Gettin' all CRUNK!!! up in here

We poets need to keep on top of verbiage and its various configurations, but once again a new word has sneaked in under the radar: crunk. As in a mixture of crazy and drunk, apparently.

What's more, an energy drink has been christened with this moniker (yes, upper case plus three exclamation points). The term seems to have been coined by one "Lil' Jon, the Atlanta born megastar Hip-Hop artist and producer to describe a style of music that influences the youth and street scene of Atlanta and the entire south," according to the CRUNK!!! web site.

So much for the laid-back Southern hospitality of yesteryear, when settin' a spell was considered a major ambition in life. With an ingredient listing that includes 100mgs. of caffeine along with no less than six B vitamins and Skull Cap, it's safe to say that CRUNK!!! would straighten anyone right out of a Hotlanta funk.

I come by my knowledge of this term and beverage (which came first is anyone's guess), by dint of having spied the following Yahoo! headline: "Lil Jon to Crunk Up Eminem-50 Cent Tour." No, the tickets are not 50 cents (hey, where's the fucking "cent" key?!). The tour has been dubbed "Anger Management 3" - rotsa ruck on that count with all that caffeine flowing, take it from me. Somehow I can't see Celestial Seasonings giving an endorsement to this crew.

Still, Lil Jon seems to be a level-headed guy, having noted: "I like to go to the clubs. As long as the environment permits, and it's not too knuckleheadish, I'm there, I go to the club." Knuckleheadish - now there's a good name for a drink!