Lil Jon may be famously over-the-top, but he's no buffoon. And so, with his beloved crunk approaching punchline status in the past couple years, he wisely noted it was time to retool. Enter Crunk Rock, a term that's the title of his upcoming album, a term for its new musical hybrid, and a lifestyle, all at once. "It was just a logical step, because people would compare crunk music to rock music, because of the energy," he told New Times last fall. "Crunk rock is like, like, drinking out of the bottle, pouring liquor in chicks' mouths, being rowdy, just like some real partying to another level. That's what the crunk rock lifestyle is."photo by Tyler Clinton
But how does that translate musically? Well, it's not some lame rap-rock hybrid. In fact, the album has been so long delayed - for several years now - that its current iteration has little to do with a literal interpretation of the title. Lil Jon, it seems, has become enamored with the dance music influence seeping into every current radio hit. Influenced by the likes of DJ Chuckie and David Guetta, the new tracks are often synth-heavy, uptempo house punctuated with rap verses and R&B hooks. The disc is finally due out on June 8 from Universal Republic, and in an unusual booking for the hipster-ish Dirty Hairy party, will air out some new tracks from it next Wednesday at LIV.
Lil Jon. 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 3. LIV, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Call for admission information. Age 21 and up; 305-674-4680; livnightclub.com