Lil' Jon Crunk Juice CD

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz: Lil Bo, Lil Jon, Big Sam (rap vocals).
Additional personnel: Pharrell Williams, R. Kelly, Usher (vocals); DJ Flexx, Fat Joe, Gangsta Boo, Ice Cube, Jazze Pha, Lil Scrappy, Ludacris, Nas, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Ying Yang Twins, 8Ball & MJG (rap vocals).
Responsible for numerous crunk party tunes and plenty of over-the-top hits, producer Lil Jon could easily be mistaken for a flash-in-the-pan whose time is almost up. Then again, his formulaic records that generally come up aces bring to mind AC/DC and their always-the-same, generally-very-good track record. You can count the songs that Lil Jon has been involved with and didn't shout "yeah!" and "okay!" on one hand, and his Crunk Juice album is more of the same. But keeping the AC/DC comparison going, Crunk Juice is his Back in Black, just as exciting and remarkably powerful, but twice as long and with a lot more help. Even though most of the songs are built on the same party-crunk foundation, the difference is in the details. Production by production, record by record, Lil Jon has become a more detailed producer. Crunk Juice is the payoff of every single that's come before it. Take the incredibly hard "What U Gon' Do" with it's simple, everybody's-feelin'-it beat. Lil Scrappy's tough rap proves he's the man for the job on this track, while the loopy, faraway melody and robot filters Lil Jon runs Scrappy's vocal through are what really makes it. The East Side Boyz -- Big Sam and Lil Bo -- are a worthy support crew and gel with their resident superstar as well as G-Unit does with 50 Cent. Great, but it's the ridiculously well-picked guest list you've come for, isn't it? The biggies -- R. Kelly, Usher, Ice Cube, Snoop, Rick Rubin, and on and on -- all bring it, while Southern stalwarts like Trillville, Eightball & MJG, Ying Yang Twins, and Gangsta Boo -- whose brash vocals are slowed down eerily, screwed-and-chopped style -- sound especially triumphant, proud to be with the South's greatest chart-topper. Running 75 minutes long and with too many highlights to mention, the worst thing you can say about Crunk Juice is that it's overwhelming. Funny skits from Chris Rock and E-40 tie it all together if you can stand over an hour of crunk pummeling, but Crunk Juice is best taken in two or three glorious listens. That's a lot of top-notch crunk, and more than enough to justify Lil Jon's "King of Crunk" title. ~ David Jeffries
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.Rolling Stone (p.160) - 3 stars out of 5 - "JUICE is pure nihilism - vacuous, raucous chants over militaristic synths and machine-gun drums."
Uncut (p.111) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[With] neat sonic tricks."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 - "CRUNK JUICE is an event, and the music echoes this more-is-more thinking..."