Lil Jon
Lil Jon is an Atlanta rapper, producer and DJ whose crunk anthems, cross-genre collaborations and meditation records connect his love of music with the energy of a room.
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Latest
Lil Jon’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
- Get Low2002 · Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz with Ying Yang Twins
Music - Yeah!2004 · Producer and featured artist with Usher and Ludacris
Music - Turn Down for What2013 · With DJ Snake
Music - Remix Meditation2025 · Meditation versions of his hits
Album - BookI Only Shout So You Can Hear Me2026 · Memoir with Paul Cantor
Overview
- Name
- Jonathan Smith
- Born
- January 17, 1971, in Atlanta, Georgia
- Work
- Rapper, record producer and DJ
- Breakout
- Get Low with the East Side Boyz and Ying Yang Twins
- Signature sound
- Crunk, with Southern hip-hop and electronic dance music
Mini bio
How it started.
Jonathan Smith grew up in Atlanta and learned to DJ as a teenager. House parties and club sets led him into the local music business and a role at Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label.
The breakout.
As the frontman of Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, he helped bring crunk to a wider audience. Get Low paired the group with Ying Yang Twins, while his production and featured vocals on Usher’s Yeah! connected that sound with R&B.
Beyond the shout.
Turn Down for What with DJ Snake brought another chapter of dance-floor music. In his 2024 NPR interview, he explained that meditation helped him manage stress and find calm. He has since revisited his hits on Remix Meditation and told his story in a memoir.
Creditschronological, newest first
Music
- 2026Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke)Producer and featured artist
- 2026Something’s In The WaterCollaborative album with LaRussell; production
- 2025Remix MeditationArtist; meditation reinterpretations
- 2013Turn Down for WhatArtist with DJ Snake
- 2004Yeah!Producer and featured artist on Usher’s single with Ludacris
- 2002Get LowProducer and performer with the East Side Boyz and Ying Yang Twins
Books
- 2026I Only Shout So You Can Hear MeAuthor, with Paul Cantor
Awards
Quotes
You gotta turn down sometimes. You gotta get rest. You gotta get sleep.Lil Jon, NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday with Ayesha Rascoe
In a March 2024 interview about Total Meditation, he explained how rest fits alongside his club performances.
Trivia
- As a teenager, he was involved in Atlanta’s skateboarding scene and worked at the Skate Escape shop.
- He played in his high school marching band.
- He says he thinks of the different voices he uses on records as characters, choosing a tone to match each song’s mood.
Find Lil Jon
Follow his new music, DJ sets and quieter moments.
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