3 Strykes Krew

While legendary hip hop groups such as Tribe Called Quest, NWA and Fugees leave fans with tragic break ups, one group emerges from the shadows. 3 Strykes Krew (3SK) is one of the last true hip hop groups remaining and it consists of three talented emcees born in the city of Los Angeles and bred by Koreatown: J Riggs, John Jon and Kwest. As childhood friends, Kwest and J Riggs began their musical endeavor at the age of thirteen when they recorded their rhymes over beat snippets sampled from the radio. Music proved to be their outlet for problems at home as well as an escape from the drugs and gang life that surrounded them. At the age of fifteen, John Jon’s natural gift took him to Korea, where he achieved mainstream success as a member of another hip hop/r&b group. It was during this time overseas that John Jon would develop his unique style of delivering beats and lyrics. A shared passion for music would eventually bring the trio together as 3 Stykes Krew in 2005. But talent and passion were not enough to keep 3SK together during one of their biggest trials. In 2006, 3SK lost two of their best friends and supporters in James Kang and Jang Jung when the two were fatally shot a month apart of each other. “That was a really hard time for us... pretty soon, music just faded out of the picture.” It took over a year for the crew to get back into the studio. With the memories of their closest friends coursing through their veins, 3SK continued their musical journey and pays homage to their fallen brothers thru art. To date, 3SK has collaborated and shared stages with many familiar names: Solid, DNA, Pharoahe Monch, Bishop Lamont, DJ Warrior, Roscoe Umali, Far East Movement, The Oddibles, DB Tonik, IZreal, Lyricks, and Decyplz. Currently, 3SK is in the studio working on a full-length for release in June 2009. Concurrently, 3SK will be releasing their debut single “Cannabis Club” on December 13, 2008. For more information on 3 Strykes Krew and to join them for their official launch event @ V2O in Long Beach on 12/13/08, please visit www.3strykes.com.