Rapper Crooked I has filed
a gag order against Marion "Suge" Knight, CEO of
Tha Row, claiming that Knight is interfering with his recording career.
Crooked I, who
signed with the label in 1999 and made national television appearances with
Knight, alleges that other record labels interested in signing him are being
chased away by Knight, who claims the Crooked I is still signed to Tha Row.
"It’s ashame that we
have to go there," Crooked I told AllHipHop.com. "My whole thing is,
when I told him [Suge] I wanted to make a move, he always told me, ‘if you wanna
make a move, I’ll let you bounce.’ So when he sent the cease and desist to stop
my recording career and they kept saying that I was still signed on Tha Row’s
website, it kind of puzzled me. On top of that, I felt the contract was expired.
I gotta live out here, I gotta eat and put music out on the streets."
Crooked I, who was signed
to Virgin before signing with Tha Row, is considered one of Hip-Hop’s brightest
emerging talents, due to his lyrical prowess.
He said he fulfilled
his obligations to the label by recording almost four albums worth of material
for Tha Row that has never been released. He said he also did writing for Left
Eye and Kurupt and believes his contract actually expired in 2003.
"Right now, the contract
is being debated. It’s all based on interpretation," Crooked I explained.
"Four years, no releases, I turned in my masters. Once you turn in your
masters and nothing comes out, it’s over. I have turned in mastered albums
and nothing came out. Death Row’s interpretation is that it’s not
over. So we have to go to court to see who’s right."
Crooked I is currently working
on a documentary about his time at Death Row and his transformation from a rapper,
to a rapper/CEO.
Label woes aside, Crooked
I said that while the ordeal has been a struggle, he would eventually persevere.
"I am trying to have
everything clean so everyone will be confident when they are dealing with me,"
Crooked I continued. "I want to go full swing without having to worry about
this dude [Suge] coming out of the darkness."
