CROOKED I (January 2005) | Interview By: Nima

       Dubcnn.com hooked up a second time with Crooked I. This time, he is off Deathrow, on Treacherous/Universal, and ready to blaze the rap game with some of his lyrical heat! He told us about him hooked up back up with Bad Azz, Techniec & Lil C-Style for a group, the Suge situation, his mixtapes Vol. 1 & 2, his upcoming album "Mama's Boy Got A Loaded Gun", his DVD and everything else you might want to know about Young Crooked. As always we have both the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: nima@dubcnn.com

 

Huge thanks to Crooked I for taking time out to answer the questions fans wanted to know! (Interview was done by phone on on January 18th 2005)

Questions Asked By : Nima

Crooked I Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART 2:


dubcnn.com: So tell us about this DVD... What's it called?

It's kinda untitled, because you know, when I do release it and I do give out the title of it, I want it to be something that's really large. Something that's gonna attract everybody, so I'm just putting it together. It's my first like directing something myself, and shooting and putting stuff together, and it's been a learning process for me, but I really believe that this is going to be one of the biggest HipHop DVD's on the market, because we're really putting our all into it man. And it's given some inspiration to cats man, I got a trailer that I'ma send to you guys man, and just on some inside industry shit, just to see how you guys like it, what you think about it. But people who have seen it man, they like that shit. And they waitin' on it!


dubcnn.com: Cause some website had posted that it was called "Life After Death Row"... So that's not official?

That's not official, that's not official. It's possible, but not official.


dubcnn.com: What kind of footage can we expect to see on it? Studio footage, behind the scenes...

Behind the scenes footage man, studio footage, it's never before seen footage of artists that were connected to Death Row... I got 2Pac's brother Mopreme Shakur on there, he's kinda giving his opinion of how everything went with his brother, he's giving his brother... Alotta people didn't really ask him how he felt about his brother and how everything went, and he was there from the jump! So he's definitely givin' it up, Rest In Peace to 2Pac. We got a Left Eye segment on there, because alotta people don't understand why was Left Eye signed to Death Row, how was she when she was over there, alot of TLC fans always ask me what was that about, how was she, how did she act, what did she bring to the picture? So we going into that shit.

It covers my travels with the HipHop summit, Russel Simmons HipHop Summit, I was on most of those, I taped most of them, so I got some backstage footage of that, you know Russel would always come out, Kanye, Dame Dash, it's a big event all over the map. And it's got in-depth interviews with different artists, and it goes on, taking transitions, leavin' one situation, statin' your own situation. And it's like, it's inspirational! Alot of people who watched it, they tell me "You know what? That gives me some more inspiration to go out there and do what I gotta do no matter what's going on...


dubcnn.com: And you said you had footage all the way back from the 19th Street days...

Yeah! Yeah man! It covers the whole thing man, 19th Street the whole thing. The thing about it is I wanna show people my pedigree in particular. I want people that don't know about Crooked I when they go and buy that brand new album that I'ma put out, just to know my journey you know what I'm sayin? I feel like the consumer or the customer, will respect the music a little more if they know what I came from.


dubcnn.com: What's your personal highlight of the DVD?

My personal highlight man, it's really seeing all of us sit down and talk man. Just like you said, I got RBX on there, and Big C-Style and different people man that are very important but alot of people don't know how important. So that's my personal highlight of the DVD cause alot of people don't know that RBX wrote alot of songs on the Chronic album, they don't know that he was the first artist to really leave Death Row, and get his own deal. They don't know that he was kinda like the Ice Cube of the Death Row, how Ice Cube never signed papers, you know? At NWA he was the smart one, so that was RBX. To shine light on these dudes that's really took part in some legendary shit and ain't gettin' they real props, that's what I like about it.


dubcnn.com: When can we expect to pick it up in stores?

Man, I'm editing right now. I'll probably have a 60 to 90 day setup time, so I'm looking at about March. I'm trying to drop it around March man, set it up right with the promotion man, I want everytime that it's out there, I want everybody to know it's available, and I'm hoping that it becomes one of those Hip Hop DVD's, like the Beef series. The Beef series is pretty unbelievable, it covers alot of things, and we're looking to have it like that.


dubcnn.com: So what kind of distribution do you have?

Oh right now I'm negotiating with Universal, and a few other companies. But the thing is I wanna complete the project first, all the way done, packaged, so I have more leverage when I sit down with the distributor. Cause it's done! And if I come with a done product, and I come in with my promotional and marketing strategy already on paper, then that gives me enough leverage. So that's what I'm doin' right now, but I am negotiating with Universal, they getting first rights to everything cause my deal ultimately is through Universal.


dubcnn.com: As long as you know, the editing is done really nicely and crisp... Cause it's been a few DVD's out there, that the quality, the editing has been really lacking so it kinda ruins it..

Yeah I feel you all the way! It's gonna be clean though man, it's gonna be clean. Thing about it is, I'm really treating this like it's my album, I'm trying to to get a 5 Mics for the DVD you feel me? I'm treating it like it's my album, so it's gonna be clean. And I'm learning a whole lot, I'm learning how to put together products, film products, projects, and we got the effects goin. We spending a little change man, we not just comin' out with the camcorder and gettin' a little footage. We're spending some change and have it real nice, I want it to be a collectors item.



dubcnn.com: You just dropped the Key word: Your album. Now you're probably one of the artists the fans have been waiting to most on... I don't even wanna say how many years it's been. Are you working on your new solo? I heard it's called Mama's Boy Got A Loaded Gun.

Yeah. I'm working on it man. I kinda stopped production of it while I was going through the court situation with Suge and Death Row, the legal shit. Cause I didn't wanna have no dated shit out there, you feel me? I didn't wanna start workin' on it last year, and then have all this dated material on there, so I stopped the production of it, but you know, last night, I kinda dibbled dabbled and started back up. So it's gonna be somethin' tho man, it's gonna be my life man. It's life music. That's period. It's a boss movement, I feel like.. Pac did his thing for the thugs, NWA did they thing for the real niggaz, and I feel like it's my turn to do my thing for the young bosses. The business young street cats that wanna get to that next level in the corporate world without ever forgettin' that they ghetto though! So it's like, it's gonna be a life album though. It's gonna be full of everything that life is full of, happiness, sadness, upset, mad, broke, ballin', every shade of life is gonna be reflected on this album. And it's gonna be some real shit, it's like reality TV you feel me. It's gonna be reality audio.


dubcnn.com: And if you could take it back a few years... You're working on an album, and you're independent. Would you pick the single So Damn Hood as your first single again?

Well... If I could have set it up, like if I was in charge of everything that went down on Tha Row, it's quite possible! Cause when I dropped that single So Damn Hood, they played it in New York...


dubcnn.com: Yeah, on Hot 97!

On Hot 97 yeah... And it got a ridiculous response! I woulda did it, and immediately I woulda thrown a video out, probably remixed it, throw some hot features on the remix at the same time when I had the Ashanti thing goin', and I think we coulda took back off into a good direction. But it wasn't up to me at the time, for some reason certain things didn't happen, and it's like oh well! But So Damn Hood, it kinda sums me up in a statement. That's what I am. It ain't about gang banging, it ain't about Crips & Bloods, because everybody is affiliated to somethin', that ain't what I'm talkin' about. I'm talkin' about the world. You're in Germany right now, there's people out there goin' through struggles that they're facing, you know what I mean?


dubcnn.com: Yeah, it's no Crip and Bloods, it's other situations, other struggles as you say. It's the same shit all over the world...

Yeah! You know what I'm sayin! It's all over the world, the struggle is all over the world. It's poverty all over the world. It's time to change shit all over the world. And I'm So Damn Hood because I lived all over America first of all. Alotta niggaz they ain't even left outside of where they live at. I lived all over America, I lived in all types of ghettos, projects, I lived in all types of backstreets, alleyways, shacks, dumps, you know? And I know that I'm the posterboy for the hood! It's like that's what I feel. And we do shit in the hood still, we give out toys, we do what we gotta do. We help feed the homeless, I mean... It's a mindstate. I'm ghetto. I love the hood man, and I just can't sit by and watch my people dying and watch my people starve without trying to do somethin'. So it was a real deeper meaning to that So Damn Hood you know what I mean? But it did mean what I was sayin, that a nigga ain't have the muthafuckin' cadillacs no switches and all that shit, cause that's what we come from!


dubcnn.com: I remember when they played it, they were trying to bleep out the cuss words, and they couldn't keep up with it, and it kept bleepin' out the wrong words and the cuss words were still there and shit..

*laughs* Aw man, that shit was so wild!!!! Cause New York loved it! When they heard all that profanity and shit on the air... Because you're right, they couldn't bleep out the cuss words! I was on the mute button, but I was purposely lettin' some of that shit slide, to show New York how are we was, you feel me? I'm like we in New York, we raw! We cussin' on air, you know what I mean? That shit was so funny man. But the response was lovely man. And believe it or not, if I walked down the street in Manhattan, a nigga might jump out and ask me for a autograph before I walk down the street in Long Beach! And that's the cold thing about it, but they feel all that shit. They even felt Still Tha Row! They was really on Still Tha Row.


dubcnn.com: Man, about Still Tha Row though... You gotta tell me, I already asked you last time... What was up with that remix man? For real, the original was real hot, and then ya'll put the remix on the CD man...

Executive Decisions man... The original that we did, me and my god-brother Jim Gettum, we put the original together. And then, an executive decision was made, to put out the remix.


dubcnn.com: You can't tell me you were happy with that though!

Nah, I wanted the original one out, period. I wanted the original one out, but if they call the shots from the top, I'ma ride with it to the fullest. If it don't work, hey, I know I'm doin' my job, ridin' with the shot callers.


dubcnn.com: Let's get back to Mama's Boy Got A Loaded Gun though... Ideally, if you were to pick whoever you want to, who would you pick for production?

Man if I could pick them.. I'd probably fuck wit the Trackmasters, with Kellz on the hook... I'd try to see what's crackin' with Timbaland, Premier, DJ Premier would be somebody. Easy Mo Bee, that would be somebody. See the reason why I'm naming all these producers that are not West Coast... Cause I got a cold ass West Coast production team that I'm trying to put ON on. So you're gonna be hearing stuff from D.I.G., that's my production team man, Dynasty Instrumental Group. And I'm trying to get them some shine shine. I got love for all my WestCoast producers, I dealt with them, I've done business with them, shit I helped some buy houses and cars you feel me? But right now, I got my own production group, and we gonna try to smash for the Westside.


dubcnn.com: What about guests on the record, who would you like to see as guests?

Oh on the guest spots... Man... that list would be too long man. I'd have to make a triple CD! *laughs* You know what I'm sayin? Cause I wanna make a CD with all underground artists that you never heard of on there. And then I'd have to make a CD with the ones that you HAVE heard of that I respect.


dubcnn.com: And then another one just you... *laughs*

Yeah, you know what I'm sayin'! *laughs* And that's my idea of a perfect album! I don't think my record label is gone go for that shit though! The distributors might thing I'm out my fuckin' mind! But to me, that's the real shit right there. If I got a CD 1 with all underground artists, one with all commercial artists that you respect, and one just solo to the neck! I think I could retire after that!


dubcnn.com: Man! That would be somethin', huh?

Yeah cause we really gotta respect these underground cats man. Like you said, Mykestro, that dude right there man is quite possibly one of the hottest MC's IN L.A. and we gotta respect these kind of cats man. These cats is puttin' in hard work. They trying to hold they skills, they puttin' their craft on steroids, and we gotta respect them for that shit! Like you said, Bishop Lamot, all these young cats comin' up man! I would love to see a big big project with them kinda cats on the big big project to get national attention.


dubcnn.com: I was personally hoping Game would do somethin' like that, but he didn't even have anybody from his own label Blackwallstreet on there, let alone other people.

Yeah man, see that's the thing. Maybe that's an executive decision. Maybe the people on the top told him that's how he had to get down. I don't know his situation. But on my album man, you gonna hear some people that you never heard from before, cause that's what we gotta do to keep the cycle goin'. In order for the West Coast to evolve, you gotta keep hearing new people that you never heard before, so they can create fan bases and so this music can keep evolving. So on my project, believe me, it will be a big project. Don't sleep! I know alot of people say "Treacherous, I never heard of them. Why he got his own label, oh he finna do some independent shit" Nah, I'm negociating 7 figure deals for this project right now. So it ain't gone be no small project. It's gonna be the real thing, and I'ma put a gang of rappers on there that you never heard before that's from the Coast! But they deserve to be heard!


dubcnn.com: What's Crooked I's current mindstate? What is he thinking about? What is he rapping about?

Man, my mind state right now man, is just strictly real shit. Mixed with pure lyrical skills. That's my mindstate. My mindstate is real shit man. Shit that's gonna touch the people man. Cause people don't really understand man that I've been a song writer. People think that "aw he just get on the microphone and he go crazy on rappers" That's only because usually when you hear me, it's a feature! And of course if I'ma get 16bars, I'ma go for mine! But on the real album project, all my albums that have never been released have all been song writing. Alot of SONGS. And that's what people are gonna hear man, songs, my perspective is different, so I'ma tell you. I got a whole different perspective than alotta artists man, I'ma say Fuck The Police man. But then I'ma tell you WHY I said Fuck The Police. I'ma break down the federal crime bill, I'ma break down the domestic terrorist acts that they trying to force on us and all that.


dubcnn.com: Wow.

I'ma say Fuck The Mayor! Then I'ma tell you WHY I'm sayin' Fuck The Mayor. I'ma say peoples names in the streets that's been gettin' beat on by cops and all that, the 15 year old kid in Ingelwood who got knocked unconscious by the Ingelwood PD, I'm speakin' on that! I'm speakin' on people committing crimes and people in the ghetto. But at the same time, of course I'ma go to the strip club. Of course I'ma have shit in there that they can drop it like it's hot to. That's another part of my life. One part of my life is a big concern for the ghetto and another part is just poppin' bottles in the strip clubs. Another part of my life is sittin' on the corner talkin' to a young cat tellin' him to stay in school, I know it's alotta bullshit curriculum, but you need to get through their little education system so you have the knowledge to do what you wanna do. So you know, it's gonna be all kind of shit on there man. I think what's gonna separate me from alot of these people is that I don't think like they do.


dubcnn.com: That sounds like a crazy ass record right there, I hope it happens the way you just decribed it.

I do too homie, that's real.


dubcnn.com: There's basically two artists who've never dropped a record, that are very anticipated. One is you and one is Tray Deee. Tray Deee being in jail, you're the one we're counting on! Mama's Boy, 2005 or 2006?

2005! I ain't lettin' no 05 get by me! 05 is NOT gettin' by me homie! It's been a long time coming towards me, I put out alot of music, I did about 5 to 10 albums that nobody has ever heard, I paid my dues, I put in my work, 05 is not gonna escape me man. If I gotta put this shit out and stay on every street corner and hand them out for free, that's what the fuck I'ma do! Cause this is somethin' that I gotta do man, this album is somethin' that I gotta do for myself too. My own mental health. Cause I been through alotta shit in this game man, and I'm continuing to go through more shit. So for my own mental health, I gotta see this album on the shelf.


dubcnn.com: Hell yeah, and we also need somebody to break into the Death Row vaults and get your old records! *laughs*

Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa!! You know what I'm sayin'!!!!!! Ay but I'ma tell you something man, that's somethin' that's good about being a boss man. You can sit around that round table and say "Hey Suge, I got this over here for you, won't you give me that over there?" So, I think we gonna be able to get some of that old music man. Cause we do got classics in there!


dubcnn.com: The internet fans are fiending for that shit too, you know Daz dropped the song "Crook In Me" on the internet, with Nate Dogg, the internet was goin' over that song man!

Hell yeah, that's crazy. You know me and Daz, we have our own differences too, you know. But the thing about it is, I'm a grown man, anytime, anyday, we can sit and talk about it. And whatever is whatever. At one point he be tryin' to drop music on me before Death Row and I guess try to sabotage some things, but what he didn't understand is, he took me over there! *laughs* What the fuck!


dubcnn.com: I guess he was just mad at Death Row man, cause they dropped that DPG 2002 record right before Daz and Kurupt they dropped theirs... So he was just mad at whatever they were doin'...

Yeah that nigga was upset, but I called him on the phone, cause I'm that type of nigga. I talked to him "hey man we need to sit down cause I understand you mad at them, but puttin' a album out on me, that's gonna affect my pocket, now we need to talk!" You know? So that was all that was about. And I'm still like that man, I'm always open to talk, and I'm always gonna keep it real man. I'm from the streets man, I'm not afraid of nobody, I don't give a fuck about none of that shit. I'm a business man though, and if you fuckin' with my money, that's somethin' we need to talk about!


dubcnn.com: Did you hear the new 2Pac record?

Nope, I ain't even heard it homie...


dubcnn.com: Good thing you didn't, it's wack!

I heard a few songs off it, that's about it.


dubcnn.com: You ain't missin' out though, the lyrics is hot, but those beats are garbage!

Haaaaaaaaaaa! *laughs* I get mixed emotions about that typa shit. Because I wonder, I wonder what would he really want? It's hard to tell..


dubcnn.com: I mean the lyrics is Pac, it's early Pac, and with the exception of the DJ Quik track, the beats are seriously wack.

Yeah man, that's the thing. Cause they had said that they were only gonna have one more Tupac record...


dubcnn.com: They gonna keep making money off him until they ain't got no more songs left if you ask me...

Yeah they are man... The thing about it is, I sat down with his mother before... Suge took us to his mother I sat down with Afeni and I got to talk to her. And I understand that she's trying to do some things with the money that she's raising off of this shit, she's trying to do some things to help people. So that's why I guess it's cool. But at the same time, the portion that she's not recieving, and that's just going to the hands of record labels executives, and you know they ain't doin' nothin' but milkin' that shit off Pac!


dubcnn.com: And it's ruining Pacs legacy man...

Yeah man they need to let him do what he do, let him thug in peace... Or as I say, let him boss in peace, you know?


dubcnn.com: You worked with The Game on a song, how was that?

Oh well Game reached out to me, he was like "I wanna get you on this mixtape, I got a song with Jim Jones" and I'm in Long Beach, he was in Compton, so it only took about 10 minutes to get to the spot, dropped the shit you know? And I been knowing Game for a second, he came to Death Row at one point trying to get on over there, I knew him from them days, I always ran into him after he got his deal on Aftermath. And we always had words, cool words, I seen his brother alot. So that's how that happened man. He just reached out and I was like why not?


dubcnn.com: Suge is probably mad that a blood from Compton is blowing up on Aftermath, huh?

Hahahaha!! You said Suge is probably mad.. *laughs* I don't know man, the thing about Suge is that that's a rich nigga. *laughs* That man got bread! So if I was him, it wouldn't upset me! When you own 6-7 mansions, sittin' on 60 cars, I ain't trippin' off too much!


dubcnn.com: That's the thing about havin' money though, once you have some you always want more... It's a gift and a curse..

Yeah man, that's very true. The reason why I'm so thirsty, it ain't because I'm a greedy person, it's because alot of people around me need help. That's my motivation. And it always has been my motivation, to clock more and more green so I can help more and more people.


dubcnn.com: Yep, that's what Bad Azz say, "Get money to spend it with your people"

Yeah man, spend it with your people, and teach your people! That's the thing, your people gotta have that fishing pole, you can't keep giving them fish to eat, they need that pole so they can go get their own fish. Educate them on how to do it. Let's invest in this right here, let's do that. So it's all good man, that's Black Wall Street for real! *laughs*


dubcnn.com: Yup! We're getting to the end of the interview... Where would you ideally see yourself next year at this time?

Ah man, next year at this time man, I wanna see myself on my yacht, catered by a restaurant crew, with red lobster, with a DJ on board, a cigar in my mouth, I'm pushing out to the water, the DJ is playing nothing that's been released in the 90's. All 80's HipHop. All muthafuckin' Straight outta Compton, all Public Enemy, all LL, all Run DMC, and I'm just loungin' on that yacht, symbolizing that we have had a very good year!


dubcnn.com: With everybody rockin' DubCNN shirts!

Exactly! *laughs* Everybody wearin' their DubCNN shirts, you know what I'm sayin'! And we playin' Low Profile - Pay Ya Dues! That's our mix! *laughs*


dubcnn.com: You makin' me dream right now..

Hell yeah man!


dubcnn.com: Alright man, that's about it for the questions, is there anything else you would like to say?

Man I just want everybody to know man, I love them for their support! I did a show with Sway & Tech man, I didn't even have a show ready, I jumped off the plane from Vegas, I jumped on stage, I grabbed a guy out the crowd to beatbox for me and I seen alotta dudes standin' outside with Crooked I t-shirts on, I seen alotta dudes holin' up signs and shit, and it really shocked me. Cause I didn't even know I had that type of love. I wanna say thanks to people like yourself man, allowing me to spread my word man, and allowing me to promote everything that I'm doin', I'm gettin' love from different types of fans man. And I wanna thank them! Cause it's hard being in the game for a long time like 10 years and still be here, and still be up and moving. It's not easy man, it takes alot of support from the fans and I wanna thank all the fans and all the people that like my shit!


dubcnn.com: The fans support whoever is dope man, unless of course you're on a major label and they're marketing you right, so the 13 year old girls will buy you... But I'm talkin' about the Hip Hop fans, they'll support whoever is DOPE, so apparently, there's a reason to keep supporting you throughout all this time!

Well hey man, that's whassup then! I feel you, if you gettin' marketed right with the right machine behind you, there's some garbage that's triple platinum. But I feel you man, and I definitely send shouts out to all the people that support HipHop, support West Coast Hip Hop. Cause probably right it's a bunch of East Coast Down South and MidWest people that's coming to your site too, because they thirsty for some West Coast shit. So I gotta send shouts out to them too, cause when I'm out outta town man, alotta cats they're not hating on our music! Sometimes it's just the powers that be, it's just the top floors that's hating. But the people on the streets, they love our shit, Biggie said he wrote his first album to the Chronic. So no matter what, they're feelin' our shit, we just gotta get it to them!


dubcnn.com: Yeah, and like you said, I think the violence is a problem too, cause when I was at the Summer Jam in LA in August, outter town people didn't wanna come to the after party cause of the gang banging.

Yeah and I can't really blame them neither, because I can understand, when you're outta town, you don't know what's going down. You don't know that this dude got on a Dodger hat, that means he's a crip, or this dude got on this kinda hat so that means he a blood, so you don't really know! So you just unaware of how it's going down, so you don't know what to look for when you're rockin' 100,000 on your wrist. Or 100,000 on your neck. You don't really know what the signs are. Cause if you back home, you know how it's goin' down.

So I understand when dudes don't wanna do that, and we have an environment out here like that, shit, we'll snatch a dudes chain, we'll do anything we wanna do! *laughs* So I can't really blame them. But we gotta start linking up with them as West Coast artists man. Like look Lil Flip, come get down with me, you can come to the after party we 20 deep, ain't nothin' gone happen! Just like I expect it from you when I'm in Houston!


dubcnn.com: That's what's up man, thanks for all your knowledge once again Crooked, and best of luck for all the projects, I'll be hitting you up real soon for a follow up interview!

Fo sho homie, do that, keep doin' it big!
 

BACK TO PART 1