Crooked I is an American rapper who performed with the chart-topping hip-hop group Slaughterhouse before releasing his solo debut album, Apex Predator, in 2013. He was born as Dominick Antron Wickliffe on September 23, 1976, in Long Beach, California. Also known as KXNG Crooked, he began rapping as a teenager and appeared on a number of compilation albums released by labels like 19th Street Records and Death Row Records. He also marketed himself heavily on the internet, where he built an audience by releasing online mixtapes like The Young Boss Vol. 1 in 2004. Other mixtapes followed, and Crooked I's growing momentum earned him a spot in the rap supergroup Slaughterhouse. The group formed in 2008, reached Number 2 on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart with a self-titled debut record in 2009, and climbed to Number 1 on the same chart with Welcome to: Our House in 2012. One year later, Crooked I released Apex Predator, his debut record as a solo artist. Apex Predator reached Number 33 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was followed by another solo release, Sex, Money and Hip-Hop, in 2014. Good vs. Evil arrived in 2016, featuring collaborations with Eminem, RZA, and others. One year later, Crooked I returned with Good vs. Evil II: The Red Empire, an album whose lyrics tackled political issues like classism and social inequity. He then teamed up with fellow rapper (and former Slaughterhouse member) Joell Ortiz during the early 2020s for a string of collaborative albums, including 2020's H.A.R.D. and 2022's Harbor City Season One.
