BOX OFFICE: the lowdown

Ciara is at number three this week with crunk'n'b anthem "Goodies". So what's crunk? We investigate...

1 The Dirty South Ignored by East/West coast hip-hop power axis, ghetto areas in Southern states such as Georgia, Mississippi and Texas developed their own take on the music and called it crunk, a Southern slang term for "crazy drunk".

2 Sonics Drawing on heavy metal and techno, producers like multi-platinum superstar Lil Jon set out to make rowdy records designed to soundtrack consensual violence. Call and response chanting replaced rapping while minimal thumbing was sought over rhythmic complexity.

3 Lil Jon Sporting diamond capped teeth, Atlanta's Lil Jon is the self- styled King of crunk, whose trademark bellowing of the words "Yeahhh" and "Okkkayyy" has been sought out by Outkast, Usher and Snoop. 4 Crunk'n'b In an effort to take crunk to the mainstream, this watered-down spin-off sound has colonised US radio. Ciara - dubbed the first lady of crunk'n'b - spent seven weeks at number one in America with "Goodies". You have been warned.