KXNG Crooked (Crooked I)- Winning Through Hard Work and Creativity

KXNG Crooked (AKA Crooked I) is one of Hip-Hop's all-time most respected lyricists. Suge Knight once hailed him as the next Tupac Shakur, and years later Eminem signed his group Slaughterhouse (with Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz) to Shady Records. But that doesn't even begin to explain Crooked's foresight and brilliance. Crooked built one of Hip-Hop's first online followings with the release of his Hip-Hop Weekly Series in 2007, releasing a new track every week for a year, and creating a trend that was later implemented by a number of successful artists. He has also continued to stay relevant by remaining innovative and taking frequent chances.  This is definitely one of the best episodes yet, as Crooked shares invaluable knowledge, and he even provides a blueprint for up and coming artists to follow when releasing an album. In addition to being an incredible MC, Crooked is a born leader, social activist, TV producer, and an overall great person. I guarantee you will get some real value from this interview or I'll give you a full refund. Check it out!      6:25 Traveling expands your mind 10:50 Being inspired by the success of Snoop Dogg and Warren G in his younger years 13:01 Crooked took advantage of his first big opportunity  16:29 Being too smart for his own good 19:50 Why Crooked chose Death Row over Aftermath 21:44 Crooked ponders whether his friend who sells incense or Dr. Dre is the most successful person he knows 24:05 Suge Knight always led by example and was accessible at any time 27:16 Crooked has always tried to match 2Pac's work ethic 28:49 Being an early adopter of technology and building an online fan base 32:05 Why so many artists stole Crooked's formula 36:37 On aging well 39:06 The making of Slaughterhouse 43:10 The positioning used to get Slaughterhouse on Shady Records 50:00 Eminem's work ethic is infectious 52:38 Why being creative will always have value 54:27 How a rock bottom moment solidified Crooked's sobriety 58:51 Surround yourself with positive people 1:04:21 Never let ideas escape 1:05:13 Crooked details a great plan on how to spend $10K on your album release 1:14:17 Learn from your mistakes