Crooked Stilo is back by popular demand! The duo hailing from the insidious streets of East L.A. and scenic landscapes of El Salvador are leaving a transnational mark on their music just as deep as their identities. MTV News presented an exclusive clip showcasing their latest video “La Charanga” off of their tropical compilation “Cumbia Urban-The Album,” and this week we are breaking you off with a taste of what Crooked Stilo is like with an exclusive puro party below the hood!
You guys have been hitting the underground scene since the early 90's. What has it been like blasting into the mainstream market?
It has been a real blessing. We started this as a hobby and now we have the opportunity to grab the masses...it's amazing. It has been a dream come true, but it has been a long road. It took a lot of work to become a household name and get our music out there, but it has been going real good so far.
How is it keeping your work in the family?
We fight constantly. [Laughing] You know what is funny? Sometimes we will be backstage still fighting before a show. Once the lights go on, we go out there and perform and once we wrap-up you can see us backstage fighting again. But it's good because we fight about the [creative stuff too]. We listen to each other and we take each others criticisms, sometimes not lightly, but we still take it and it makes for better music in the end.
What inspired you guys to add the cumbia element to your hip-hop sound?
It is weird how that started because back-in-the-days we used to sample off of old records. We couldn't afford new ones so we would just grab our dad's old records and make something out of that. That is where this whole idea of mixing the two elements came from, and the rest is history!
What is on your play list right now? What kind of music are you guys listening to?
Ahh man we listen to everything! We still have our traditional cumbia like Los Hermanos Flores and all that stuff, but in addition to that we love hip-hop so we are blasting Kanye West, the new Ice Cube, Akon...you name it we are there.
How does it feel getting so much love from your people?
We are always representing for El Salvador. We never had a famous music group crossover into the American scene before. We have to represent for our country and put its name on the map for good. That's a big undertaking.
Speaking of your country, what is your favorite national dish?
Definitely pupusas! Whenever we get a chance we hit-up a couple of pupuserías out here in L.A.
Still craving an extra taste of Crooked Stilo? Be sure to visit their official site and keep it locked for exclusive video content and news aquí!
Photo via Mi Estilo Records
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