Get Some Crunk In Your System!-Lil Jon AOL Live Review!

Yesterday as I was on MS Word, typing like a madman, trying to finish Macro/Micro Economics and juggling a few online bills, my MS Outlook reminder rings with an alert.

“AOL Music Live presents Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz @ Webster Hall-9pm!”

~Damn it, how could I have forgotten about that so quickly? I was just emailing people about it last night! What time is it anyway…3:45….DAMN!~

I drop everything I’m doing and start calling up people trying to find someone willing to take that 2 hour drive down to the city with me. As I start to do a quick mental rundown, I begin to get that sinking feeling again. I have no clean clothes and I am supposed to be there around 7pm. If I run to the laundry mat, I might be able to make it. I will not let this turn into another South Beach situation, with me running around trying to get the story. I have tickets waiting for me too. I’ll be damned if I don’t make it to this show and write the review like I said I would. Then it hits me. This is an AOL LIVE show….I don’t have to get off of my incredibly cozy couch at all! It would have been cool to see it live, but I can still watch it and finish the story. You gotta love technology! So I relaxed and waited for show time. It was quite a show at that.

The show was proceeded by clips of some of their past AOL Live performances along with some music videos. The show started at 9 o’clock on the dot and after a brief announcement, Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz hit the stage and got it crunk! I know some of the hip-hop purist might turn their nose at my next statement, but Lil Jon puts on a hell of a show! When you hear his patented yells boom over the speakers, backed with his production magic, you can’t help yourself. The crunk gets in your system! Judging from the way the usually statuesque New York crowd stands frozen in attention when out of town rappers perform, New York has mad love for the King of Crunk! They were jumping and singing and moving like they were reppin’ one of New York’s finest. To be clear, Lil Jon is one of hip-hop’s finest, hate it or love it.

The show was pretty tight looking at it through AOL’s eyes. Lil Jon and the ESB bounced on the stage and ran through some of their hits. They definitely got the crowd apmed with “Bia Bia” and made the AOL censors earn their money. While all the acts performed censored versions of their singles, when they hit their club bangers like “What They Gon Do?” both the acts and the crowd provided the missing curse words, in this case…”Shit!” The AOL censors were shitting alright…all over the mute button, as the entire chorus got bleeped, just to be safe.(FCC sees and hears all, you wanna hear it too, don't you? Yeah I know you do!) Lil Scrappy and Pitbull came on stage to help turn the heat up a bit.

The show went on with Lil Jon and the ESB doing “Headbussa” and ”Get On My Level” w/ Trillville. Then Crime Mob hit the stage and dared the NYC crowd to “Knuck If You Buck”. (That girl in Crime Mob that swings her hair around is crazy…she did it until it was her time to rhyme, then started swinging again! I’m surprised she didn’t pass out) Then Lil Scrappy came back out, took off his shirt to show he meant business, and ripped “No Problem”. Lil Jon came back on for “I Don’t Give A..” and woke up the censors again.

Lil Jon is good at this. The way he kept bringing out BME groups to do a hit or two, then do a few of his own was perfect. He really paced the show, like a real emcee. Surprising huh? Anyway, at this point in the show he addressed the crowd, and the AOL Live audience. The camera scanned the room to show all the packed house, and then Lil Jon and the ESB started passing out free cans of Crunk Energy Drink. Dude is smart. There was like 30 minutes left in the show and he wanted the crowd amped! They had been jumping for about a half hour straight! So after giving everyone enough time to down a can, Lil Jon continued with the show by bringing Brooke Valentine out on stage. She did a little bit of “I’m Going Down” Acapulco style (old Fred Sandford joke) to prove that her chops are real and not Pro Tools. After that, she went into her ode to female boxing, “Girl Fight”.

Ying Yang Twins were next to rock the stage, as they came out and performed “Salt Shaker” Then the lights dropped, the cool blue light caressed the stage and the boom of “Wait (The Whisper Song)" came across the speakers. They rocked it and thanked the crowd and left (No “Say Iy Yi Yi” or “Get Low”? What’s up with that?)

Pitbull came out after that, kicked it with the mujeres for a minute. He went on to bring the heat back up with “Culo”and his new one “Toma”. After that, he kicked his verse from Daddy Yankee’s "Gasolina" remix, gave a shout out to Pimp C (“Free Pimp C”) and jetted.

Trillville came out and blessed the crowd with “Some Cut” and then Lil Jon and the ESB closed it out with a call and response version of “Lovers and Friends” with the ladies in the house filling in the missing Luda and Urrsher high note parts. With that, Lil Jon asked the crowd for a “WHAT?’ “YEAAAH” and “OHHKKKAAYY!” and exited stage left. All in all a great show made better by the fact that I didn’t have to leave the couch to see it! Make sure you visit AOL and click on their Music link to see the show!

Yeeeaah shawty!