BY BANDINI • MAY 30, 2019

Kxng Crooked is the latest respected Hip-Hop lyricist to segue into driving dialogue in the music media. Recently, the Long Beach, California lyricist also known as Crooked I launched Crook’s Corner. Taking a concept from his hashtag of longstanding Hip-Hop discussions on social media with peers and fans, the MC has partnered with HipHopDX to host guests in conversations about Rap music and culture. Following a recent appearance by Tech N9ne, the C.O.B. O.G. welcomes his Slaughterhouse co-founder Royce 5’9 to the Corner. With the full episode arriving Saturday (June 1), a segment released previewing the discussion.

“The most debated song, in my opinion, in Hip-Hop history, is ‘Renegade,'” Crooked I begins, referring to JAY-Z and Eminem’s 2001 Blueprint collaboration, embedded below. “That is a split down the middle: ‘JAY-Z had the best verse’ [versus] ‘Em’ washed JAY-Z on his own sh*t’ debate. That argument goes on forever.”

Crook’ points out that Royce 5’9 was originally on “Renegade,” before JAY-Z. That version of the Eminem-produced song is embedded below. “I was signed to Sony/Columbia [Records], and Marshall was executive producing my album. We were gonna do two songs that were gonna make the album.” The other song, “Rock City,” ended up on Royce’s debut LP of the same name, which eventually released independently in 2002. “Rock City” became a video single ahead of the album, even though both tracks had been recorded. “I just thought it was okay,” Royce recalls of “Renegade.” The track was made a few years removed from the pair’s Bad Meets Evil material in the late 1990s. “We had did so many songs together where we was just kind of rapping. I just thought it was okay, and it just one of them joints that was just kinda sitting.” Eminem called Royce some time later, expressing his desire to send the track to JAY-Z. “I’m such a fan of both. Jay is definitely one of those people that I definitely always wanted to see [Eminem] work with. So when he sent it to him, and he did it, that’s when it started sounding great to me,” Nickel Nine admits with a laugh.

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