Teaser
CRUNK is the embodiment of recklessness, the source of what drives teenagers and young adults to have erratic behavior, and a new record low for human vices.
It drives its followers to revolt, to spout out obscenities, to revoke their families, and to usurp the US Justice System.
It is what the elderly imagine when they think of "Hell" and the "gnashing of teeth."
But I dare question. . .
Is Crunk merely a myth?
A movement for freedom?
A spiritual gift?
Or a part of pop culture that has been misunderstood?
Introduction
Millions of teens and young adults around the globe have been captivated and ensnared by the pop culture movement named Crunk.
They flood Youtube and online video sites with their rendition of Crunk.
Many of them, unable to avoid its hypnotic trance, give in to its siren-like call.
And those outside its circle wonder, with innocence, what has "possessed" their comrades.
Why are they DRUNK on Crunk?
Why does it consume their lives?
Why does it put them in a frenzied and heightened state of being, almost as if they are "possessed?"
Overview
We call it Crunk and its name conjures up images of teens drinking, taking drugs, jumping off buildings, engaging in orgies, and destroying the very fabric of our moral fiber.
Those outside its circle conclude that its sole purpose is to pollute and poison the minds of our youth.
When people think of Crunk, there are three ways it is seen.
The first way, for those on the INSIDE, Crunk is a fanatic high that lifts them from the mundane world of Corporate America into a utopian world where anything and everything is possible.
The second way, for those on the OUTSIDE, Crunk is a pop culture propaganda engineered by Corporate Forces that are bent upon turning our citizens into obese, ignorant, and clueless automatons.
The third way, for those who don't care, Crunk is simply just another wave of exploiting urban talent for mass media consumption.
But are these perceptions of Crunk correct?
Is it really the American dream gone horribly wrong and it reflects America's obsession with being rich and famous?
2013 BET Hip Hop Awards
The Southern United States
Atlanta Georgia
The Atlanta Civic Center
October 15 2013
Thousands of Industry Insiders and Fans flood the streets of Atlanta for the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards Ceremony to witness the grand crowning of their favorite Crunk Artists:
Rick Ross
Gucci Mane
Kendrick Lamar
Drake
ASAP Rocky
2 Chainz
Nicki Minaj
In one spectacular night, these artist showcase their talent, their prowess, their skills, and their hypnotic trance over a global audience.
Millions of people tune in with their television, online, on their phones, and in various venues.
They are drawn in to this new aesthetic experience, the world of Crunk, and they are unable to let go.
When we ask local Crunk fans, true ATLiens, what they think of the show, we are caught off guard by the same phrase.
Shawdy, I'm telling you, Drake is STRAIGHT FIRE!
The Cyphers were cool, but 2 Chainz CAUGHT FIRE!
My Boo was something serious, she caught FIRE tonight!
And we scratch our heads.
What the hell is FIRE?
For real, what does it mean?
Does it refer to some sort of "Torch" of Crunk that has been passed on?
Does it refer to the heated "frenzy" typical of people being Crunk?
Does it refer to the way our friends act when Crunk music is played in the clubs?
And we're sick of scratching our heads.
We're going to find the truth.
What exactly is CATCHING FIRE?
Like them old folks say, to find the truth, you must go to the source.
But who or what is the source for this fire?
Perhaps the answers can be found in our distant past, dating back to the 1800s.
Europe (1800 - 1850)
As a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, the passion of humanity is set ablaze in what is known as the Romantic Era.
The Romantics believe in the power of the common man, in strong emotions, and resist the idea that certain people are "privileged" to the Divine.
Through Romanticism, the idea of individualism reaches new heights and gives the common man validation to pursue artistic perfection.
This is our first glimpse into what being crunk means.
Harlem New York (1920s)
A new cultural movement, nicknamed the Harlem Renaissance, flourishes and ignites a cultural revolution in the United States.
As a rebuttal to racism and stereotypes, Black Americans "uplift" their racial identity through the creation of art and literature.
It encompasses several dominant features:
A Pan-African Perspective
Experimental forms in Literature
Jazz Poetry
Varying perspectives of Black Life
Art
Like the Romantic Era, the Harlem Renaissance breathes new life into humanity and establishes an inner circle in the world of artistic endeavor.
Racial Pride.
Instead of fighting against evil, the artistic focus is driven by a certain group of people.
And in this group, the fires of passion run rampant and erupt again in the next phase of artistic evolution.
The United States (1950s)
Various Cities throughout the United States
Ushering in a need for dancing and an upbeat outlook on life, Rock and Roll takes the American teen by storm and puts them in a "frenzied" state.
Day after day after day, American teens soak up the music, dance all night long, and are entranced early by radio, then they are bedazzled when music is performed live on TV.
Unable to deal with their insatiable desire, Corporations get whiff of the spending dollar of the American teenager and suddenly, the word Pop Culture comes into being.
Through music, movies, and consumerism, the artistic power of these early pioneers pave the way for rock and roll to dominate the chart several decades later.
However, as radio reaps the benefits of Rock and Roll, the artistic flame widened its appeal to a new group of people.
A new group of outcasts.
New York City (1970s)
The Northern United States
In The Loft and a few other obscure places where outcasts congregate, an innocent attempt to throw a party becomes a weekly obsession.
Driven to evolve the sensational appeal of these parties, a certain "sound" electrifies and intensifies them until they are no longer called parties, but experiences.
And with the added spectacles of camaraderie and that potent drug of being "on the inside," this new fad left the participants with such an elated high that they were unable to deal with reality.
They wanted more.
And more.
To feed this demand, the sounds of this "new nightlife" are bottled and packaged by the DJ.
Once captured, the "party frenzy" registers in America as a whisper.
A soft whisper.
There's a new thing, a new way to experience the world.
The whispers feed on the party's increasing numbers and eventually, the whispers become loud noises hitting the eardrums of Americans like the roaring of fighter jet planes.
And the hook is simple - just love the music!
Once this hook is tasted, all ages are driven to join in the never-ending party.
All across America, you hear Disco Music.
Everywhere.
And it brings with it new outlets.
No longer are people restricted to the radio and tv sets, now they are able to hit the clubs and hear the latest dance tracks.
By the mid-70s, Disco takes over the radio stations and the billboard charts.
This time, being crunk is definitely all about the music, the party, and the experience of BEING ALIVE.
However, jealousy and corporate greed sneak in and snuff out the flame of Disco.
And like the Holy Spirit promised by the Prophet, the artistic flame returns to the streets and inspires a new kind of outcast.
Urban kids in the city streets.
Full of potential and power, rustic with revelation, but unpolished.
Atlanta Georgia (Early 1980s)
The Southern United States
Within the confines of Hip Hop's dance scene, three branches appear to accommodate the flames of passion:
Breaking
Popping
Yeeking
And here we are again, scratching our heads.
We know about breaking and popping.
Come on now, we saw Beat Street, Breaking, and The Last Dragon.
But we have to ask again.
Just to be clear.
What the hell is Yeeking?
And what the hell does it have to do with Crunk?
Perhaps the answers can be found in a wooden stage in the SWATS, on a quiet and serene street called Mt. Gilead.
Crunk’s Origins
Atlanta Georgia (1985)
The Southern United States
D.M.Therrell High School Talent Show
A Precursor to Reality Shows like American Idol, the event known as the Talent Show is a huge event for the American teenager.
However, in Atlanta, the Talent Show is on steroids!
Tonight, in the historic gym of Therrell High School, a monumental event is about to take place.
As the parking lot fills with cars and teens get off the MARTA buses and rush to get a good seat, the energy soars through the air.
Izod shirts, Sebago shoes, Guess jeans, and Legwarmers crowd into an old and worn-down Gymnasium.
As the host walks to the stage, the frenzied teenagers yell and scream and shout.
This is the night they've been waiting for.
There's more than magic here.
There's power and energy and a presence.
And it's EVERYWHERE!
And suddenly, the host speaks.
“Tonight Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat here on this stage and I promise, you will not be disappointed. For the first time in the history of Atlanta talent shows, the top four groups from around the city will compete in one talent show. No longer do you have to call your buddies and bet your Friday pizzas and chocolate milk about who's the best. Tonight, you're going to find out. “
Loud shouting and cheering!
That's right, tonight, we're giving you what you've been waiting for. Tonight, you are going to see the following acts on one stage:
- Your very own Kool-Aid and Raheem
- Broken Arms and Crooked Legs
- Hot Gritz and No Eggz
and a new kid on the block - the infamous FDC!
Incredibly loud shouting and cheering from the crowd!
And with no further ado, let's bring out the renowned Hot Gritz and No Eggz.
There it is.
The frenzy, the hypnotic trance!
The teens behind us scream and kick the back of our seats and we listen.
Shawdy, this is what I've waiting for!
This is going to be AWESOME shawdy!
I told Black and Junebug they should've come, they missed out, this is the best talent show of all times! Of all times! Of all times!
Yeah shawdy!
SSssssshhh, here they come!
And silence.
Not your typical silence, but a new kind of silence, a dramatic silence.
The kind of silence before you light the stove to sizzle bacon.
The kind of silence before the flames explode from the Space Shuttle.
The kind of silence before a Nuclear Bomb explodes!!!
And the energy escalates with every performance.
The Hot Gritz performance is electrifying and intense.
Then, the Broken Arms gang entertains at a high level, totally intense,but a different feel.
And the teens are eating it up, they can't get enough!
The only thing more intense than the energy in this place is the repeat button.
That's right the repeat button.
Every ten seconds, from behind us, we hear the word shawdy.
Shawdy, shawdy, shawdy, shawdy, shawdy!
Oh God, put an end to our misery!
And just as we are sick to our stomachs and can't deal with it anymore, a MASSIVE storm takes over the building and two rappers take to the stage.
And the beat is pulsing, pounding, engaging.
And one of them turns to the other one and they look out at the crowd and hold their mics in our direction.
And the crowd screams on cue.
Cause it's AWESOME!
And the beat returns as each rapper delivers a powerful message about them being the greatest.
We're caught off guard, we thought this was a dance-off because all the performers up to this point had been dancers.
But in our awestruck seats, we are entertained by two powerful personalities and we wonder what the future hold for them.
We look down and around, we don't have any way of knowing.
We turn around to the teens, excuse me, can you tell me who was that on the stage?
The kids giggle and laugh and murmur something under their breaths, then they respond.
That was Kool-Aid and Raheem, the greatest rappers in Atlanta shawdy!
Oh My God!
Not Shawdy again!
Before we can respond, the lights flicker a few times and a heavy drum roll as a powerful beat escapes the speakers!
Finally a song we know!
As we groove in our seats, we eye the stage as a new group emerges and performs one of the most intriguing, intricate, and inspired routines we've seen.
Ever!
We mean it, ever!
From the Freddy Krueger to the New York Smurf to the Prep, this new group is performing at a high and intense level.
The highest tonight!!!!
And we can't take it, they got us.
And we can't sit, are you serious right now?
We get up and start dancing and moving and we're unable to stop or slow down or even talk.
We leave our seats and follow the kids out into the walkway and against the balcony and in the aisle.
Wherever there's room, we dance and dance and dance at a high pace.
For a few seconds, we look down at our arms and notice goose bumps.
On our arms!
On our legs!
They are all over our body!
But we can't stop and well after the group leaves the stage, we are still dancing and grooving to Doug E Fresh's The Show.
Boom!
Boom!
Oh My God!
And it engulfs us.
The beat, the dancing, the beatboxing, the lights!
And the teens surround us.
And push us to continue.
Every time we dance in a sequence, they chant.
Yeek!
Yeek!
Yeek!
And then we spin and bend down, close our eyes, and lose our minds.
Nothing is real.
Nothing exists.
There is light and darkness.
All in the same space.
There is no past or future.
There is ONLY NOW!
There is only music and our bodies.
In one harmony.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww................
UUUYYYYAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!.
And when we stop, the frenzied twitching continues.
Our bodies still move.
They won't stop twitching.
They want to go back.
From wherever we came from.
They want to remain in this frenzied state.
What is happening to us?
To me?
And one teenager taps me on my shoulder and smiles,
"How does it feel to be so CRUNK shawdy?"
The Fall
Atlanta Georgia (1997)
The Southern United States
After working for So So Def Recordings for four years, Jonathan Smith decides that it's time to make a change. In order to make this change official, he dubs himself Lil Jon and forms a new group, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz.
They sign to an Atlanta-based record label, Mirror Image Records, and debut with their first album, Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album in 1997.
Their two debut singles rank on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and the world will never be the same.
At this pivotal moment, the world of Hip Hop is introduced to the new kid on the block.
The new wave of sensation in the world of Hip Hop.
And Hip Hop dubs this new phenom as Crunk.
Heating up the South, from Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis and Dallas, Lil Jon's primal energy captures the attention of Bryan Leach (A&R for TVT). After going to one of their shows, Bryan is blown away by the passion and extensive energy.
He comments, "It was like early Beastie Boys, when they had the energy of a rock group but they were rapping, and that energy is what crunk music is all about."
And his words resonate with me.
That energy is what crunk music is all about.
Little did Bryan know then, but these words were an accurate reflection of the essential nature of Crunk.
However, before the world of Hip Hop had a chance to focus its attention on its savior, Crunk fell into the wastelands of pop culture and now tainted, the world of Hip Hop turned its eyes to Crunk's ambassador.
Lil Jon.
Faced with such a huge task, Lil Jon's stage antics swayed his opinion and like all celebrities, he was given the role of Theologian and Scientist, a dire position of which he was unable to deliver.
As the mouthpiece of Crunk, he approached an adult question with child-like innocence.
He deduced in the following manner.
Obviously, crunk is the past tense of crank.
At our shows, all our fans are always getting drunk, so by putting two and two together, there's only one answer.
Crunk = Crazy + Drunk!
With this answer, Lil Jon unknowingly sealed the fate and doom of thousands of teens around the world.
Given the permission of pop culture and Hip Hop and Lil Jon, fervent and overzealous teens blindly follow the Peter Pan-like zest of Crunk.
They act crazy, get drunk, and in their devoted circles, they are praised for being the Crunkest one of all!
And on that note, we look back to the Hebrew Bible and come upon one of its greatest stories.
The Story of Adam and Eve.
We read the divine words and we picture this beautiful garden and Adam and Eve, together in their innocence, enjoying this lush environment.
And suddenly, a snake enters the picture and tempts Eve and the destiny of humanity changes for all time.
And in one sense, we must look back to Crunk's Origins in Atlanta and question whether or not Crunk's nature had been corrupted?
And if it was corrupted, by whom?
Was Lil Jon's wrong definition of Crunk really a case of sabotage?
Was it a deliberate effort of Lil Jon to promote his career?
Or was it yet, another, overblown mistake that was catapulted out of control by America's insatiable need for drama?
Perhaps the answers can be found when we return to Crunk's origins, which began in dramatic irony, at a fork in the road.
The Fork
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost
Behold the MC, which is commonly referred to nowadays as the Rapper.
Given the mantle of master of ceremony and dubbed as the speaker for the new movement of Hip Hop, the rapper is the foundation through which Hip Hop flourishes.
And with such a huge responsibility, the Rappers of old were given an incredible burden.
Like Robert Frost and the fork in the road, they were given two options.
On one side was the Cypher - a road that led to collaboration.
On the other side was the Battle - a road that let to competition.
Now let's go deeper into each option and understand why Hip Hop reaches a fork in the road and which option holds the promise of better days.
Hold on, I’m sorry, before we discuss Cypher vs the Battle, we must understand a key concept.
Transparency!
Key concept: Transparency
This is a key ingredient in Hip Hop.
Say it with me - transparency.
Make sense?
A Human Being, when they enter Hip Hop, has two types of armor.
The first one is metallic, coarse, making it hard to breathe.
The other one is colorful with a divine texture that radiates with a person’s soul.
So why would someone wear the metallic one?
That’s easy, they prefer to live by their EGO.
When you are transparent, the Divine Source is able to come into you and work through you, which is a key concept in CRUNK and TURNING UP.
At times, you must stop your life and look within and ask, what armor am I wearing?
Now armed with the right armor, let’s move on to your favorite subject.
That’s right - Cypher or the Battle.
Decision: Cypher or the Battle
When we chose the BATTLE route as opposed to the CYPHER route, we negated our chance at achieving CRUNK because we are no longer transparent. When you battle, you feed off your own EGO and essentially, are filled with YOURSELF and there's no room left for the Divine Source to enter.
By participating in the Cypher, you release EGO, become part of the connection with the Divine Source, and through that connection, you experience CRUNK. We had a choice in Hip Hop a long time ago, between fighting and between connection.
In fighting, we called it The Battle.
In connecting, we called it The Cypher.
For those of you who remember this, this is very important. Now, the fighting part, that was supposed to appease those who chose not to follow the rules of Hip Hop, which is connection. Cause that’s really what it is, all Hip Hop (even Rock N Roll and the Punk Movement), all this stuff is about connection. And to connect, we have to remove ourselves who are intent upon battling and not connecting.
Those are your choices - control or connection.
Key concept: Control
Never forget what selfish means.
Selfish is creating rules.
Remember the word, rules.
Rules are always synonymous with CONTROL.
You’re creating rules to control something else.
Now a lot of people are going to argue and say, well, we gotta have rules, let’s think about it.
I grew up in Hip Hop, we never wrote down any rules.
The rules were never written down.
But everyone knew what they were.
And this is why ancient people lived in villages and not cities.
In the city, there’s too many people, too many distractions.
Now, when you put all those people in the city and you “poison” the minds of those people and convince them that “Real” Hip Hop involves money, what happens?
Chaos!
And in chaos, salvation comes in the form of safety.
What is safer than making money?
When Hip Hop was poisoned by money, its real purpose was lost to the masses.
And I stood with my brothers and sisters, refusing to give in to the money, but it didn’t help.
Thousands left and never returned, their souls “poisoned” by the allure of money.
Say it with me.
Control = Conquer.
And who conquers?
History has many names, I will provide a few.
Hyksos.
Barbarian.
Soul-less One.
Heretic.
Opponent.
Adversary.
But don’t despair, let’s look at the righteous path.
Key concept: Create
Our values are the rage in today’s world of business, isn’t that funny?
After they came in and destroyed the culture, now they wanna talk about our values?
Right now, they whisper, but that will become shouting, trust me.
Lateral Thinking
Productivity
Innovation
Efficiency
Agile
DevOps
All these mean the same thing.
Creativity!
Let’s dig in, what is creating?
Creating is Connection, another key rule of Hip Hop.
How did God connect with us?
He created US!
By his creation, he CONNECTED.
I mean, if you believe that.
If you believe something else, then we can talk about it. If you believe in Evolution, that’s still CHANGE. You CHANGE over time, but we are still connected with the beginning, the ORIGIN.
So, whatever you wanna believe, that’s cool, just make sure you understand the concept.
Let’s look at what we have.
Behind Door Number One, we have control.
Control leads to Conquer and the path stops there, it ends in a wall.
Because that path leads to Death and Destruction, not our thing.
Let’s look at Door Number Two.
Creation leads to Collaboration, but then, there is NO DOOR, only multiple paths.
And those paths are special.
It shows that Collaboration leads to Cooperation, isn’t that a beautiful worldview?
Now, our final chapters provide us the clues to how long Crunk has been in existence.
Key concept: Nirvana
The continent of India (3,000 BC)
The eastern religions conjure up images of Buddhists, of monks, and of ancient ceremonies and rituals.
And these religions contain our first clue.
It is a simple word defining a powerful concept.
It suggests that we have the potential to find peace, the kind of peace that Christianity has promised us for thousands of years.
Known in the west as Nirvana, it is an ancient Sanskrit term that describes the "profound peace of mind that is acquired with liberation."
Better translated, it is the state of being free from suffering.
This is part one of our search for the secret of Crunk and what it truly means.
And our next clue can be found in the only theological term of English origin that dates back to the 16th century.
Key concept: Atonement
England (1500s)
Our second clue is also a word.
The word is associated with God.
With Mythology.
With Christianity.
And its creation is a simple translation that endures the Crusades of the Dark Ages.
And it begins with one man's driving passion to share truth with the world.
William Tyndale, a 16th century priest and scholar, seeks a way that he can share the Hebrew Bible with the rest of the world.
There is ONLY one problem.
Knowledge of Greek and Hebrew is scarce in England, so the oral traditions provide no viable options.
However, his world changes forever when Johannes Gutenberg creates the printing press and the new medium of print allows for an incredibly wide distribution.
Soon, word spreads of Tyndale's dream and he is banned from performing such heresy in England.
After relocating to Germany, he begins his life's work and while translating, he comes upon a strange and difficult term.
Atonen.
Which translates "as one."
And William is sidetracked.
How do I combine this concept with that of God and still translate this term?
Will it make sense in English?
Unlike Lil Joh, William is very aware of the implications of his decision and he spends days upon days thinking.
Pondering.
He realizes, the truth will not come from scholarship, but from dreaming, and he goes within and leaps into the corners of his imagination.
Finally the answer comes to him.
William translates the term as "atonement," which literally means at-one-with-God.
However, for his passion and for being Crunk, William Tyndale is burned at the stake in 1536.
His last words are, "Lord open the king of England's eyes," and even though it's been nearly 500 years, his request is being answered today.
Despite his small and forgotten task, the humble origins of the term atonement, Tyndale's contribution provides us with the second clue in our search for what crunk really means and his death is not in vain.
Nirvana is the first clue (a state of being).
Atonement is the second clue (union).
How does a state of being relate to being united with God?
And to answer that question, our search leads us to the final clue.
A clue so important that it is larger than pop culture, hip hop, money, and even family.
Key concept: Falling in Love
It's what differentiates men from boys.
It's what takes girls into womanhood.
For perhaps millions of years, the bond between man and woman has been the one constant.
It's been the rage of teens throughout time.
The concept of falling in love has captured the imagination of human beings and has been the domain of poets, writers, philosophers, musicians, and artists.
This western concept is synonymous with romance, with love, with God, and with our divine birthright.
It is defined as moving from being neutral to being "in love" with someone.
And this definition, being in love, is important because it differentiates itself from the plain version of love.
For instance, many teenage girls spout the following line.
Yes I love my parents, but I am IN LOVE with my boyfriend!
And we find ourselves with the third clue.
The frenzied and powerful intoxicating condition of being IN LOVE!
With our three clues, we should be able to trace how Crunk evolved into its current form.
First, we have Nirvana (state of being).
Then, we have Atonement (union with God).
Now, we have falling love (frenzied and heightened state of existence).
From these three concepts, we are given a glimpse of what it means to be CRUNK.
To be at peace, at one with God, and in a frenzied and heightened state of existence.
Definitely, the kind of thing that we should be striving to achieve, but somehow, we have eluded seeking its rewards.
Whether we were tricked by Lil Jon's answer or our laziness in not looking for the truth, we're left to juggle between the world and what we want.
The saving grace of Crunk lies in what is not being said.
Inherent in being Crunk is the distant idea that we MUST leave the world of doing and focus on what is within.
We must learn to Be.
A simple concept, but in our fast-paced technological world, almost impossible to achieve.
Stop doing.
and just.
BE!
Like its forefathers, those early adherents to the Nirvana concept, Crunk has maintained its pureness simply through the aesthetic experience.
Many ATL dancers, all generations, have collaborated on a sensation that has been dubbed "catching fire," whereby a dancer or a group performs at a "frenzied" pace and captures the imagination of the audience, thus forming that divine bond which was initially established as being at-one-with-God.
So, we must look at Crunk as the latest incarnation of what is within us, our spiritual longing, our divine yearning.
Christians call it The Holy Spirit.
Philosophers call it the soul.
Many ancient religions purport that God's essence lies dormant in our DNA.
Maybe, what we term Crunk is simply a social mechanism of our DNA, a spiritual puberty period whereby humanity unlocks the doors of our divine nature and we unleash the God Potential that lies within us all.
I’m excited, now you’re ready - let’s discuss Crunk!
The Savior Arrives: Crunk and Turn Up
CRUNK - When a person taps into their inner SOUL BEING and this divine connection causes the person's outer being (body) to exhibit a high-pitched vibrational frenzy embued with HIGH DOSES and JOLTS of Energy and/or Passion.
Crunk is a Derivative term that stems from the LITERAL meaning of the word in its present tense, CRANK.
To Crank is defined as “turning the crankshaft to start an engine.”
In essence, getting CRUNK means “tapping” into your higher self or divine self and this “connection” is WHAT WE SEE, but the person that is CRUNK experiences this as an awareness, sense of being, or an intense EMOTIONAL beingness.
With this established as a baseline, the term TURN UP is an advanced concept of Crunk.
Where Crunk is more of an ID persona with a high dosage of PRIMAL power, the term TURN UP defies this warrior-like instinct of self-awareness and jars the definition into a more abstract existence.
Where CRUNK deals with reaching what the ancients called Bliss and Inner Peace, what sports icons call being In “The Zone,” what people on streaks call “Feeling it,” the concept of Turn Up is more loose in its definition and much more forgiving in its interpretation.
The keen difference between the two is that Crunk is more a Masculine approach and Turn Up is a Feminine Approach.
The reason it is feminine is its willingness to BEND the RULES and make them subjective.
For example, a 20-year old young man in heat, if he TURNS UP, we may have to call them folks. But a 75-year-old grandmother, just by walking to the mailbox and down the street and then doing it again, has also “TURNED UP.”
There are a few occasions where Crunk is loosely defined, but in its major interpretation, it refers to REAL HIGH energy. And TURN UP is relative to the person who is TURNING UP.
Just as mothers attune their behavior according to their children’s aptitudes and personalities, so too does TURN UP embrace people of all ages, backgrounds, forms of consciousness, cultures, and traditions. Both concepts can co-exist, though many consider TURN UP as an upgrade to Crunk, this is erroneous.
Terms you need to know
50-11 Times
808
909
The 1990
The Atlanta Jams (Yeek Dance)
ATLien
The Backspin (Breakdance Term)
The Backspin (DJ Term)
The Battle
Beatbox(ing)
Beepable
Block Party
Blue Lights in the Basement
Breaking
Broke Down
The Bubble Gum (Yeek Dance)
(To) Buck
Buddy
Bump that Junk
Busta
The Cabbage Patch (Yeek Dance)
Catch(ing) Fire
The Charles Disco (Yeek Dance)
Chillun
Come scoop me shawdy
Cool
Cool as hell shawdy
Cosmic SAF
Creepable
Creeping
Crew
Crunk
Cutting and Scratching
(The) Cypher
(To) Cypher
Dance Crew
Dope
Down by Law
Dude
(To) Dump - a term about fighting.
Dunk
Dunked (on his monkey azz)
The DJ
Eat his azz up
Face Azz
Falarius Jenkins
(To) Fall Through
Fella(s)
Fire - sometimes spelled as fye, etc.
Five-O
Footwork
The Freddy Kreuger (Yeek Dance)
Freestyle
Fresh
Fronting
Fye It Up (Yeek Dance)
Geek Monster
The Ghetto Hop (Yeek Dance) - see The Rambo.
Git Gone
Go get him
Go get his azz
Go Head On
Go Head On Shawdy!
(You) Got Down
Gooping
Gym Name
Hard-Swolled
HBO - (Hit and be out)
Hell to the Naw
Hip Hop (Movement)
Hip Hop (Music Category)
Homeboy
Hooping
(The) Hood
(I’ll) Hit you back shawdy
(To) Jone - also known as cracking, playing the dozens, etc.
Joning - active tense of Jone
Knuck up
Lame (as hell)
Larry Lunchmeat
Let Mojo handle it!
Line Dance
Line Dancing
Locking
Master SAF
Maschine
The MC
Mixing (DJ, not the studio chump!)
Monkey Juice
The Movie Game
MPC
The Muscle (Yeek Dance)
The New York Smurf
On Fire
The Onion (Yeek Dance)
Partner
Pause Tape
Peep (me)
Peepable
Peeping
Peter Wheatstraw
Playa
Po Po
Popping
(To) Post Up
Prep (Yeek Dance)
Rap (Music Category)
Tight Mike
Tight to Def
Rambling
The Rambo (Yeek Dance) - see The Ghetto Hop.
(To) Rap
Rap on the mic (Hip Hop term)
Rap on the mic (sexual connotation)
The Rapper
The Reebook (Yeek Dance)
Regular Dancing
SAF
The Shabadoo (Yeek Dance)
Shake it
Shake it Up (Yeek Dance)
Shawdy - sometimes spelled as shawty.
Shawty - sometimes spelled as Shawdy.
(He/She) Shot out
Silly Ass Man
The Silver Fox (Yeek Dance)
The Skate Skip (Yeek Dance)
The Smurf (Yeek Dance)
The Snake (Yeek Dance)
(To) Snap
(He/She) Snapped
Sooping
So So Def
So So Fresh
SP 1200
Spit (a verse)
The Spot - See The Trap.
Sponge Bob (Yeek Dance)
STF
Stop bucking on me shawdy
(You/He/She) Straight
Straight off the dome
Straight off the rip
The Streets
Street Name
Suck on these
Sucka
Sucka DJ
Sucka MC
Super SAF
SWATs
The Swipe(s)
Swoop (Yeek Dance)
Tag
The Tennessee (Yeek Dance)
They jumped on him
Ticking
Throw them hands
(Get) Tightened Up
Transform (DJ Term)
Transform (Yeek Dance)
The Trap (Location) - See The Spot.
Trap (Music Category)
Trinity
Triple Threat (Yeek Dance)
Triton
(To) Try - He/She tried me!
Turn Down
Turn Up
Turned Down
Turned Up
Uprock
Uuuuuyyyaaaahh
West Side
What up homey
What up Playa
What’s happening with ya
Wheels of Steel
When you gone fall through (shawdy)
The Whip (Yeek Dance)
Whoop/Roof/Throw Dat D (Yeek Dance)
Wifebeater
Wind Mill
Yeek (Documentary)
Yeek (Movement)
Yeek (Council)
Yeeking
You ain’t gone do nothing
You got me twisted
You play too much
You scared shawdy