Crunk, that particular high-energy party hip-hop built around looped drum machines and simple chants, broke through into the mainstream a few years ago with massive hits by
OutKast,
Lil Jon,
Bone Crusher, and the notably addictive Oscar-winner "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle and Flow. Fearless Records, looking for another opportunity to expand their
Punk Goes... series, came up with the concept of
Punk Goes Crunk, a chance for punk rock bands to reinterpret and perform crunk hits. Strictly speaking,
Punk Goes Crunk really does not live up to its title: the
2Pac and
Arrested Development songs predate the development of crunk, and the pop hits of
Will Smith and
Rihanna really don't fit either; while the groups (including
Say Anything,
Forever the Sickest Kids,
New Found Glory,
the Maine,
Hot Rod Circuit,
My American Heart,
Scary Kids Scaring Kids,
All Time Low,
the Devil Wears Prada,
the Secret Handshake, and
Set Your Goals) seem to share a common historical sensibility, that punk began with the power pop of
Green Day and reached its pinnacle with their unintentional prodigy, emo and screamo. Still, all these songs are well-produced, and
Hot Rod Circuit lay down a successful track, wisely putting
Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" into a bluesy arrangement that actually works in a different context. ~ Laurie Mercer