
Crooked I Feat. Reakwon & Edi - That´s my Word
The LP opens with “Sound Off,” where each member verbally attacks with a dizzying array of one-liners. And this is the formula that is basically employed throughout. There’s Joe Budden addressing rap’s sorry state on “Lyrical Murderers” (“Hello, hip-hop, I am here, you dying, yeah/And I’m aware, a beast, so at your wake I cry lion tears”). Then Joell shows crew love on “Not Tonight,” spittin’, “I’m the man in the booth/With a few good men, and you can’t handle the truth,” while Royce gets rowdy on the bluesy, Mr. Porter–produced “Salute” (“Niggas will spray you up before they wet ya lady up/Then shoot the baby bassinet and shut the baby up”). And on the disc’s first single, “The One,” it’s Crooked I who plays standout, with lines like, “I’m the one who wants to spear Britney/Give Pink some Black, put it near her kidneys.” All of the album’s lyrical emphasis does come at a price, though. The sappy R&B groove of “Rain Drops” doesn’t quite match the MCs’ aggressive deliveries. And Emile’s plodding production on “Killaz” fails to complement the quartet’s verbiage.
Evidenced by the chemistry on their first effort, Slaughterhouse is no reality-show-created supergroup. And while each member may be a little movement by himself, without a doubt, they’re a force when they’re together. —PAUL CANTOR
Crooked I, one quarter of lyrical super group Slaughterhouse has some sound advice for XXL. In a recent interview with XXLMag.com, the Long Beach rapper shared his thoughts.
“I think you guys should do some real groundbreaking shit and put my group on the cover before our album comes out,” Crooked said laughing. “Hey, I understand how it go. I know you gotta sell them units to grace the cover but I been on there twice without it so I know where there’s a will there’s a way.”
The punchline king was on the 2007 freshman cover, along with his Slaughterhouse rap partner Joell Ortiz, as well as the cover with former Death Row boss Suge Knight and the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez in ‘02.
As XXL previously reported, Slaughterhouse’s debut is set to hit shelves on August 11, with their first single “Number One” coming much sooner. In fact Crooked said the video for the song may come as soon as next week.
Three weeks before the group album drops, Crooked will be releasing his digital-only solo EP, Pig Face Weapon Waist. “It’s a spin off of my Slaughterhouse alter ego,” he said of the odd title, “cause I come out on stage with a pig mask and a Dickie suit on.”
“It’s just a digital release to warm everybody up for the big boys, for the Slaughterhouse joint,” he added. –Max G with reporting by Carl Chery