The Immersion: Journeying to the West Coast With Crooked I Posted by Dharmic X on 12/20/12 | Filed under Opinion, The Immersion

According to dictionary.com, the word “immerse” means “to involve deeply; absorb.” The Immersion involves absorbing a lifestyle from the surrounding environment. It involves listening to the lyrics and the beats of society’s underdogs on repeat, to the point where these songs are etched into the fabric of the attire. What does it mean to immerse yourself into the hip-hop culture as the son of Indian immigrants? This is my story...

While Joell Ortiz was probably my favorite solo act out of the Slaughterhouse machine, the West Coast’s Crooked I was the one whose lyrical prowess amazed me pretty much every time he got on a beat. Introduced to his work through my favorite rapper of all time, Immortal Technique, I went back and caught his weekly freestyle series (the predecessor to G.O.O.D. Fridays) and also enjoyed quite a few tracks on both The Block Obama and The Block Obama II.



“American Me” symbolized everything I loved about lyricism: an amalgam of multisyllabic rhymes, punchlines, and witticism (“Better wake up and smell the Folgers”) weaved together to create a masterpiece depicting the struggles of inner-city men, especially those who have to go through the ordeal of “serving” their country overseas. It’s vivid and cuts deep.

Meanwhile, Crook had a penchant for murdering features. This was something I’d noticed on The Third World, but it didn’t really register until the release of “Yes Sir” a Raekwon mixtape cut that also featured Ghostface Killah. Clearly, both Rae and Ghost came correct on the track, but there’s no denying the verbal excellence delivered by Crooked I. As he put it, “I took a vow of abstinence on you sucker MCs, that means I swear to God none of y’all are fucking with me.” Think about that.

The suddenly, reports came out that the West Coast rhyme animal was shot at in the midst of the hoopla surrounding the formation of Slaughterhouse. It was scary as a fan of Crook and of the supergroup, especially when you considered his history: a rapper who had gone through the trials and tribulations of a brutal industry and seemed on his way to finally releasing his debut album (and yes, he still hasn’t released it to this date).



But then of course, out of the ashes of near-tragedy comes a powerful song. King Tech (of the world famous Wake Up Show) announces that he produced a whole album for Crook, and the resulting lead single hits hard, with the pounding yet minimalistic beat allowing him to be at his most-reflective state, spitting bars like “Got my first deal then they pulled out my arteries; shot me in the heart I mean they killed the best part of me.” That was a line that hit home in more than one way thanks to the reality surrounding it.

At the time, Crooked I was becoming one of my favorite lyricists to come from Los Angeles... and then much like Tech introduced me to Crook, Crook introduced me to the most slept-on MC from LA...

See Also: The Immersion: Paying the Price for Integrity With Joell Ortiz