Crooked Stilo
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Crooked Stilo is a hip-hop duo formed by brothers Victor and Johnny Lopez.
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[edit] Early years
The duo spent their early years in El Salvador, a Central American nation torn apart by civil war. As youth, they immigrated with their parents to the United States in search of a new beginning and a better future. They settled in a housing project in East Los Angeles, a new environment that came with its own unique challenges.
In East Los Angeles, the brothers faced difficulties of gang warfare, drugs, alcohol, and criminal elements. They focused on their music as a protection from the shootings and fights that occurred outside of their home. The confrontations between other young immigrants and the police turned into music and the stories of their lives became their lyrics.
The boys were ambitious and planned a future for themselves that would help them get out of their poor neighborhood. They wanted to become music stars and so the brothers began to toy with a musical style of their own. They quickly found that their musical interests differed, Victor had always preferred the music of his roots, with lyrics in Spanish while Johnny loved American rap music. Representing their new reality, as Latinos living in Los Angeles, they developed a fusion of their two musical interests.
[edit] Influences
The brothers combined the Latino music that they heard from their parents with the new sounds they encountered in Los Angeles. They brought together: Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Los Angeles Negros, Vico C, Sonora Santanera, Camilo Sesto,Orquesta Sangre Morena,Los Hermanos Flores, Orquesta San Vicente, Gilberto Santa Rosa, DJ Negro, NWA, Gangstarr, EPMD, Big Daddy Kane, Mellow Man Ace, Biz Markie, Cypress Hill, ALT, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and Notorious BIG.
[edit] Band history
They baptized their new style as "crooked" because, "it consists of combining the old Latin music and new hip hop music," says Johnny. After defining their sound and style, the group Crooked Stilo began recording in 1993.
They initially recorded their work independently, sold a good amount of copies, and quickly discovered an underground community for their music. They became popular in the "underground Latino rap" scene by catching the attention of their generation. Yet, they found that radio stations were unwilling to play the music of Crooked Stilo or the burgeoning movement of urban regional.
Last year, with the success of other urban regional groups, Crooked Stilo found itself ready to release their first single, "Ya Lo Saben."
Crooked Stilo has worked and performed with artists such as P. Diddy, Daddy Yankee, Don Chezina, and are currently working on a project with Tito "El Bambino" for Mas Flow 2.5 (Luny Tunes). Their new album, "Retrasalo".
