Slaughterhouse

When Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, and Royce da 5'9" joined Joe Budden on his 2008 mixtape Halfway House, the chemistry on their collaborative track meant "Slaughterhouse", and the song name would quickly become Slaughterhouse the hip-hop supergroup. Other tracks recorded at their initial meeting bypassed the usual music distribution channels and were leaked to the net. They recorded their debut album in a mere six days, signed to E1, and released their self-titled debut in 2009. Due to sample clearance issues, the final product did not include the promised single "Woodstock," but in keeping with the group's alternative marketing plan, it was released via Budden's Twitter account. ~ David Jeffries