What is crunk? It's get-people-on-the-dance-floor club music that combines synthesizers, modified electric guitars, machine sounds, and a few catchy lyrics layered over booming bass lines.
No one does crunk better than Lil' Jon, whose latest studio release with the East Side Boyz, "Crunk Juice," dropped in record stores yesterday.
The crunk genre exploded into the mainstream of American hip-hop in 2003 with hits like "Get Low" by Lil' Jon & the East Side Boyz.
Crunk is part of a strange revolution in hip-hop coming out of the South. The popularity and airplay of crunk has grown slowly since the late '90s but, chances are, if you're not from Florida or Georgia, the noise is likely to be relatively new to you.
It seems strange when broken down, but the music Lil' Jon has become so skilled at creating out of noise can border on electronica on one extreme and punk on the other. Rap lyrics don't always blend smoothly with a beat that grates against itself, trying to move in two different directions. Still, the jarring sounds of crunk are reaching more listeners and fans each day. Crunk, like beer, is an acquired taste.
"What U Gon' Do" is the lead single off "Crunk Juice," and it features the East Side Boyz singing call-and-response lyrics over one of the deeper crunk beats on this album. The bass explodes then disappears in distortion over and over again. The same distortion starts to capture voices at the end of verses and a synthetic whistle hold up the refrain melody. The beat belongs to a more ominous strain of Lil' Jon's work, represented by a few tracks on this album. But this track will still pump you up.
Lil' Jon is a producer/rapper who knows that his real talent is creating beats, so "Crunk Juice" features a long list of featured artists including: R. Kelly, Usher, Ice Cube, Ludacris, T.I., Snoop Dogg and Nas.
Ice Cube gives a stand-out performance on "Real Nigga Roll Call" reminiscent of his own club hit "You Can Do It." Cube always raps angry and his emotion feed off the hard-driving beat on this one.
R. Kelly and Usher are featured on separate but similar tracks. The pounding of crunk gives way to sugary melodies to create a sub-genre which could be called Crunk&B. These tracks are designed to capture more of a female audience more inclined to R&B ballads. Lil' Jon even sings on one of these tracks, thereby increasing his credits to producer/rapper/singer.
Even though Lil' Jon & the East Side Boyz rented a mansion with a recording studio in Miami to work on their latest album, the sounds of other regions influenced the creation of "Crunk Juice." "Aww Skeet Skeet" resembles a go-go joint that could have been lifted out of a Washington D.C. night club. An audience can be heard in the background. The live feel totally go-gos along with the use of a full drum battery.
Lil' Jon doesn't produce every track. The legendary Rick Rubin adds a menacing track to this album. The Neptunes also get in on the production; their stop and go, up tempo beat hides some trance melodies in the lower layers.
The release of "Crunk Juice" has become an event in its own right. The appearance of so many featured artists and producers confirms that Lil' Jon and his brand of hip-hop have made it big. Other artists want to be seen with Jon because of what he can do for their careers. Crunk has made it.
For a limited time the album will be sold in a 2-disk special edition with a bonus DVD. Also, a local radio station WJMN 94.5 is running a contest featuring a chance to win a $25,000 shopping spree with the king of crunk himself, Lil' Jon. <$>
