Crown Royal

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 the 1986 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.