Will Smith

Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 25, 1968. At 16, Smith met a DJ at a party. The pair became friends, and the rapping duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince was born. In 1990, Smith moved into acting with his role in the TV show The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. in 1992 Smith crossed over into movies. He has been starring in popular films ever since.

Early Life

Actor, musician. Born Willard Christopher Smith Jr., to mother Caroline, a school board employee, and father Willard C. Smith, the owner of a refrigeration company. His middle class upbringing saw him attend the strict—and Catholic—Overbrook High School, despite his family's observation of the Baptist faith.

His West Philadelphia neighborhood was a melting pot of cultures where Orthodox Jews co-existed with a large Muslim population. Smith was a good student whose charming personality and quick tongue were renowned for getting him out of trouble, a trait for which he soon gained the nickname "Prince.''

Smith began rapping at age 12, emulating heroes like Grandmaster Flash but tingeing his rhymes with a comedic element that would later become his trademark. At 16, Smith met a DJ at a party by the name of Jeff Townes. The pair became friends, and the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince was born.

Rap Success

The pair began producing music, but steered clear of the Gangsta Rap sound that was emerging on the West Coast in groups like Public Enemy and NWA. The Fresh Prince rapped about teenage preoccupations in a clean, curse-free style that middle America found safe and entertaining. The pair's first single, "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble," was a hit in 1986. Their debut album Rock the House (1990) hit the Billboard Top 200, and made Smith a millionaire before the age of 18. His early success put any thoughts of attending college out of Smith's mind.

Early on it was reported that Smith had turned down a scholarship to Boston's elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), but Smith later dispelled the rumor when he told an interviewer: "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."

In 1988, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince continued their success with the album He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper featuring the radio-friendly singles "Parents Just Don't Understand," "Brand New Funk," and "Nightmare on My Street." The album won the first ever Grammy Award for a Rap Performance. That album was followed by And In This Corner... which continued the pair's rise to stardom.

Crossover into Acting

Two years later, Smith began his remarkable crossover into acting. Drawing on his experiences with fledgling stardom, NBC signed Smith to star in a sitcom about a street-smart kid from Philadelphia. On the show, the character is shipped off to California to live with wealthy relatives in Bel-Air, California. Playing on his rapper persona, and at times featuring his friend Towne, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was a huge success that ran for six seasons.

Meanwhile, Smith and Towne kept producing music. The 1991 album Homebase produced the hits "Summertime" and "Ring My Bell." Their final album together, 1993's Code Red, was notable for "Boom! Shake the Room."

While still making The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith began a second crossover into movies. Small roles in the drama Where The Day Takes You (1992) and the comedy Made In America (1993) were followed by a critically acclaimed lead in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993). Smith played a charming street-wise kid moving among the wealthy elite, who was also a psychologically complex gay hustler. The film enjoyed moderate success, but its title idea has become a household term for the closeness of human society.

Smith's first steps into super-stardom came with his next film, Bad Boys (1995). The high-budget cop movie saw him team up with comic Martin Lawrence, breaking away from the black-cop-white-cop formula that had been so successful for Beverly Hills Cop and the Lethal Weapon series. The two black leads proved an instant success and Smith—playing the smooth, serious, cop to Lawrence's clown—was established as leading man material.

Hollywood Star

The 1996, epic sci-fi disaster movie Independence Day was his next assignment. The role confirmed Smith as a major player in Hollywood and the go-to guy for summer blockbusters. Smith played an air force pilot leading the counter-attack against the invading alien forces, and his comedic talents effortlessly transformed into the pithy one-liners all action heroes need to be able to drop while dispatching their enemies.

Smith fought aliens again in his next blockbuster, the comic sci-fi action film, Men In Black (1997). Playing opposite Tommy Lee Jones, Smith chewed up the screen as the new recruit to Jones's old hand. Smith sang the theme song, and its inclusion on his solo album, Big Willie Style (1997) brought the multi-talented actor another success. Another Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster followed with the slick conspiracy thriller Enemy of the State (1998), which earned Smith an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.

The string of hits came to an end in 1999 with Wild Wild West, a sci-fi cowboy Western co-starring Kevin Kline. Despite the film's lackluster box-office performance, the track Smith cut for the film became a hit on his album, Willennium (1999). The golf movie The Legend of Bagger Vance was his next big film, with Smith playing the caddie to Matt Damon's out-of-sorts swinger.

In 2001 the biopic Ali, based on boxing legend Muhammad Ali, saw Smith return to critical acclaim. His turn as the charismatic boxing great saw Smith put in the performance of his life, training and disciplining himself to extraordinary lengths to do justice to the athleticism, and ego, of the films main character. The film under-performed at the box-office despite a record-breaking opening day. Smith's performance, however, was good enough to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.

Film Roles

A number of sequels were next, with Smith reprising his roles inMen In Black and Bad Boys. Neither were flops, but they were both nowhere near as successful as their predecessors. Staying with the sci-fi action theme, Smith moved on to I, Robot in 2004. The Isaac Asimov adaptation saw Smith playing a cop in 2035 investigating a murder by a robot and then battling a robot insurgency. The film performed well, grossing more than $144 million in U.S. box offices.

Smith's smooth-talking charmer persona was put to use in the 2005 romantic comedy, Hitch. Smith played a ladies' man and dating consultant who helps luckless guys with their romantic moves. Smith penned the theme song, and included it on his album Lost and Found (2005). Hitch was a massive success, and was followed by another critical and financial hit, the 2006 rags-to-riches tale, The Pursuit of Happyness. Starring alongside his real-life son Jaden, Smith captivated audiences with the story of a single father who has to build a life from scratch. He received his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance.

In 2007, Smith starred in I Am Legend, a remake of the Charlton Heston film Omega Man, where he battled blood-thirstyvampires. The film became a national and international hit.

The talented actor and musician has recently entered yet another arena, working as a film producer. Smith worked both sides of the camera for the filmHancock, in which he plays an alcoholic anti-superhero, and for Seven Pounds, about a man who sets out to change the lives of seven people. He also helped produce the 2008 films Lakeview Terrace and The Secret Life of Bees. His most recent project, The Mark, is slated for release in 2009.

Personal Life

Smith has been married twice. His first marriage in 1992 lasted only three years but produced a son, Willard Smith III, who is also known as Trey. He has been married to actress Jada Pinkett Smithsince 1997. The couple has a son, Jaden, who was born in 1998 and a daughter, Willow, born in 2000.

The Smith family has homes in Florida, Sweden and Philadelphia. Like many in Hollywood, Smith is politically liberal and has made donations to the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama. He is a fan of chess and video games and is known to take his mother on vacation every year, usually to the Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson, Arizona.

Usher

Born on October 14, 1978, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Usher entered the fame game at the age of 14, two years after he moved with his mother and brother to Atlanta. After performing onStar Search, Usher landed a recording contract with LaFace Records. He released his first album in 1994, at age 15. For more than a decade, Usher has dominated the airwaves, releasing such albums as Confessions (2004), which sold more than 1 million copies in its first week. In June 2012,he produced the album Looking 4 Myself, which found a No. 1 spot on Billboard's albums chart. Usher's songs have repeatedly landed at No. 1 on the charts, earning him several Grammy and People's Choice awards, among other honors.

Early Years

Usher Terry Raymond IV was born on October 14, 1978, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He began singing in his church choir when he was six years old. Two years after moving with his mother and brother to Atlanta, Usher performed on the hit show Star Search, and landed a recording contract with LaFace Records soon after. He released his first, self-titled album in 1994, at age 15. Usher soon became known for his polished vocals, broad vocal range, chic style, sexy dance moves and sensual ballads.

Musical Career

For more than 15 years, Usher has been a dominant player in the music industry. He's moved across several different musical genres, including R&B, blues and pop. Following Usher (1994), he released his second album, My Way, in 1997. The album—including singles "Nice & Slow" and "You Make Me Wanna?"—skyrocketed the young artist to fame, selling more than 7 million copies. Usher was quickly lauded for his fluid vocals and addictive melodies. He also became known for incorporating sexual undertones into his songs, performances and music videos.

Usher released Usher Live in 1999, followed by 2001's incredibly successful 8701, which included the No. 1 song "U Got It Bad," as well as two Grammy Award–winning singles, "U Remind Me" and "U Don't Have to Call." More than 4 million copies of 8701 were sold in the United States alone.

Nearly a decade after making his first album, Usher releasedConfessions (2004), which was extremely well-received. More than 1 million copies of the album were sold in its first week, and sales accumulated to nearly 20 million copies worldwide. The album included the songs  "Burn," "Confessions Part II" and "Yeah!," a collaboration with with Ludacris and Lil Jon. By this time, Usher had an incredibly impressive track record: He had achieved 13 Top 20 hits—seven of which were No. 1 singles. In 2004, he was named "Artist of the Year" at the Billboard Music Awards. A year later, he received two People's Choice Awards and three Grammy Awards (best contemporary R&B album, best R&B performance by a duo or group and best rap/sung collaboration).

Following the release of Raymond v. Raymond (2010), Usher won two more Grammys, for best contemporary R&B album (Raymond v. Raymond) and best male R&B performance ("There Goes My Baby"). In all, the singer has won 17 Billboard Music Awards; eight Soul Train Music Awards; five Grammys; and nine awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, among other honors.

Usher hasn't missed a beat over his more than 15-year career, and it doesn't look like he'll be slowing down any time soon. In June 2012, he produced the album Looking 4 Myself, which found a No. 1 spot on Billboard's albums chart.

Other Projects

Outside of music, Usher has worked as a film and stage actor. One of his earliest roles was in the teen horror film The Faculty (1998). He went on to make guest appearances on several television shows, including a role as Marvin Gaye on the program American Dreams(2002). In 2005, Usher played a disc jockey in the film In the Mix, and a year later, he landed the lead role of Billy Flynn the Broadway play Chicago (2006).

Usher also stays busy with his charity, New Look Foundation, which was founded in 1999 and works to provide funding for children in foster care and service programs; holds conferencesand camps for at-risk youth; and, ultimately, works to promote leadership skills for kids in impoverished communities. For his work with the nonprofit, Usher has received honors from such groups as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Trumpet Foundation and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Additionally, Usher has invested in several entrepreneurial endeavors. He owns the record label US Records and a men's cologne line,nd is a co-owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

Personal Life

In the early 2000s, Usher dated Chili, a former member of the all-female group TLC. In 2007, he married Tameka Foster. Usher and Foster have two children together, Usher Raymond V (born in 2007) and Naviyd Ely Raymond (2008).

In July 2012, Foster's 11-year-old son from a previous relationship (Usher's stepson), Kyle Glover, suffered a severe brain injury in a water accident. According to several media reports, Glover had been riding on an inflatable tube on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Georgia, when a jet ski struck him in the head and knocked him unconscious. After being rushed to a local hospital, Glover was declared brain dead by doctors.

Sean "Puffy" Combs

Sean Combs (born November 4, 1969) launched his music production company, Bad Boy Entertainment, in 1993, and worked with artists like Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and The Notorious B.I.G. When "Biggie" was murdered in 1997, Combs himself recorded the tribute "I'll be Missing You" which topped the Billboard singles chart for six weeks and launched Combs' first album, No Way Out (1997) to platinum status.

Early Life

Singer, songwriter, producer. Born in on November 4, 1969, in Harlem, New York. Combs was raised by his mother, a model, after his father was murdered in 1974. He grew up in Mt. Vernon, New York and attended a Catholic boys school in the Bronx. Combs gained the nickname "Puffy" in high school because of his habit of puffing out his chest to make his body seem bigger. Combs is also known by the nickname "Puff Daddy."

Combs majored in business administration at Howard University, producing weekly dance parties and running an airport shuttle service while attending classes. He dropped out to pursue an internship at Uptown Records, which led to a talent director position. Combs rapidly rose to the level of vice president and had success producing several key artists for Uptown, but left the company in the early 1990s.

Entrepreneurial Success

In 1993 he started his own production company, Bad Boy Entertainment, working with such upcoming and established rap, hip-hop, and R&B recording artists as Mariah Carey, New Edition, Method Man, Babyface, TLC, Boyz II Men, Li'l Kim, SWV, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls). In 1996, Combs was named as ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year. By 1997, Bad Boy Entertainment had sold nearly $100 million worth of recordings and had made a multi-million dollar deal with Arista Records for management of the label.

After his friend Biggie Smalls was murdered in 1997, Combs recorded the tribute "I'll be Missing You" which topped the Billboard singles chart for six weeks and launched Combs' first album, No Way Out (1997) to platinum status. Soundscan named No Way Outas the third best-selling LP of 1997, with more than 3.4 million copies sold in the U.S. Combs released his second album, Forever, in 1999. Combs has also launched his own clothing line, Sean John, which debuted in America in 1999.

Controversy

In December 1999, Combs and his then-girlfriend, the actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, were allegedly involved in a shooting incident at a New York City nightclub, in which three people were injured. Combs was later charged with four counts of illegal gun possession and one count of bribery, as prosecutors claimed he offered his driver, Wardel Fenderson, $50,000 to say that the loaded gun police found at the scene of the crime was Fenderson's. His trial began in late January 2001. On March 16, Combs was cleared of all charges, as was his bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones. Combs' protege, the young rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, who was accused of firing wildly inside the nightclub and injuring the three bystanders, was found guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal weapon possession, but was cleared of the more serious charge of attempted murder.

Later Releases

In 2002, Combs released We Invented the Remix followed by Bad Boy’s 10th Anniversary...The Hits in 2004. Though his Bad Boy music label was seriously slumping, it found new life with Combs’ 2006 release Press Play, which featured Brandy, Mary J. Blige andTimbaland.

Combs branched into reality television with the premiere of his VH1 series I Want to Work for Diddy in August 2008.

Tupac Shakur

Born on June 16, 1971 in Brooklyn, NY, Tupac Shakur moved to California and established himself as a dancer and rapper. He grew a huge fan base with releases such as Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and Me Against the World, and also worked as a movie actor in releases like Juice and Poetic Justice. He was killed in a drive-by shooting while in a vehicle with Death Row president Suge Knight.

Early Life

Shakur has become a legend in hip-hop and rap circles for his talent, his violent behavior, and his brutal death. The son of a Black Panther activist, Shakur moved around a lot as a child. In his youth, he explored acting by becoming a member of the 127th Street Ensemble, a Harlem-based theater company.

As a teenager, Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he took acting and dance classes, including ballet. While living in Baltimore, he discovered rap and began performing as MC New York. In the late 1980s, Shakur and his family moved to the West Coast. He joined the Oakland, California-based hip-hop group Digital Underground, which earlier had scored a hit with the song "The Humpty Dance."

Debut as 2Pac

In 1991, Shakur emerged as a solo artist—using the name 2Pac—with his debut album 2Pacalypse Now. The track "Brenda's Got a Baby" reached as high as number three on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. His second album Strictly 4 My N. I. G. G. A. Z. crossed over to the pop charts, with singles "I Get Around" and "Keep Ya Head Up." The album went platinum, selling more than a million copies. Around this time, Shakur also appeared in several films, including Poetic Justice (1993), opposite Janet Jackson.

Controversy

2Pac became quite a sensation, earning praise for his musical and acting talent as well as condemnation for his explicit, violent lyrics. Many of his songs told of fights, gangs, and sex. He appeared to be living up to his aggressive gangster rap persona with several arrests for violent offenses in the 1990s. In 1994, he spent several days in jail for assaulting director Allen Hughes and was later convicted of sexual assault in another case. Shakur himself fell victim to violence, getting shot five times in the lobby of a recording studio during a mugging.

The next year, after recovering from his injuries, Shakur was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in the sexual assault case. His third solo album, Me Against the World (1995), started out in the number one spot on the album charts. Many critics praised the work, noting that tracks like "Dear Mama" showed a more genuine, reflective side to the rapper. The possibility of an early death runs through several songs on this recordings - something that many have seen as a chilling moment of foretelling.

After serving eight months in prison, Shakur returned to music with the album All Eyez on Me (1996). He was reportedly released after Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight paid a bond of more than $1 million as part of Shakur's parole. In his latest project, Shakur as the defiant street thug was back in full force on this recording. The song "California Love" featured a guest appearance by famed rapper-producer Dr. Dre and made a strong showing on the pop charts. "How Do You Want It" also was another smash success for Shakur. It appeared to be a golden time for Shakur. Besides his hit album, he tackled several film roles.

Violent Death

During his career, Shakur had become embroiled in a feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers. He was known to insult his enemies on his tracks. On a trip to Las Vegas to attend a boxing match, Shakur was shot while riding in a car driven by Knight on September 7, 1996. He died six days later on September 13 from his injuries. His killer has never been caught. Since his death, numerous albums of his work have been released, selling millions of copies

Slaughterhouse

When Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5'9" joined Joe Budden on his 2008 mixtape Halfway House, the chemistry on their collaborative track meant "Slaughterhouse" the song would quickly become Slaughterhouse the hip-hop supergroup. Seeing as how Budden, Crooked I, and Ortiz all had issues with their former labels -- Def Jam, Death Row, and Aftermath respectively -- other tracks recorded at their initial meeting bypassed the usual music distribution channels and were leaked to the net, including "Move On" which gave the music press the group's backstory in song. They recorded their debut album in a mere six days, signed to the E1 label, and released their self-titled, debut in 2009. Due to sample clearance issues, the final product did not include the promised single "Woodstock," but in keeping with the group's alternative marketing plan, it was released via Budden's Twitter account.

Crooked I

Dominick Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Crooked I, is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup, Slaughterhouse with other members Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". Slaughterhouse is currently signed to Shady Records. Crooked I is currently CEO of his own record labels, Dynasty Entertainment and C.O.B. Digital^[1] as well as Senior Vice President of Treacherous Records.^[2] Before starting his own label, he was also signed to Virgin Records and Death Row Records

19th Street Era

Around the age of seventeen, Crooked I started an independent record company called Muscle Records with professional football players also from Long Beach, Chucky Miller and Leonard Russell. It's not known how many songs were recorded, and the music recorded during this period still remains unreleased. This is when he caught the attention of Noo Trybe/Virgin Records, and landed his first record deal in 1995.^[3]

Crooked I originally got his start appearing on compilations released by Big C-Style's record label, 19th Street Records, such as 19th Street LBC Compilation and Straight Outta Cali. He also appeared on the soundtracks to movies such as Ride and Caught Up, where he collaborated with Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tha Eastsidaz, and The Luniz. At the time, Crooked I was still signed under Noo Trybe/Virgin Records, who handled distribution for 19th Street Records. Business was going good, but for unknown reasons, Virgin Records decided to get rid of their urban division, otherwise known as Noo Trybe, and Crooked I was out of a record deal.^[3]

Wickliffe was later contacted by Big C-Style and Daz Dillinger to form DPG Records, which was originally going to be a sub-label under Death Row Records at the time. Crooked was going to be 20% owner of the label, and the first act released as well.^[4] Daz left Death Row Records to run DPG Records independently, but rather than go with Daz, Crooked was trying to figure out his options.

Crooked I also had talks of signing to Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint, but Dre wanted to release Chronic 2001 and Eminem's Marshall Mathers LPbefore releasing Crooked.^[5] He also had talks with other major record labels who wanted to sign him, but they too were waiting for Dr. Dre'sChronic 2001 album to be released before they would consider signing another West Coast MC.^[6] It was around this time that Crooked I re-negotiated the original deal he had with DPG Records/Death Row Records as a solo artist deal with just Death Row Records.

[edit]Death Row's Second Dynasty

While on Death Row, Crooked I appeared on a number of compilations, such as Too Gangsta For Radio and Dysfunktional Family, and appeared on various releases, such as Tha Dogg Pound's 2002, Ja Rule's The Last Temptation, and 2Pac's Nu-Mixx Klazzics.^[5] He also recorded two albums,Untouchable and Say Hi To The Bad Guy, both of which were unreleased due to various label issues and industry politics. He did manage to release a mixtape along with Death Row's then in-house producer, Darren Vegas, called Westcoasanostra Vol. 1 in the Spring of 2003.^[5]

[edit]The Start of a New Dynasty

By 2004, Crooked I's album had not been released, Suge Knight was constantly in and out of jail, and Crooked I's contract had expired by November 2003.^[7][8] He left Death Row in early 2004 to start his own label, Dynasty Entertainment.^[8][9] It was not long after that when Crooked I signed a distribution deal with Treacherous Records/Universal,^[8] but more legal trouble from Death Row surfaced, and Crooked I had to stop production for his then titled album, Mama's Boy, which was actually going to be the name of Crooked's second release under Death Row Records. Later on the title of the album changed to Mama's Boy Got a Loaded Gun.^[8] In the meantime, Crooked I released the online mixtape,Young Boss Vol. 1 through his official website. The mixtape received critical acclaim throughout the underground Hip-Hop circuit, garnering an impressive "XL" rating by the Hip-Hop publication, XXL Magazine.^[8]

After the legal matters settled, Crooked began recording again, and prepping the release of his documentary Life After Death Row.^[9] He appeared on compilations such as Yukmouth's United Ghettos of America Vol. 2, Sway & King Tech's Back 2 Basics, and on fellow Treacherous Records label mate K. Young's debut album, Learn How To Love.^[7] In 2005, the name of Crooked's debut album changed to Boss Music, and he created a buzz with the song, "Boom Boom Clap" in the summer of 2005.^[7] He also recorded two songs with producer Scott Storch, "Cali Boyz" and "You're So Bad".^[7] In 2006, he released his heavily anticipated mixtape, Young Boss Vol. 2 hosted by DJ Skee,^[9] and his DVD, Life After Death Row, followed later that Fall.^[9]

[edit]Hip-Hop Weekly era

Crooked I started the Hip-Hop Weekly series via the internet.^[10] Every seven days he released a new track over various hip-hop beats of old and new instrumentals. His ability to personally connect with his fans through his Hip-Hop Weekly series is evident since he would fulfill beat selection requests as well as give shout-outs over any given track to fans who requested it via his MySpace page.^[10] The Hip-Hop Weekly series began on April 4, 2007 and ended on April 3, 2008.^[2][10] Wickliffe generated so much of a buzz with the Hip-Hop Weekly series that he was featured on the cover of the December/2007 issue of XXL (magazine) for a second time, this time as part of XXL's Freshmen 10.^[11]

Crooked I, along with DJ Felli Fel and DJ Nik Bean, released St. Valentine's Day Bossacre on February 14, 2008. Although it's called a mixtape, it consists of all new tracks by Crooked I, much like Young Boss Vol. 2, and boasts guest appearances by Royce da 5'9", and Roscoe Umali, with production from DJ Felli Fel, Rick Rock, Komplex, and MG. The February 2008 issue of Ozone West reviewed St. Valentine's Day Bossacre and rated it 4 slaps out of 5.^[12]

Another mixtape and an EP was released in 2008 by Crooked I, The Block Obama: Hood Politics^[13] and Block Obama II.^[14] The Block Obama: Hood Politics was originally going to be hosted by DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Strong, but ended up being released un-tagged without a DJ, and for free download on the internet.^[13] Block Obama II was released on the day of the 2008 Presidential election, originally as a digital album for sale through iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody, and other online retailers.^[14] Physical CD's of Block Obama II were later made, and sold throughCDBaby. The EP also boasts guest appearances from Dynasty Entertainment artists Horse Shoe G.A.N.G. and Sauce The Boss, in addition to Knoc-turn'al and production by Jim Gettum, Komplex, and Rick Rock.^[14]

[edit]The Slaughterhouse era

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House.^[11] Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after this song.^[11] They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album, which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009.^[15]The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, and guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K. Young, and The New Royales.^[16]

On February 27, 2009 in Long Beach, California, Crooked I was allegedly shot at during a conversation with a fan. The conflicting early media reports on the incident in the following hours initially left people worried and uncertain on his condition, but he has since confirmed to MTV News and other media that he's alive and, while mentally distracted, physically well. Crooked I has declined to further elaborate on the incident, citing where he's from its against the code of the streets.^[17]

On November 10, 2009, Crooked I released a digital-only solo EP, Mr. Pig Face Weapon Waist.^[18] “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.”^[19] The EP also boasts guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, K. Young, M.O.P., The Horseshoe G.A.N.G., and of course fellow Slaughterhouse members, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce da 5'9".^[18] In addition to production from Komplex, Scram Jones, Streetrunner, Frequency, and P. Silva.^[18]

After briefly considering plans to release a full length Mr. Pig Face Weapon Waist LP in January 2010, Crooked I revised his priorities and announced Million Dollar Story, to be released in 2010. Production for the album is to include contributions from DJ Khalil, The Alchemist, and newcomer Quest. In addition, Crooked I stated his intentions to get DJ Premier beats for the album.^[20]

The new owners of Death Row Records, WIDEawake Entertainment, released a Crooked I album called Hood Star on June 15, 2010. It has 15 songs Wickliffe recorded while signed to the label, with guest appearances from Juvenile, Too Short, Kurupt, Danny Boy, Ray J, Sisqo, and others.^[21]

On August 17, 2010, Crooked I released yet another EP, titled Planet C.O.B. Vol. 1, which features production from Rick Rock, Komplex, and more.^[22]

On December 1, 2010, the first single for Crooked I's official debut solo album, Million Dollar Story was released on iTunes titled "Villain", which features Gracie Productions recording artist Sally Anthony.^[23]

On January 12, 2011, after months of speculation, Slaughterhouse officially signed to Shady Records, along with artist Yelawolf.^[24]

On March 21, 2011, Crooked I released the Million Dollar Story EP, available for purchase through iTunes, to tie fans over until the album is released. It features two brand new songs and two previously released tracks.^[25]

On July 12, 2011, the compilation Planet C.O.B. Vol. 2 was released digitally, and for a limited time was available on CD through Crooked I's official website.^[26] Unlike the previous installment, which was an EP by Crooked I, this album features songs by all of the C.O.B. affiliates, such as Horseshoe G.A.N.G., Sauce Tha Boss, Coniyac, and more. To keep the momentum up for the C.O.B. movement, Crooked I brought his official clothing line to the internet.^[27]

On November 17, 2011, Crooked I announced a new digital EP titled In None We Trust - The Prelude, is set to be released on December 13th and will include guest appearances from Jay Rock, Glasses Malone, Mistah F.A.B., Horseshoe G.A.N.G., Coniyac and K. Young. ^[28] On November 22, 2011, the first single from the EP titled "No Competition" was released to the internet.