Slaughterhouse

The formation of Slaughterhouse began in 2008 when Crooked I (aka KXNG Crooked), Joell Ortiz, and Royce da 5'9" appeared alongside Joe Budden on the latter's mixtape Halfway House. Their joint cut generated such immediate momentum that the track titled "Slaughterhouse" directly inspired the name of the new hip-hop supergroup. Additional songs cut during that first session bypassed conventional release routes and surfaced online instead, among them "Move On," whose lyrics supplied the press with the collective's origin story. The quartet completed its self-titled debut album in just six days, secured a deal with E1, and issued the project in 2009. Sample-clearance obstacles ultimately kept the planned single "Woodstock" off the finished record, yet the group honored its independent promotional strategy by unveiling the track through Budden's Twitter account. By 2012 the members had entered the major-label system, delivering Welcome to Our House via Shady/Interscope and enlisting Cee-Lo Green, Eminem, and Skylar Grey as featured artists.