LIL JON

Exuberant, loud-mouthed, and regularly adorned with a bejeweled pimp chalice in hand, Lil Jon was the charismatic figurehead of the Dirty South crunk movement that arose from the Atlanta area around the turn of the century. Born Jonathan Smith on January 27, 1971, in Atlanta, Georgia, the producer/rapper began his rap industry ascension as part of Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label, for which he worked from 1993 to 2000. In the mid-'90s Lil Jon began making a name for himself as a producer with a knack for club remixes. Before long he formed his own group, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, comprised of Big Sam and Lil Bo, in addition to himself.

Lil Jon has also appeared in movies, including Soul Plane and Scary Movie 4, as well as two seasons of the reality-television show The Celebrity Apprentice, hosted by Donald Trump. In 2011, he placed in the top four, competing alongside Meatloaf, John Rich and Marlee Matlin. He returned to the show in 2013.

HIGHLIGHTS

Led by the single "I Don't Give a @#&%," Kings of Crunk (2002) then capitalized on Lil Jon's breakthrough, spawning the Top Five hit "Get Low." Featuring the Ying Yang Twins, "Get Low" was a club phenomenon

throughout 2003; Part II, a CD/DVD EP released toward the end of the year, featured dancehall and merengue remixes of the song, along with additional material. Lil Jon's production style became ubiquitous on urban radio thereafter, as "Salt Shaker" (a production for the Ying Yang Twins), "Goodies" (Ciara), "Yeah!" (Usher), "Freek-a-Leek" (Petey Pablo), "Shorty Wanna Ride" (Young Buck), "Damn!" (YoungBloodZ), "Let's Go" (Trick Daddy),

"Culo" (Pitbull), "Head Bussa" (Lil Scrappy), "Neva Eva" (Trillville), and "Shake That Monkey" (Too Short) all garnered significant airplay in 2003-2004. By this point, the celebrity of Lil Jon was such that comedian Dave

Chappelle was memorably satirizing him (especially his signature "yeaaah!" and "whaaat!?" expressions) on a couple episodes of The Chappelle Show.

Toward the end of 2004, "What U Gon' Do," a Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz single featuring Lil Scrappy,

announced the release of Crunk Juice, a star-studded album featuring guest features on nearly every song. "Friends & Lovers," featuring Usher and Ludacris, became the most successful single, reaching the Top Three of the Billboard 100. In the wake of Crunk Juice, Lil Jon put his solo career on hold while his label went through

bankruptcy hearings. He continued to produce hits for others, including "I'm a King" (T.I., 2005), "Touch" (Amerie, 2005), "Girlfight" (Brooke Valentine, 2005), "Okay" (Nivea, 2005), "Presidential" (YoungBloodZ, 2006),

"U and Dat" (E-40, 2006), "Gangsta Gangsta" (Lil Scrappy, 2006), and "Dime/Tell Me" (Pitbull, 2006), among others. In 2010 his solo career was back in the forefront with the release of that year's Crunk Rock. A year later he competed on Donald Trump's reality television show Celebrity Apprentice, losing to country music star John

Rich, while 2014 saw him mash crunk with trap and electro on "Turn Down for What," his Top Five dance hit and collaborative single with DJ Snake.

MUSIC

DJ Snake, Lil Jon - Turn Down for What

https://youtu.be/HMUDVMiITOU

LMFAO - Shots ft. Lil Jon https://youtu.be/XNtTEibFvlQ

Jay Sean - Do You Remember ft. Sean Paul, Lil Jon

https://youtu.be/a81eP2E8MEQ

Steve Aoki & Laidback Luke ft. Lil Jon - Turbulence https://youtu.be/y3OzHBEcymw

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Get Low

https://youtu.be/IYH7_GzP4Tg

LIVE VIDEOS

Roverfest 2014 https://youtu.be/GdacvjpPuwg

So So Def 20th Anniversary https://youtu.be/fT1RqzrPq7w

Cancun 2011

https://youtu.be/5HLQx8mnSxY

Social Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilJon SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lil_jon

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LILJIZZEL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liljon