Crunk Juice [Deluxe Edition] [CD/DVD]

Photographer: Michael Blackwell.
After years behind the scenes in the music business, Lil Jon (along with his Eastside Boys, Lil Bo and Big Sam) exploded in late 2002 with his special brand of "crunk," booming bass-fueled hip-hop with the controlled fury of hardcore punk or metal. KINGS OF CRUNK remained near the top of the Billboard charts through 2003, and the lighthearted, raucous party anthem "Get Low" was an unavoidable classic. Lil Jon's affable trademark shouts popped up on hit single after hit single, and those one-word chants even fueled one of the most beloved sketches on the wildly popular comedy series CHAPPELLE'S SHOW.
For the official follow-up, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boys return in 2004 with CRUNK JUICE, picking up right where KINGS OF CRUNK left off, with even more ferocity. After a metal-sampling intro title track, the trio lets loose with the brutal "Get Crunk," barely taking a breath until the slightly slowed-down "Da Blow." While much of the record is hard as nails, Lil Jon finds some time for laid-back moments in collaborations with Usher and Ludacris on "Lovers and Friends" and with R. Kelly and Ludacris (again) on "In Da Club," both hilariously introduced by Chris Rock. CRUNK JUICE closes on the incredible all-star power of the sinister "Grand Finale," bringing East Coast (Nas, Fat Joe) and West Coast (Ice Cube) together in the Dirty South, a fitting ending to a relentlessly fun record.