Crunk Juice is the fifth and final studio album by American Southern hip hop group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. It was released on November 16, 2004, under BME Recordings and TVT Records. The production was primarily handled by Lil Jon himself, who also collaborated in the executive production, alongside Bryan Leach, Rob McDowell, Emperor Searcy, Vince Phillips, the Neptunes and Rick Rubin. The album includes guest appearances from rappers and singers, like R. Kelly, Ludacris, Ice Cube, Usher, Bun B from UGK, Jadakiss, Nas, T.I., the Ying Yang Twins and Pharrell. Lil Jon's next solo album, Crunk Rock, released on June 8, 2010, did not feature the East Side Boyz. As of 2022, Crunk Juice remains as the last release to feature the East Side Boyz.

Singles

Crunk Juice was supported by four singles. Lead single "What U Gon' Do" was released on November 2, 2004. The second single "Lovers & Friends", was released on November 9, 2004. The third single "Real Nigga Roll Call", was released on December 21, 2004. The fourth single "Get Crunk", was released on vinyl.

Commercial performance

Crunk Juice debuted at number 31 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In its second week, the album jumped to number three on the Billboard 200, selling 363,000 copies. It became Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz' first top-ten album in the United States. In the third week, the album remained in the top-ten on the Billboard 200, selling 196,000 copies. The album was certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA on January 12, 2005.

Critical reception

Crunk Juice received a wide range of reviews. Rating the album four stars out of five, David Jeffries of AllMusic called the album "just as exciting and remarkably powerful" as Back in Black by AC/DC, adding: "Production by production, record by record, Lil Jon has become a more detailed producer." Steve Jones of USA Today, rating the album three out of four stars, praised the album for "show[ing] that crunk comes in more than one flavor" in the R&B-themed "Lovers & Friends" and what he called an "experiment in crunk rock" in the Rick Rubin-produced "Stop Fuckin' With Me". In contrast, for a three-and-a-half stars out of five review, Orisanmi Burton of AllHipHop commented: "What the album lacks in artistry and maturity, it makes up for in energy and rhythm." Critics in Lil Jon's hometown Atlanta also offered mixed reviews. Sonia Murray of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called Lil Jon a "more numbingly simple chanter than noteworthy rapper...[who] now has the cachet to get A-list acts to join in on the inanity." Creative Loafing Atlanta expressed shock at the presence of "Lovers & Friends", with one critic calling it "something they'd play at an eighth-grade dance." Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly graded the album with a C, calling the songs "practically all hook...recited ad nauseam in Jon’s throaty growl...with over-the-top vitriolic rants and nausea-inducing misogyny." Other reviews were more scathing. Lee Henderson of PopMatters called Lil Jon "the Raffi of gangsta rap" due to "reduc[ing] rap to endless and incredibly stupid choruses of nasty-talk" in the album. Matt Ozga of Prefix panned the album for what he called Lil Jon's "questionable ability as a producer" and "fingernails-on-an-eardrum voice" and lyrics with "vile, witless anti-woman venom", in rating the album 2.5 out of five points. Pete Cashmore of NME rated the album four points out of 10: "It’s almost laughably one-note, devoid of nuance, stunted of vocabulary and aeons too long."

Flavored malt beverage

Crunk Juice is also the name of a once popular flavoured malt beverage launched by Gila Brew Co., LLC. It was made by 7th Street Brewing. They announced in 2011 they were going to relaunch the brand and have new package designs and a new flavours with a smoother taste. It was made available to purchase in several major US cities like Philadelphia.

Track listing

Notes

Bonus remix disc

Confirmed by Artist Direct.

DVD

Chopped & Screwed

Personnel

Adapted from Artist Direct anad AllMusic

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications