Crooked Stilo

Like that other pair of famous California brothers, Akwid, Crooked Stilo got their start in Los Angeles in the 1990s. Born Victor and Johnny Lopez, the brothers lived in El Salvador until they and their parents were forced to flee the country's violent civil war and settle in East L.A. The boys eventually got swept up in the gang and drug activity in the neighborhood, prompting their parents to send them back to El Salvador for a life-changing two years. When they returned to L.A.they began to focus on making music, thanks in part to inspiration from their neighbor MC ALT's success. They dropped their first bilingual release to underground applause in 1993; their second, a Spanish-language release, followed nearly a decade later. With the rise of reggaeton and all things Latin in 2004, the group's next release Puro Escandalo received a lot more love.