We've been looking at rock artists to watch in 2009 all week long, and we wanted to focus a little bit more on today's artist, Crooked X. You would never know it by listening to them — considering their shockingly mature sound — but the members of this breaking hard rock outfit are only 14-years-old. FOURTEEN!

It's surreal. Lead singer Jesse Cooper has what seems to be a voice that couldn't possibly belong to a 14-year-old (and he even looks older, too, unlike his bandmates, who clearly look like they are 14).

Take a listen for yourself.

So, did we say that they were 14? Oh yeah. Can you believe it?

They started playing together in "fourth or fifth grade" and have been growing together since. They've opened for such acts as KISS and Ted Nugent and even already have crazy stories from life on the road.

So how were they able to get their acts together before they even got their driver's licenses? You'll have to watch the premiere of "Crooked X: Rock N' Roll Dream" on MTV at midnight on January 27 to find out. The documentary follows the band's progress from Oklahoma backyards to rock stars playing Swedish stadiums. Rock on, kids.

By Daniel Montalto

All right, we admit it: We may have been cheating just a little bit when we picked Kevin Rudolf as one of our Rock Rookies to look out for in 2009. Of course, we knew he's already worked alongside the likes of Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, T.I. and Timbaland. And there's that top-10 hit he had in 2008 with "Let It Rock", featuring Lil Wayne. It also doesn't hurt that he's signed to Wayne's Cash Money Records, either. It's just that we're pretty sure that "Let It Rock" won't be the last we hear of Kevin Rudolf.

In fact, when we spoke to Rudolf recently, he told MTV News that he's already got lots in store for '09. In the coming months, he'll be performing in Europe, at Sundance and for the NBA All-Star Weekend. He'll appear in a new Rhapsody commercial, and his "Let It Rock" is now the official song for WWE's "Royal Rumble." Rudolf also told us that Trekkies can look forward to hearing "Let It Rock" in a soon-to-be released trailer for the new "Star Trek" movie.
Read more...