Crown Royal (album)

Crown Royal is the seventh and final studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on April 3, 2001, by Arista Records. It is the group's only album with a Parental Advisory label, though previous Run-D.M.C albums, such as 1986’s Raising Hell, had included explicit lyrics. All songs except the title track featured guest artists, including Fred Durst, Stephan Jenkins, Sugar Ray, Everlast, Kid Rock, Nas, Prodigy, Fat Joe and Method Man.

Crown Royal peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard 200, and number 22 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

After DJ Jam Master Jay was murdered on October 30, 2002, the other group members, Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels, announced the group's official disbanding a week later at a press conference called to unveil the formation of a coalition of music industry artists and a fund intended to financially assist Mizell's family.

Release and promotion
Originally scheduled for October 12, 1999, the album's release was later postponed for the summer of 2000. The release of the album was further postponed, per representatives of the label, after managers of Kid Rock, Sugar Ray, Everlast, and Fred Durst refused to release their tracks as singles, which were originally intended as the album's lead singles. Subsequently, the album's release was postponed to February 13, 2001, then to March 6, and finally to April 3, 2001.

The song recorded together with Method Man, "Simmons Incorporated", was released on the single in 1998 as "The Beginning (No Further Delay)". The songs "Crown Royal" and "Queens Day" were released on the promo single in 1999. The album's main singles were "Rock Show" and "Let's Stay Together (Together Forever)", released in early 2001.

Critical reception
Crown Royal received mixed critical reviews. However, many critics have expressed their frustration at the lack of DMC participation. Some positive reviews have been published. 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−

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."

HipHopDX gave Crown Royal three and a half stars out of five, saying "Crown Royal is definitely not a classic but it does provide a few jams that many will really love."

NME gave Crown Royal a 7 out of 10 rating: "Proves the emperors' new clothes can look just as solid as their old threads." However, AllMusic rated the album only one and a half stars out of five: "Crown Royal spirals so recklessly into contrasting segments that it's easy to forget you are even listening to a Run-D.M.C. record. Lacking any discernible sense of direction or continuity, the once cutting-edge trio has seemingly lost touch with its original fan base."