Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
Atlanta trio led by producer Lil Jon with Big Sam and Lil Bo whose shouted hooks and club-built beats took crunk national with Get Low and Crunk Juice.
So So Def and the East Side
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz paired Jonathan H. Smith (Lil Jon), born in Atlanta on January 17, 1971, with rappers Big Sam Norris and Wendell Neal (Lil Bo). Smith grew up in southwest Atlanta and attended Frederick Douglass High School, then worked in A&R at Jermaine Dupri's So So Def, rising to executive vice president and launching the So So Def Bass All-Stars compilations in 1996.
Crunk takes shape
The trio's debut “Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album” came out on Mirror Image Entertainment on October 21, 1997, with contributions from Atlanta figures including DJ Toomp and Jermaine Dupri. It did not chart, but “Who U Wit?” reached No. 26 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and “Shawty Freak a Lil Sumtin'” reached No. 32. “We Still Crunk!!” followed in 2000 on BME Recordings, and “Put Yo Hood Up” (2001), issued with TVT Records, reached No. 43 on the Billboard 200, went gold and included “Bia' Bia'.”
Kings of crunk
“Kings of Crunk” (2002) peaked at No. 14 and was certified double platinum, driven by “Get Low” with the Ying Yang Twins, which climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 2003. “Crunk Juice” (2004) reached No. 3, also went double platinum and featured “Lovers and Friends” with Usher and Ludacris, a No. 3 hit, while “What U Gon' Do” reached No. 22.
Production and legacy
In the same period Lil Jon produced Usher's “Yeah!” featuring himself and Ludacris, which held No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 12 weeks in 2004 and won a Grammy, along with Petey Pablo's “Freek-a-Leek” and Ciara's “Goodies.” The East Side Boyz disbanded after “Crunk Juice.” Lil Jon went on to the solo hit “Snap Yo Fingers” (No. 7) and the DJ Snake collaboration “Turn Down for What” (2013).
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