Sitting in an airport on his way to Canada on a May afternoon, the rapper/producer known for his crunk music — a fusion of hip-hop, rock and electro — eagerly talks about his new project, "Crunk Rock," due June 8 on Universal Republic.

It's been six years since Lil Jon has released an album -- 2004's "Crunk Juice," which has sold 2.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Although the album was well received, a dispute with and the eventual closure of his label, TVT Records, led Lil Jon to take a hiatus.

"TVT and I were going through difficulties, and then TVT fell out and went under, but even before then I was burned out and tired because I had done so many records back to back," says Lil Jon, who as a result tapped into his roots and began DJ'ing again, landing gigs all around the world that inspired the eclectic sound of his new set. "It was pretty much two years of me just touring and DJ'ing and just really going back to my essence. By doing that, it gave me a newfound energy."