Kings of Crunk Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz Artist

There was a time when Southern rappers felt marginalized. That was before the rise of {|2 Live Crew|} and their bass colleagues in the late '80s; {|southern rap|} has long since become a huge industry, and {|Dirty South|} MCs who hit big in cities li... Read more

There was a time when Southern rappers felt marginalized. That was before the rise of {|2 Live Crew|} and their bass colleagues in the late '80s; {|southern rap|} has long since become a huge industry, and {|Dirty South|} MCs who hit big in cities like New Orleans, Memphis, and Miami can easily sell a ton of CDs in the South alone. While some {|Dirty South|} rappers have a gangsta/thug life agenda and some are into serious sociopolitical messages, Atlanta rapper {|Lil Jon|} and his two {|East Side Boyz|} ({|Lil Bo|} and {|Big Sam|}) have tended to favor rowdy, in-your-face, profanity-filled party music. {|Kings of Crunk|}, like the trio's previous releases, is full of the sort of hook-filled call-and-response jams that Southern {|hip-hop|} clubs are known for. The list of guests reads like a who's-who of {|Dirty South|} rapping -- {|Mystikal|}, {|Petey Pablo|}, {|Trick Daddy|}, and {|Pastor Troy|} all have cameos -- and {|Jon|}'s trio works the crunk formula to death on relentlessly energetic tunes such as {|Knockin' Heads Off,|} {|Throw It Up,|} and the single {|I Don't Give a Fuck.|} At times, the group sounds like it is recycling hits from previous albums, but one is inclined to be forgiving because even the CD's most formulaic tracks are infectious -- the Atlanta residents do have a way with a hook. And to their credit, not every track is formulaic crunk. {|Kings of Crunk|} detours into more of a Texas-type sound when {|Jon|} features {|U.G.K.|} on the {|rock|}-influenced {|Diamonds,|} and those who find that {|Jon|}'s up-tempo material can be exhausting will be surprised at how much his group chills out on {|Nothin's Free|} and a few other smooth, {|R&B|}-drenched items. Arguably the trio's most well-rounded album, {|Kings of Crunk|} will keep crunk fans happy, but has enough variety to keep listeners from calling them one-dimensional. ~ Alex Henderson Less