Kings of Crunk

by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, Lil Jon

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	07/09/2021
Label:	Tvt
UPC:	0196006112639
Rank:	43912

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz   Primary Artist
Lil Jon   Primary Artist,Keyboards
Devin the Dude   Primary Artist
Krayzie Bone   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Chyna Whyte   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
E-40   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
8Ball   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guest Artist
Pastor Troy   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Elephant Man   Primary Artist
MJG   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Oobie   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Petey Pablo   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Busta Rhymes   Primary Artist
Styles P   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Ying Yang Twins   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Mystikal   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Bun B   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Trick Daddy   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Jadakiss   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Too $hort   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Bo Hagon   Primary Artist
Big Gipp   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
UGK   Guest Artist
Fat Joe   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Big Tymers   Guest Artist
Devin   Featured Artist
Pitbull   Featured Artist,Vocals
The BME Allstars   Featured Artist
Co   Vocals
L-Roc   Keyboards
Rob McDowell   Keyboards
Kim & Dave   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Red   Producer
Craig Love   Musician
Emperor Searcy   Executive Producer
Josh Butler   Engineer
Lil Pat   Engineer
Ralph Cacciurri   Engineer
Niko Lyras   Engineer
C.P. Love   Composer
John Frye   Mixing
Todd Shaw   Composer
Andrew Seidel   Engineer
Dale Everingham   Engineer
Billy Hume   Engineer
L-Roc   Musician
J.C. Phillips   Composer
Lil Jon   A&R,Mixing,Producer,Executive Producer
LaMarquis Jefferson   Composer,Musician
Ray Seay   Mixing
Rob McDowell   A&R,Executive Producer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Vincent Alexander   Mixing,Engineer
Bryan Leach   A&R,Executive Producer
Deongelo Holmes   Composer
Michael Crooms   Composer
E. Stevens   Composer
Benjamin Wheelock   Design
Robin Hill   Sample Clearance
Jan Nerud   Engineer
S. Martin   Composer
Rick "Disco Rick" Taylor   Engineer
Artese Williams   Engineer
Christian Delatour   Engineer
Don "DJ Snake" Brown   Mixing
Brett Lieberman   Engineer
Amy Duarte   A&R
Chuck Leonard   Composer
Eric Jackson   Composer
Taj "Mahal" Tilghman   Engineer
Mark Mitchell   Engineer
J Smith   Composer
Michael Blackwell   Photography
Mike Goodwin   Composer
Jonathan Smith   Composer
Sammie Norris   Composer
Trevor Smith   Composer