Kxng Crooked & Joell Ortiz "Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse"

A polarizing title, no doubt... what do we think of this: Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse? Joell Ortiz and Crooked I, burning down the group (Slaughterhouse) they helped create, alongside Royce Da 5'9 and Joe Budden. In these days and times, I think it's an obvious marketing plan, and it seems to have caught Joe and Royce off-guard and not really feeling the move... or their version of the story. To be expected, I suppose. Personally, I don't like the optics or roll-out at all, but who gives a shit what I think! These are two very skilled MCs -- although not my two favorites in the group -- and this isn't necessarily their best work, but it's still solid. Will it cause more beef than anything else? Probably more discontent than anything, but nothing serious, and nobody expects Joe to hop out of retirement to address it on record, (right)? I enjoyed most of Crook's and Joell's collaborative album, H.A.R.D., and Crook's "Life of a Bandana" still gets hella burn today. I guess we'll see how this plays out on Joe's podcast, Royce's live (+ music?), and obviously in the media. One thing for sure, do not play with Royce... he's got more than a rocket launcher on them, and most MCs for that matter.

Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked "H.A.R.D." (EP Stream)

Joell Ortiz & KXNG Crooked met the year they both won XXL's coveted Freshmen of the Year Award. The two's careers are as legendary as any in the rap game. Joell Ortiz started by signing to Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, then moving to Shady records as part of the Super group Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9 and KXNG Crooked. Meanwhile, KXNG Crooked was signed to Virgin Records at just 17 before joining Death Row Records. He's had a flourishing solo career including collaborations along the way with 2Pac, Benny The Butcher, Raekwon, and more. The West Coast LBC representer KXNG Crooked and Brooklyn's Joell Ortiz have finally come together for their joint project, "H.A.R.D." via Mello Music. The EP is dope, minus the hooks; they coulda scrapped them all!

Kxng Crooked & Bronze Nazareth "Gravitas" (Album Stream)

Long Beach legend Kxng Crooked (Crooked I) takes a break from his consistently dope Weeklys series to serve up listeners a slab of hardcore Hip-Hop fashioned with lauded Wu affiliate Bronze Nazareth. It's East meets West in a collision of sound. And plenty of Crooked and Bronze's homies come along for the ride, including Killah Priest, Ras Kass, Bishop Lamont, Planet Asia, Snoop Dogg, LA the Darkman, Tristate, Ghostface Killah, Benny The Butcher, 38 Spesh, DMX, Royce Da 5'9, Statik Selektah, RZA and more! Listen to Kxng Crooked and Bronze Nazareth's Gravitas project below...

Kxng Crooked "Menace II Sobriety" (EP Stream)

I almost skipped over this short EP from Kxng Crooked, but this EP goes super hard! I owe thanks to the homie Rhymecology, whose strong review made me give it a listen, check it: "Holy shit! I love this project. The 4 track EP by @kxngcrooked is the first to give me chills in awhile. In an ode to Menace, I Got 5 On It, Gangsta Paradise and I Gave You Power, Crooked spits his multi syllabic and emotional fire that has me texting my boys like “have you heard this?” ...Like Elzhi did with Elmatic, he has a few lines that pay homage to the songs he is rapping over but he has his own style which is quatrains filled with 4-8 rhymes and raw passion that should WAKE these non writing mumble rap acts and their fans the hell up... The emotion and detail of Life of a Bandana is storytelling at its best. Menace 2 Sobriety is a beautifully written song which details the mind set of a man taken over by alcoholism, FkFame brings us back to the days of emcees rapping for the art and not the glory while Flowers reminds us to appreciate our Artists while they here... People who follow me pretty much like the same shit I do, so I recommend this..." Listen to Menace II Sobriety below...

Statik Selektah x Crooked I "Statik Kxng" (Album Stream)

Statik KXNG is the eponymous debut studio album by hip hop duo Statik KXNG, consisting of producer Statik Selektah and eMCee KXNG Crooked. The album was released through Penalty Entertainment and Statik's Showoff Records. The album features only one guest appearance and that is Termanology who is in the group 1982 with Statik Selektah. Catch these bars from Crook!