Coming out of Long Beach, Calif., Crooked I started his career at Virgin's Noo Trybe label in the mid-'90s before moving to Death Row 2.0 in the period after Dre and Snoop left. He appeared on several compilations and soundtracks, but his debut album was repeatedly pushed back, and he left The Row in 2004. Since then, he's released tons of material via mixtapes, collabos, digital EPs, and his popular Hip-Hop Weekly series, dropping a new song online every week for a whole year. In 2009, he joined forces with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5'9” to form the supergroup Slaughterhouse, which has put out a much-sweated full-length and an EP. On Million Dollar $tory, he gives us four tracks (two brand new and two previously released) to hold fans over until his next project, In None We Trust–The Prelude. Rugged, streetwise verses and chunky beats dominate. Check out the single "Villain" (with Sally Anthony) and "G's Stay Low."