Crown Royal (album)

Crown Royal
Studio album by Run–D.M.C.
Released	April 13, 2001
Recorded	2001
Genre	Hip hop, rap rock
Length	43:49
Label	Arista
Producer	Jam Master Jay, LaMarquis "ReMarqable" Jefferson, Randy Allen, Kid Rock, Dante Ross, John Gamble, Stephan Jenkins, Jermaine Dupri
Run–D.M.C. chronology
Down With the King (1993) Crown Royal (2001) Greatest Hits (2002)

Crown Royal is the seventh and final album from hip hop pioneers Run–D.M.C., released on April 13,^[1] 2001. It was released about 18 months before the murder of Jam-Master Jay. All songs but the title track featured guest artists, including Fred Durst, Stephan Jenkins and Sugar Ray, Everlast, Kid Rock, Nas, Prodigy and Method Man.

It is the first and only Run–D.M.C. album with a Parental Advisory label, though previous Run-D.M.C albums, such the 1986 Raising Hell, had included explicit lyrics.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	43/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
HipHopDX.com	[4]
NME	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]

Crown Royal was mildly successful despite poor critical reviews.

Rolling Stone (3/15/01, p. 78) said "Crown Royal uses the same musical strategy as their minor 1993 comeback, Down with the King: guest artists, guest artists and more guest artists... But as on Down With the King, Run-DMC prove their old-school mastery without adding anything new to it; the tracks sink or swim depending on what the guest artist felt like bringing to the studio that day.^[7]

Entertainment Weekly (4/6/01, p. 120) note that "on this hip-hop roast, new schoolers Nas and Fat Joe pay their respects with sparkling grooves... Run's rhymes are still limber." - Rating: B-

NME (4/5/01, p. 43) - 6 out of 10 - "Proves the emperors' new clothes can look just as solid as their old threads."^[8]

Track listing

1. "It's Over" (feat. Jermaine Dupri) – 3:40
2. "Queens Day" (feat. Nas, Prodigy) – 4:18
3. "Crown Royal" – 3:13
4. "Them Girls" (feat. Fred Durst) – 3:33
5. "The School of Old" (feat. Kid Rock) – 3:20
6. "Take the Money and Run" (feat. Everlast) – 3:48
7. "Rock Show" (feat. Stephan Jenkins) – 3:14
8. "Here We Go 2001" (feat. Sugar Ray) – 3:21
9. "Ahhh" (feat. Chris Davis) – 4:21
10. "Let's Stay Together (Together Forever)" (feat. Jagged Edge) – 3:19
11. "Ay Papi" (feat. Fat Joe) – 3:16
12. "Simmons Incorporated" (feat. Method Man) – 4:26

Samples

Crown Royal

• "Theme From Exodus" by Ferrante & Teicher

It's Over

• "Marcia Religioso" by Carmine Coppola

Queens Day

• "Peter Piper" by Run-DMC

Take the Money and Run

• "Take the Money and Run" by Steve Miller Band

Ahhh

• "Change the Beat (Female Version)" by Fab 5 Freddy

Rock Show

• "Rock Box" by Run-DMC
• "Hit It Run" by Run-DMC

The School of Old

• "King of Rock" by Run-DMC
• "Hit It Run" by Run-DMC

Singles

• "Let's Stay Together (Together Forever)"
• "Rock Show"

Chart positions

Album

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[9]	48
US Billboard 200[10]	37
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[10]	22

References

1. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2001-04-21). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
2. "Crown Royal by Run-D.M.C.". Retrieved 2 October 2016.
3. Allmusic review
4. http://hiphopdx.com, HipHopDX -. "Run DMC - Crown Royal". Retrieved 2 October 2016.
5. NME.COM. "Run DMC : Crown Royal - NME.COM". Retrieved 2 October 2016.
6. Rolling Stone review
7. Archived October 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
8. "NME Album Reviews - Run DMC : Crown Royal". Nme.Com. 2001-04-05. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
9. "Discography Run DMC". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
10. "Run-D.M.C. Chart Positions". AllMusic. Retrieved November 19, 2010.