Screwball (group)

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Screwball is an American underground hip hop quartet from New York City, composed of rappers Hostyle, KL, Blaq Poet and Solo. The group has released two studio albums, Y2K: The Album in 1999 and Loyalty in 2001, and a compilation album Screwed Up in 2004.

Their first album, Y2K, released by Tommy Boy Records, was a minor success, reaching number 50 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It featured contributions from Godfather Don, Big Noyd, Capone, Cormega, MC Shan, Mobb Deep, Nature, Pete Rock and Marley Marl among others, and included two chart singles: "H-O-S-T-Y-L-E" produced by Mike Heron and "F.A.Y.B.A.N. (Fuck All You Bitch Ass Niggas)" produced by DJ Premier. The follow-up album, Loyalty, released by Landspeed Records, had more success than its preceder, peaking at number 185 on the US Billboard 200 and number 44 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It featured contributions from Ayatollah, Kool G Rap, N.O.R.E., Tragedy Khadafi, The Beatnuts, Cormega, Godfather Don and Nature among others. Its lead single, "Torture" produced by Lee Stone, featured M.O.P. and became the group's highest charted single at No. 78 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and #2 on the Hot Rap Songs charts. All the group members, along with Noyd, R.A. the Rugged Man and their frequent collaborator Godfather Don, appeared on Hostyle's first solo album, One Eyed Maniac, released on June 29, 2004, by Hydra Entertainment. In July 2004, the group released a compilation of new and old material, Screwed Up, which was named after their first single and is considered their final project. KL died in 2008 of an asthma attack and Hostyle died in 2020.^[1]