Customer Reviews

Crown Royal

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Got an early release of this album. It really should be called DJ Run and his friends. I was very disappointed that DMC was really not on this album. I saw an interview recently that he was having some Voice problems and wouldn't participate in Crown Royal. If you saw the halftime show at the NFL AFC Title game you also would have noticed that DMC was not there. It would have made it a better album if he had joined in.

Not much Classic Jam Master Jay. Too many looped tracks and not enough fresh scratchin'. Interesting take of Steve Millers Take the Money and Run. Title Track Rocks. Fred Durst, Kid Rock and Sugar Ray seem a bit out of place.

The Jams are fresh and true to todays Hip-Hop. Guest artists give just enough flavor to blur the line that this is NOT Run DMC.

I recommend it if your a fan of Run - but Wheres DMC?

It's almost impossible to imagine a Run-DMC without both of the artists. But it was accomplished with this album in which DMC unfortunately only makes a few token appearances. So I figured the best way to review this album is to evaluate the album song by song, broken down into three parts: Lyrics, Beat, and Guest Artist. (I put one asterik after the titles of the songs where DMC makes an appearance, and two asteriks beside the tracks where he has an entire verse)

1. It's Over (feat. Jermaine Dupri)- One of the best tracks. It's all Run except for interludes by Dupri between Run's verses. Great, fast paced beat as well.
Lyrics- 10 Beat-10 Guest Artist-9

2. Queens Day* (feat. Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep)- Great track. This definitely houses the best guest artists and the slow beat, accompanied by piano, is also outstanding.
Lyrics-8 Beat-10 Guest-10

3. Crown Royal*- The only track without a guest artist, it is also one of the weakest. The lyrics and beat are weak, as well as DMC's monologue during the middle.
Lyrics-7 Beat-7 Guest--

4. Them Girls (feat. Fred Durst)- Only Run's verses make this track worth your time. The beat is decent but Durst is horrible.
Run's Lyrics-10 Durst's Lyrics-0 Beat-6 Guest- 2

5. The School of Old (feat. Kid Rock)- Surprisingly, this is a very good track. Kid works well with Run, and the hard rock beat is reminiscent of Raising Hell, which is sampled here.
Lyrics-9 Beat-9 Guest-9

6. Take the Money and Run* (feat. Everlast)- Surprisingly strong as well. If you listen closely, you can here DMC help accent some of the words Run raps (Spooney was the rookie that was new on the SCENE/Used to be a thug now he's doing it CLEAN)
Lyrics-10 Beat-9 Guest-7

7. Rock Show* (feat. Stephan Jenkins)- I don't know what to think of this one. Run is great and DMC appears, but Jenkins is horrible. Plain horrible. Yet, it's still another good rap/rock track.
Lyrics-9 Beat-8 Guest-4

8. Here We Go 2001* (feat. Sugar Ray)- Yep, that Sugar Ray. And yep, they are pretty bad. All is bad with this track, another rap/rock, except for the fact that DMC appears on the hook. (DMC and DJ Run, dum-diddy-dum-diddy-dum-dum-dum)
Lyrics-7 Beat-7 Guest-5

9. Aahh (feat. Chris Davis)- Very good track. Good slow beat, and Davis stands strong against Run, who provides his best verse on the album by far.
Lyrics-10 Beat-8 Guest-9

10. Let's Stay Together (Together Forever)- (feat. Jermaine Durpri and Jagged Edge)- The first single off the album, is also the best. Run looks back at a glorious career that he shared with DMC and Jam Master Jay.(Who supplies master beats on all tracks) Great hook by Jagged Edge. Too bad DMC doesn't appear.
Lyrics-10 Beat-10 Guest-10

11. Ay Papi** (feat. Fat Joe)- DMC finally has an entire verse on this Latin/hip hop track. It's only 1 of 2 actual verses he has on the record, the other being on track 12. Run is very good, as well as Fat Joe.
Lyrics-7 Beat-7 Guest-7

12. Simmons Incorporated** (feat. Method Man)- The last track Run DMC will ever record, it's very strong, and Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay further prove that they are the Kings.
Lyrics-10 Beat-10 Guest-10

It's hard to believe that Crown Royal will be the last album Run DMC will ever release, due to the murder of Jam Master Jay. So you'll have to hold on to their albums, their legacy, and you'll always have to be Down With The Kings.

Sometimes it's just better for the greats to take a seat and realize that their time has unfortunately come to an end. Run-DMC is one of the most influential groups in the history of music. Unfortuately, you wouldn't be able to tell by this album.

There's no secret as to what went wrong with this album: the awful collaborations and the near absence of Jam Master Jay. First of all, what are Stephen Jenkins and Sugar Ray doing on this album? I understand trying the crossover thing again, but do it with some credible artists. Sugar Ray? The biggest sell outs of the 90's are on a Run-DMC album? That's just completely wrong. Fred Durst and Kid Rock? The reason that they are on this album will forever be pondered.

It's nice to see that hip hop was represented by some of the premier names in rap. Nas, Method Man, and Prodigy all make appearances, but none of which can save this album from sub-mediocrity. In fact, the only guest appearance that works exceptionally well is when Everlast sings the chorus on the re-make of the Steve Miller Band's, "Take the Money and Run". Unfortunately Whitey Ford only gets a shot at the chorus, but Run DMC comes off very nice anyways.

Overall, it's a shame that I have to give Run-DMC only 2 stars. They truly were incredible in their day. Crown Royal was a good effort, but a failed one at that.

Coming to pay their dues to the duo and a DJ that gave rock rap, Stephan Jenkins, Mark McGrath, and Fred Durst step up to the plate and deliver some horrid crashing guitars and bad choruses to already tepid songs. Rather than make the songs sound like rapping over rock (see Shame by Wu-Tang and System of a Down off of Loud Rocks!) or rocking to a rap (Puff Daddy's rock remix of The Benjamins), you get a rapping over a mush of rock-like sounds (see also, Puff Daddy's rock remix of PE 2000). The only songs that shine are the collaborations with the Hip-Hop artists, most notably the Mef. It's a disappointment to Run DMC fans, to rap-rock fans, and to music fans in general.

What exactly is wrong with this album? I must admit, although I see myself as an avid hip-hop fan I have heard very little other Run DMC stuff, this may indeed not be as strong as previous efforts, but it is still excellent in my view. The guest spots (@ least 1 on every song but 1) are good, and only the Kid Rock and Fat Joe songs lack real quality. This is a good album, just about worth 5 stars, and I therefore suggest you buy it.

This album sucked. I didn't like it at all and it should've never been released LOL. DMC was very upset with Run and Jam Master Jay for not asking for his permission to use his vocals on the album. DMC wasn't on the album that much anyway because his voice at the time was messed up.

EXCELLENT PRODUCTION AND QUALITY TRACKS, GREAT RHYMES, old-school style raps ant their best!...but...

This should have been a SOLO EFFORT by RUN. NOT a Run-DMC album. It passes as an album, buit definitely BOMBS as a RUND DMC album. Fans will NOT hear the rhyme-exhcanges between Run and DMC which made them famous, nor will they hear ANY turnatable magic by the late JMJ.

We know that DMC's voice has been damaged, so he basically co-wrote the songs and had whaterver guest (e.g. kid rock) vocalize them. In understand the DMC situation (kinda), but why the lack of JMJ? And with the lat master gone, that was the last chance they had to let him shine.

So, as an album in general..GREAT content! But again...why bother passing off a RUN cd as "run dmc"?
With JMJ and DMC INVISIBLE on the cd, it's much like having Paul McCartney singing solo and calling the cd "The Beatles".

It's funny to see DMC mentioned so often on the cd as being so great, but he's practically not even on the album! And when you finally DO hear him get a verse in, (the last song), it it very bad quality as if it were prerecorded in the 80's.

Other times, you'll just hear him backing up Run's vocals. His voice isn't as loud and glorious as it used to be, obviously, but I didni't find it so bad that he couldn't have rapped on the album or have his voice boosted up.

When I was young like many I grew up on Run D.M.C. tapes, so I was happy to see that one of rap's oldest groundbreaking groups dropped another album, seventeen years since there first. "Crown Royal" is twelve tracks long with lots of guest appearances. Album opens with "It's Over" feat. Jermaine Dupri, a banging fast paced song. Next comes the simply sick "Queens Day" feat. Nas and Prodigy a track dedicated to Queens, love the way everyone flows on this one, production credit goes to JMJ, best track on album. This is followed by title track where Run D.M.C. reminds the world what they have done for hiphop. "Them Girls" begins the rock/rap collabs, song features Limp Bizkit, and seriously cant feel this one, truly wack repetive vocals from Fred Durst. Kid Rock drops in for "The School of Old", Everlast comes in on "Take the Money and Run" both average tracks. "Rock Show" feat. Third Eye Blind is a better song, gets you pumped. "Here We Go 2001" feat. Sugar Ray is subpar. "Ahhh" feat. Chris Davis is a decent laid back storytelling track. "Let's Stay Toghether" feat. Jagged Edge, is a Rap/R&B track,which has you nodding your head to a nice chorus. "Ay Papi" feat. Fat Joe and "Simmons Incorporated" feat. Method Man close off the album, both average tracks. Nice to see Run-D.M.C. back, but in truth this isnt anything near as nice as there past works, all the same its always good to see legends coming back, this album also has another significane now as it will be last album from all three members of the group. R.I.P. Jam Master Jay.

As a standalone album...Crown Royal rocks. But for people like me who love RunDMC, it may dissapoint. For one, DMC hardly appears throughout the album. Instead you will hear fools like Kid Rock and Fred Durst. If it weren't for those two, there wouldn't be one bad song on this album. As far ast the beats go, its more old school then down with the king. Run DMC return to their rock roots. A very good album, but too many guest spots and not enough DMC.

This album is an entertaining album with stars such as Kid Rock, Limp Bizcuit and Stephan jenkins. Its got some great upbeat tracks with Them girls, It's over, and rock show, but the old school element is very absent except for The school of old with kid rock which features lines from Raising Hell's self named title, "some punk try to dunk but he broke his neck". "reverend" Run's new style is evident as he no longer is the old "dee-jay" Run we all use to love, but he is still very talented and entertaining. Bottom line, it is a good album but don't expect the hard scratching Run DMC that we've all come to know and love.