Crunkcore
Encyclopedia
Crunkcore is a musical genre that combines crunk hip-hop
with elements of screamo
. The Boston Phoenix described it as "a combination of minimalist Southern hip-hop, Auto-Tune
croons, techno
breakdowns, barked vocals, and party-till-you-puke poetics".
mixed emo
with electronics
. But Warped Tour
co-creator and CEO Kevin Lyman calls the group 3OH!3
as "the real tipping point for scrunk", and said that "though 3OH!3 doesn't incorporate the blood-curdling screams of many scrunk acts, they were the first emo-influenced act to depart from traditional instruments in favor of pre-programmed beats", while still retaining many of the stylistic elements of emo.
in particular has been singled out, with John McDonnell of The Guardian
calling Brokencyde "the worst thing to happen to music since Katie Melua
's Nine Million Bicycles
in Beijing
". AbsolutePunk founder Jason Tate said that the level of backlash against the band is more than he has seen for any single act in the ten years he has been running the site, claiming, "They're just that bad, and they epitomize everything that music (and human beings) should not be." Vocalist Mikl from the band has acknowledged the criticism leveled at the band, but stated, "We don't care what people say (...) All these critics are trying to bring us down, and yet we're selling a lot of copies of our music and that's because of our dedicated fans." Writer Jessica Hopper also has criticized the band, but acknowledged its appeal to teenagers, stating "brokeNCYDE just completely references anything that might be a contemporary pop culture reference, or anything that a teenage person is into. . . . You kind of get everything at once."
, Blood on the Dance Floor, 3OH!3
, Millionaires
, Breathe Carolina
, Hollywood Undead
, I Set My Friends On Fire
, and Family Force 5
. Also, David Jeffries of Allmusic referred to Kesha
as the 'crunkcore queen' when noting her guest spot on the 3OH!3
album, Streets of Gold
.
Crunk
Crunk is a music style that originated in Memphis, Tennessee in the mid-to-late 1990s and gained mainstream success around 2003–2004. Performers of crunk music are sometimes referred to as crunksters. An archetypal crunk track most frequently uses a drum machine rhythm, heavy bassline, and...
with elements of screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
. The Boston Phoenix described it as "a combination of minimalist Southern hip-hop, Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
croons, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
breakdowns, barked vocals, and party-till-you-puke poetics".
History
According to the Boston Phoenix, writer and musician Jessica Hopper claims that the influences for crunkcore can be traced back to 2005 when Panic! at the DiscoPanic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is an American alternative rock duo, formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005. Since its split, the band's line-up includes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith . Former members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker left the group in 2009...
mixed emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
with electronics
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. But Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
co-creator and CEO Kevin Lyman calls the group 3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
as "the real tipping point for scrunk", and said that "though 3OH!3 doesn't incorporate the blood-curdling screams of many scrunk acts, they were the first emo-influenced act to depart from traditional instruments in favor of pre-programmed beats", while still retaining many of the stylistic elements of emo.
Criticism
The Boston Phoenix has mentioned criticism of the style, saying that "the idea that a handful of kids would remix lowest-common-denominator screamo with crunk beats, misappropriated gangsterisms, and the extreme garishness of emo fashion was sure to incite hate-filled diatribes". The band BrokencydeBrokencyde
Brokencyde is an American crunkcore musical group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006.-History:Brokencyde was founded by singers Se7en and Mikl. The name of the band supposedly originated from the idea that their music was "broken inside" due to personal problems. After the band began...
in particular has been singled out, with John McDonnell of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
calling Brokencyde "the worst thing to happen to music since Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
's Nine Million Bicycles
Nine Million Bicycles
"Nine Million Bicycles" is a song written and produced by Mike Batt for the singer Katie Melua's second album, Piece by Piece. It was released as the album's first single in September 2005 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Melua's first top five hit as a solo artist...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
". AbsolutePunk founder Jason Tate said that the level of backlash against the band is more than he has seen for any single act in the ten years he has been running the site, claiming, "They're just that bad, and they epitomize everything that music (and human beings) should not be." Vocalist Mikl from the band has acknowledged the criticism leveled at the band, but stated, "We don't care what people say (...) All these critics are trying to bring us down, and yet we're selling a lot of copies of our music and that's because of our dedicated fans." Writer Jessica Hopper also has criticized the band, but acknowledged its appeal to teenagers, stating "brokeNCYDE just completely references anything that might be a contemporary pop culture reference, or anything that a teenage person is into. . . . You kind of get everything at once."
Notable artists
Artists that have been described as crunkcore include BrokencydeBrokencyde
Brokencyde is an American crunkcore musical group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006.-History:Brokencyde was founded by singers Se7en and Mikl. The name of the band supposedly originated from the idea that their music was "broken inside" due to personal problems. After the band began...
, Blood on the Dance Floor, 3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
, Millionaires
Millionaires (band)
Millionaires is a group consisting of two sisters, Melissa Marie and Allison Green, from Orange County, California. The group, formed in August 2007, was widely known for mixing heavily explicit lyrics with a bubbly electropop sound. Their image and lyrics have generated considerable controversy,...
, Breathe Carolina
Breathe Carolina
Breathe Carolina is an American electronic rock musical duo from Denver, Colorado, composed of David Schmitt and Kyle Even. Breathe Carolina have released three albums, one EP, and five music videos to date.-Beginnings :...
, Hollywood Undead
Hollywood Undead
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011...
, I Set My Friends On Fire
I Set My Friends On Fire
I Set My Friends on Fire is an American Experimental group from Miami, Florida. The band was formed in 2007 by Matt Mehana and former member Nabil Moo. The group signed with Epitaph Records before releasing their debut album, You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter, in 2008...
, and Family Force 5
Family Force 5
Family Force 5 is a Christian crunk rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They consist of Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Jacob "Crouton" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, Nathan "Nadaddy" Currin, and Derek "Chap Stique" Mount...
. Also, David Jeffries of Allmusic referred to Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
as the 'crunkcore queen' when noting her guest spot on the 3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
album, Streets of Gold
Streets of Gold
Streets of Gold is the third studio album by Colorado electronic duo 3OH!3. This is their second album to be produced by Matt Squire and released on the record label Photo Finish. It was released on June 29, 2010 in the United States and July 19, 2010 in the United Kingdom. The album debuted at...
.