Get Crunk
I was listening to NPR as I drove home from work today and heard probably the most amusing thing I've heard all week: a review of "Crunk Hits Volume 2." On NPR. I snickered to myself as an old white guy on my radio explained the merit in the musical antics of Lil' John and Bubba Sparxxx. A self-described hip-hop fan, the reviewer knew he would sound slightly ridiculous laying out segues to clips of Lil' John's famous "Yeayas" and other choice snippets, but when you're 64 years old and have just been fired from your job, what do you have to lose?
The "merit" he described lay mainly in the music's ability to take his mind off his recent dismissal from a job he held for 35 years. He compared "Crunk Hits" to some of the '80s prog rock he had grown to love - full of sonic experimentation lyrical romps - but noted that it's rather more accessible than, say, the Alan Parsons Project. He repeatedly referred to the songs as "dance hits," which gave the review a hint of that social awkwardness, you might call it dorkiness , that NPR is famous for (at least in my mind). Dorkiness aside, I appreciated that the reviewer was self-aware enough to realize that talking about "Crunk Hits Volume 2" on NPR is a bit like talking about Adam Smith on MTV: it's going to sound slightly absurd. So he infused his monologue with levity and self-deprication hi-lighting them at just the right moments to create very listenable piece that didn't slay the subject matter.
As it turns out, NPR is way behind the curve when it comes to exposing crunk's latest trends to the Volvo-driving, latte-sipping crowd. In July of 2004, Slate.com ran a piece entitled "What, Exactly, Is Crunk: A guide to the year's defining pop sound." An excerpt: "With [the song's] keyboard line and what sounds like a choir of pirates roaring its title phrase, Lil Scrappy's "Head Bussa" is unadulterated crunk..." Even though it's not this year's trend it's still pretty interesting. I recommend reading it.
The secret about crunk is definitely out and the folks behind the sound are taking advantage. If you're not satisfied just reading reviews (and reviews of reviews), and if you've already worn out your copy of "Crunk Hits Volume 2," you can always subscribe to the Crunk Hits newsletter or buy Crunk Hits merchandise at crunkhits.net. Or even buy Lil' John's pomegranate-flavored
energy drink, Crunk!!! But you can really only get away with it if you're an unemployed 64 year-old.
The "merit" he described lay mainly in the music's ability to take his mind off his recent dismissal from a job he held for 35 years. He compared "Crunk Hits" to some of the '80s prog rock he had grown to love - full of sonic experimentation lyrical romps - but noted that it's rather more accessible than, say, the Alan Parsons Project. He repeatedly referred to the songs as "dance hits," which gave the review a hint of that social awkwardness, you might call it dorkiness , that NPR is famous for (at least in my mind). Dorkiness aside, I appreciated that the reviewer was self-aware enough to realize that talking about "Crunk Hits Volume 2" on NPR is a bit like talking about Adam Smith on MTV: it's going to sound slightly absurd. So he infused his monologue with levity and self-deprication hi-lighting them at just the right moments to create very listenable piece that didn't slay the subject matter.
As it turns out, NPR is way behind the curve when it comes to exposing crunk's latest trends to the Volvo-driving, latte-sipping crowd. In July of 2004, Slate.com ran a piece entitled "What, Exactly, Is Crunk: A guide to the year's defining pop sound." An excerpt: "With [the song's] keyboard line and what sounds like a choir of pirates roaring its title phrase, Lil Scrappy's "Head Bussa" is unadulterated crunk..." Even though it's not this year's trend it's still pretty interesting. I recommend reading it.
The secret about crunk is definitely out and the folks behind the sound are taking advantage. If you're not satisfied just reading reviews (and reviews of reviews), and if you've already worn out your copy of "Crunk Hits Volume 2," you can always subscribe to the Crunk Hits newsletter or buy Crunk Hits merchandise at crunkhits.net. Or even buy Lil' John's pomegranate-flavored
energy drink, Crunk!!! But you can really only get away with it if you're an unemployed 64 year-old.
posted by Will at 5:25 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home