| Full Name | Jonathan Smith |
| Birthday | January 17, 1971 |
| Birth Place | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Age | 52 |
| Net Worth | $28 Million |
| Lil Jon | |
| @liljon | |
| @liljon | |
| YouTube | LilJonVEVO |
Lil Jon is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ who is considered royalty in the hip hop world for popularizing the upbeat, club-ready musical style known as crunk. With his thunderous beats, hypeman vocals, and larger-than-life persona, Lil Jon rocketed to stardom in the early 2000s and became a pillar of Southern rap.
Early Life and Career Beginnings in Atlanta
Born Jonathan Smith on January 17, 1971, Lil Jon grew up in a middle class family in Atlanta, Georgia. From a young age, he was enthralled by all genres of music, especially hip hop. As a teen, Jon started DJing parties around Atlanta under the name "Lil Jon The D.J." He attended Frederick Douglass High School and honed his performance skills in the marching band.
After graduating high school, Jon began working at the iconic Good Life skating rink in Atlanta where he met Big Sam. They started playing hip hop music at the rink and soon joined forces to form the rap group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. The group slowly gained notoriety performing at house parties and clubs around Atlanta in the early 90s before getting their big break opening for 2 Live Crew in 1993.
Rise to Fame and Crunk Music Pioneer
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz embarked on a long journey filled with perseverance before reaching mainstream success. They released their first album Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album independently in 1997, which contained early crunk hits like "Who U Wit?" After years of grinding, their second album We Still Crunk!! in 2000 marked their breakthrough into the mainstream, especially single "I Like Dem Girlz."
But it was their 2002 smash hit "Get Low" that catapulted the group to stardom. The quintessential crunk anthem dominated radio airplay and shot to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. I‘ll never forget hearing "Get Low" for the first time at a high school dance and witnessing the crowd absolutely lose it. The song‘s massive popularity helped drive platinum sales for their album Kings of Crunk.
Already crunk royalty, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz cemented their status with their 2004 mega hit album Crunk Juice. Stacked with the #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles "Yeah!" featuring Usher and Ludacris and "Lovers & Friends" featuring Usher and Ludacris, the album became the quintessential crunk soundtrack of the 2000s. "Yeah!" in particular was inescapable, solidifying Lil Jon as a household name. The album went double platinum and earned the group a Grammy.
Crunk Music Pioneer and Hip Hop Innovator
With his bass-heavy beats and "YEAH!" ad-libs, Lil Jon pioneered the fiery Southern rap subgenre known as crunk music. Crunk featured simple, chant-along hooks meant to ignite high energy on the dance floor. Lil Jon didn‘t just popularize crunk – he helped create its sound from the underground up.
Jon‘s innovative production incorporated elements of electronic dance, bass music, and a riotous party atmosphere. By fusing urban Southern rap with electronic influences, he expanded hip hop‘s sonic palette and created the perfect soundtrack for a night of dancing and revelry.
Even today, Lil Jon‘s artistic influence can be felt in trap music and other forms of turnt up, high-octane rap. Though early critics discounted crunk as a superficial fad, Lil Jon demonstrated it was an authentic hip hop subgenre and opened the door for future sounds. Simply put, hip hop today would sound very different without the Crunk King.
Lil Jon‘s Lasting Impact
With his larger-than-life persona, hospital-level decibel beats, and eternal catchphrases, Lil Jon has cemented his status as a titan of hip hop. He has sold millions of albums, won a Grammy, and helped bring Southern rap to a mainstream audience. Decades later, songs like "Yeah!" and "Get Low" remain fixtures of every epic party playlist.
Beyond music, Lil Jon has become a pop culture icon, appearing on shows like The Apprentice and The Jenny McCarthy Show. He remains one of the most recognizable faces in hip hop. Though he continues to thrive today, Lil Jon‘s legacy as the King of Crunk who forever changed rap is already set in stone.
For any hip hop head, getting to witness Lil Jon‘s meteoric rise firsthand was unforgettable. The sounds of crunk ruled radio waves and dance floors in the 2000s thanks to the visionary producer and hypeman. Lil Jon didn‘t just give us anthems – he gave us an entirely new attitude and energy in hip hop. Twenty years later, the world still can‘t get enough of the Crunk King!