

Did Darren Vegas' release affect your decision to leave Death Row?

Nah that didn't really affect me, cause I brought Darren Vegas over there. He left, or got fired, I don't even know. Not really man. My whole thing was, I feel like, if i spend four years at USC I would've had a degree feel me. I feel like I did what I could do, to this day sometimes I read, people call me from magazines, like "hey man Most persons from Death Row say your still on that label," know what I'm sayin. I just be like damn, I don't know what else do you want from me? A hundred songs recorded, four years loyalty. I don't even know what else they would want, or why? When I talked to Suge in the past he always told me "Man, If you ever wanna move on in your career, I would never get in the way of it." So, my decision to leave was purely on me. I need to release these projects man, I need the world to feel me.

We actually did an interview with Kurupt and he also claims your still on the Death Row roster. What is your reaction to those allegations of you being signed?

Yeah I don't understand that. I don't understand that whole scenario. Like, why would you....why? What is their tactic? [laughs] I don't know. Maybe they just don't want me to bounce out, they didn't want me to leave like I did, and they didn't want me to get paid from another record deal. In which case, I can't blame em. It's kinda like flattery. It's like damn! They didn't even want a nigga to leave. But, you know, thats just a comment on a website, know what I'm saying. I'm officially in another deal.

If you could, would you do it all again differently?

Well, I really don't know what I could've done differently. Cause I did everything I was suppose to. I did everything I was asked to do. I just gotta say, ain't gotta have no regrets, gotta keep it movin. One day, I'll talk about it in depth, probly write a book, make it a movie and get broke off. [laughs]

Are things still cool with former labelmates? Would you still be open to working with Kurupt, Eastwood, the YA crew and all them?

Well I mean, I'm always open. I'm always open. I don't know how they feel, I can't control how they feel. As far as on my side, I'm always open. I got respect for them dudes and what they doing, it wouldn't matter to me, I'd call Kurupt tomorrow to get on my album. That's real.

You mentioned movies? We know you have one out called Bank Brothers, are there any other films in the works?

Yup, I got a movie in the works that I'm writing right now, and I got some people that are interested in funding it. So that's gonna be real soon. I'm still writing right now, I'm thinkin thats gonna be something big for me, I always wanted to get in on that side of the game. Hip hop, we in everything.

So are you pushin Dynasty as an entertainment company also? Or are the movies going through somethin else?

Yeah, that's gonna drop through a whole other thing. But we all pushin different things, gettin our hands in whatever we can.

There's been big rumors of you recently speaking to Dr. Dre to possibly get some production from him Have you at all spoken to Dr. Dre?

Maybe they probly started that rumor cause...

All the Dre beats on your mixtape huh?

They probly started that cause of that. I did somethin with The Game on his mixtape. That's just a rumor right now. I haven't talked to Dre man. I talked to people in his camp, but I haven't talked to him. If I talked to Dre and all that believe me, yall will know.

Do you think knowing and workin with Young Zee could lead to future collabs with Eminem, D-12?

Young Zee, that's the cat. I don't know, you never know. I'm open, I'm an open dude. I would love it if everybody could just get the bread together. That's where I'm comin from. I don't know, you might see me workin with anybody.

What's your opinion on the Bay Area scene?

The Bay. Man, I get down with the Bay. Whoever wanna get down with me, all they gotta do is reach out and I'm down with it. I get down with the Bay since I was signed to Noo-Trybe since I was a teenager. I mess with 3XKrazy, and different cats. No doubt, the Bay I got nothin but love for em.

I know Yukmouth reached out to you awhile after you left Death Row and as a result we got that California G'z song on "United Ghettos of America Vol.2", are there any other songs with Yuk?

That's it man. We did that, we collabed on that right quick. That was our first collaboration since we did the old "Girl" song on the Caught Up soundtrack.

What was it like workin with Method Man, E-40, Rza on the We Pop Remix, and how did that come together?

That was Sway and Tech, Sway and Tech threw that together. Tech called me he said he had a studio full of guys putting together a remix. I rolled through and it was all love. I mean you could feel the real culture in rooms like that. You got a dude from the East, dude from the West, dude from the Bay, dude from here. Know what I mean, thats what the culture is about, that's the type of shit I'm into.

Are there any producers your looking to work with in the future?

I don't know man, cause my thing is, I been blessed homie. Who ever I'd like to work with I end up workin with. So I been real cool with that. But I'm gonna tell you right now who I'm feelin on the production. I'm feelin' Rick Rock, I'm feelin Hi-Tek. Couple cats over there, Focus and Knottz, DJ Khalil, alot of dudes man. My dude Jim Gettum is still makin bangers everday. Alot of dudes I'm feelin out there that got heaters. I'm hearin new heaters every time I turn around. I'm gettin beat cd's from publishing companies, it's alot of heat our there.

Are there any in-house Dynasty producers, anyone who will be doing the majority of the beats on your projects?

Nah not really. I did a few joints man, but I'm gonna really gonna affiliate with artist, and try to move forward with any of those dudes that I named.

What about the Neckbones? Thats a pretty hot production team out the West..

Oh yeah the Neckbones, I like the Neckbones, as a matter of fact they produced the song that me and Young Zee on the compilation. So I gotta give them they props every time, they did that joint.

Are there any performances or promotional tours planned?

Yeah man, I'm puttin together a show right now. About to try to burn em up. That's one thing I ain't really did, I never did alot of shows. When I did the Wake Up show concert, I was shocked, surprised that so many people had Death Row t-shirts, and Crooked I signs. I didn't even have a show prepared I had just got off a plane to New York, I grabbed a cat out the audience, we started beat boxing. We just started goin. The crowd was lovin it. I haven't really did alot of shows around town but I'mma put together this show, I'mma start hittin' em probly in August. Try to see what's going on out there, I know alot of hip hoppers wanna see a nigga up there doin his thang.

Besides Techniec and the Dynamics, what other familiar LBC rappers are cool with. Some we might see future collaborations with?

Man, that list is just, that's a long list. People might know, I don't know. One of my homies, that been doin it in Lonbeach named Wolfwang, he been thing. Dude Snake Eyes, my dude Coco Ill, its just so many people that, its ridiculous. The community of MC's in Longbeach, we all pretty much ride with each other. I seen Lil' C Style a couple of days ago, we chopped it up. That's the whole thing, we all get down with each other.

Big C Style is planning on organizing a new LBC Crew album including Techniec, Lil C-Style, Bad Azz, So. Sentrelle and others. Will you be apart of that?

At all times. That's really fa sho my homeboy. From back in the days to now and it's nothin to do the thing.

What's your all time fav rap album? This is always a tough question.

Yeah man, that's a tough question right there...I can't give you, man I gotta give you my top five man. [laughs] I gotta say "Amerikkka'z Most Wanted," Ice Cube. I gotta say, Marley Mal "In Control Vol. 1" with the symphony and all that. I gotta say, "Straight Outta Compton." D.O.C. "Nobody Does it Better," and "Reasonable Doubt"

Any last words or comments you want to leave with the fans?

Yeah man, like I always say, keep supportin West Coast music, and look out for a nigga. I'm comin. I know alot of people associate me with a certain style of rappin, cause what they heard. They heard me on features, and alot of features. You only get 16 bars to go for yours know what I'm sayin.[laughs] They haven't heard a whole project from me. Just wait. I got it all covered. And I'm comin back with that raw shit, I'm comin for all them suckas tryin to hold us back, the Bill O'Reilly's and I'm smashin on all of them. People gettin away with talkin crazy about us and doin all them crazy things to hurt the community. Smashin them suckas. Writin songs again, ain't got nothin but slumper beats on the project, and profiling brand new talent. So it comin, street music, and it's rough.