TSS: How did Slaughterhouse come about?

Crooked I: Man, it’s a kid named Nino Bless, dope emcee from Brooklyn. Joe was working on his record Halfway House, I think, so he’s in a conversation with Joe. It’s funny ‘cause he told Joe, “Look man, you ain’t up on Crooked? You ain’t banging his shit?” Joe’s like, “Man, I don’t listen to Crooked.” You know how Joe is—“I don’t listen to Crooked. Send me some music.” So Nino takes it on himself and sent him like 6 or 7 of my Weeklies. Joey’s like, “Yo, can you call that nigga?” (Laughs). “I gotta wrap this song up quick. Man, how quick does he work in?” At that point, me and Nino was just working so he was like, “Yo, dude will send them verses back to you the next day or the same day.” He sent me the beat and I jumped on it.

As I’m recording the song for that, a cat from out here calls me and he’s like, “Yo, I got this website. I wanna know, can you do a song with Royce. I was thinking you, Royce, and Budden.” And I’m like, “Yo, this is odd. I’m just doing a song right now with Royce and Budden on it.” So, after we knock the song out or whatever, the response was crazy because each of us had our own Internet fanbase. Joe has is, Royce has is, I got mine, Ortiz has his and Nino has his. It kinda shut the Internet down for a minute, you know. We saw that and said, “Yo, let’s do another joint.” So, I flew out here and we recorded “Onslaught” at Red Spyder’s studio and it was magic.

We wanted to keep doing joints and everybody was like, “Man, y’all should be a group.” And that’s kinda how it all unfolded—it really jumped off from that one song. The name of the group is because that’s what we named that song, “Slaughterhouse.” It’s been definitely a good thing, especially for me because sometimes a lyricist ain’t really heard over here on the East Coast if you from the West. It’s tough to get your voice heard if you’re not just all the way in their face, like, I’m talking about Iovine status. If you not rolling with Iovine, it’s tough (Laughs). It’s definitely helping me. I’m starting to see Joey and Ortiz pop up on West Coast websites now, so it’s helping them over there and it’s helping me over here so it’s a good thing.

TSS: Wait, so how did Joell come into the picture?

Crooked I: Oh Joell, man. It was me, Royce, and Joey on the phone. We was having a conference and Joey was like, “You know what? Joell Ortiz, man.” And me and Royce was like, “Call him up!” (Laughs). He put him on the phone and Joell Ortiz was like, “I’m with that. Let’s go.” And it’s been boom ever since.

TSS: So what happened to Nino Bless then?

Crooked I: Well, really, when me, Royce, and Joey was talking about it, we was like, “Yo, Nino is ill, but he’s still building his story right now.” Like, all of us have been on major labels and had disappointments. Joey is one of the most exposed out of us all because he actually had a hit record. With Joell being on Aftermath and going through whatever he went through, it was like, “You know what, it makes more sense if we do it like this.” And then we have an open door policy with dudes that we’ll jump on their records and they can jump on our records, like Nino, or even a dude like Charles Hamilton. We just thought it’d be better to have like four more experienced dudes that got a lot to talk about when it comes to that type of thing.

TSS: How do you guys deal with you being out in L.A., Royce being in Detroit, Joey being in Jersey, and all of that?

Crooked I: Basically, we come together when our schedules allow it. I’m out here a lot. Me and Royce are out here a lot. Royce been catching some flight mileage, but I been catching them 6-hour flights. Man, I’m telling you, I’m like, “I can’t wait until they get off the plane and feel like I do.” We make it work, though, we make it work. So far, everything’s been unfolding in a way that’s like stars lining up. I’m with this 100%. If I gotta be in New York, if I gotta lay on somebody couch, I’m here. Let’s get it. And that’s everybody’s mentality.

TSS: Going back to what you said about being a b-boy, what’s the first album you ever bought?

Crooked I: Oooh, that’s a good one. That I paid for after I cut somebody’s yard (Laughs), what is the first album I ever bought? I remember the first 12-inch I ever bought. “Eazy Duz It.” I’m young, me and my homeboys playing video games at the arcade, and we go across the street to the record store. I’m looking at this dude on the album cover. He got a jheri curl, some Jordans on, and I’m like, “Who is this dude?” That was the first—I remember walking home, carrying it under my arm, and putting it on, like, “Wow.” Because I knew Ice Cube was in a group called C.I.A. already before he was in N.W.A. I was up on Cube already but I wasn’t up on E like that. And then I was like, “Wow, this shit is dope.” And I knew Dr. Dre was doing his thing because I used to go watch Dr. Dre perform with three turntables when I was a kid. He used to hook up three turntables and just be spinnin’ at different spots so when I was a kid. I used to see that when he was part of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru. But yeah, that was probably the first 12-inch I bought. I think the first album I ever bought was Paid In Full. And that was probably like, what, ’88?

TSS: Maybe ’87.

Crooked I: Pssshhh, damn I wasn’t supposed to be buying albums. But that album really opened my mind because he was saying some stuff that was so foreign to me, like, “What is this dude talking about? Now I gotta go read a Koran.” (Laughs). I’m that type of dude. I don’t like to not know what the hell somebody’s talking about. So yeah, Paid In Full. And that’s why I’m still like I am and it gets me in trouble sometimes because I be icin’ up with the jewelry and everything. But that’s what I grew up looking at—the cover of Paid In Full, with the Gucci leather and dookie ropes hanging everywhere. These are the dudes that I looked up to. The Big Daddy Kane’s and the Ice-T’s—with the bulletproof door on his Porsche and pistol medallion on the end of his gold rope. Blame them, don’t blame me for that. Yeah, Paid In Full. Man, that’s still a classic. Ain’t fucking with Paid In Full—they not fucking with that.

TSS: Did you do any writing on Detox?

Crooked I: You know, the thing about Detox is—on a sidebar, what’s going on with these leaks? (Laughs) I don’t know what the hell’s going on. Honestly, that’s the part of the game changing that I don’t think they was ready for, yanamean? It ain’t no more like getting on a CD—like we used to ride to “Gin & Juice” with no hook on it because we snuck it out the studio somehow. Ain’t no more of that, it’s right online. But the Detox project man, they called me to come over there to a few sessions. My whole thing is this: Everybody knows how I feel about Dr. Dre. I think he’s the best producer in Hip-Hop history and then comes my man right over here, Preme [DJ Premier].

TSS: He here?

Crooked I: I don’t know if he’s here. That’s my opinion, though. I love him to death but I gotta stay moving. I can’t sit down for three months writing songs, not knowing if this song is gonna make it or just being around—not even if I’m not even writing, just being in a session—for three or four months while they’re creating something classic that’s gonna benefit them. I gotta be working on what I’m doing. And it’s a recession, too! Shit, I can’t just be sitting in niggas’ studios, I gotta be grinding. That album…I heard some joints that’s retarded, I will say that. That’s just one of them albums that you gotta buy physically, crack it open, and read the credits. You see Dominick Whitcliffe on something, you know what it is (Laughs).

For more info, check out for Crooked I at www.WestCoastDynasty.com and www.myspace.com/crookedi.