Jonathan Mortimer Smith (born January 27, 1971),
better known by his
stage name
Lil Jon, is an American
composer,
producer,
promoter, and
rapper. He is best known as a
pioneer of the
hip hop sub-genre crunk. His work
is recognizable by his distinctive hype shouts of "What?!","Hey!",
"Yeah!", and "Okay!", which have earned him a part as a regular
character in the repertoire of popular comedian
Dave Chappelle.
Early life
Lil Jon
was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia
, he dropped out of Douglass High School in
1989. He worked for
So So Def
Recordings between 1993 and 2000, which is where he got his
stage name.
Musical career
Exuberant, loud-mouthed, and regularly adorned with a bejeweled
pimp chalice at hand, Lil Jon is the charismatic figurehead of the
Dirth South crunk movement that arose from the Atlanta area around
the turn of the century. Born Jonathan Mortimer Smith on January
27, 1971, in Atlanta, GA, 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.
Essentially a means of showcasing his production talent, and
profiting from it as well, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz signed
to Mirror Image Records, an Atlanta-based label distributed by
Ichiban Records. In 1997 the label released Who U Wit?, a CD
single, and Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album; a second CD single,
Shawty Freak a Lil Sumtin', followed in 1998. The regional success
of "Who U Wit?" brought with it plenty of outside production
opportunities for Lil Jon, and so it wasn't until 2000 that he
returned with another East Side Boyz album, We Still Crunk, this
one released independently by BME Recordings. A contract with TVT
Records followed, as did the group's label debut, Put Yo Hood Up
(2001), which boasted some previously released material (e.g., "Who
U Wit?," "I Like Dem Girlz"), as well as "Bia' Bia'," the first Lil
Jon & the East Side Boyz single to get national airplay, thanks
in part to the song's guest features (i.e., Ludacris, Too
Short).
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 receded
from the spotlight somewhat, enjoying his celebrity while
continuing to produce hits for others: "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
Lil Jon says that he is a full time rapper who "was inspired by the
synthesizer sounds of rave/dance music he heard playing in Atlanta
strip clubs."
In 2006 before recording the album
Crunk
Rock, Lil Jon severed his negotiation with record label TVT. He
vowed never to record for TVT Records again, alleging that TVT
owner Steve Gottlieb was shortchanging him.
Jon said in a statement: "Crunk Rock is going to be some next level
shit." As part of TVT Records' 2008 bankruptcy auction, Lil Jon
withdrew his multi-million dollar objection to the TVT sale
proceedings and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist agreement to
The Orchard. In return,
The Orchard released Lil Jon from all future obligations and
returned the rights to the master recordings of his constantly
delayed LP,
Crunk Rock.
Other endeavors
Lil Jon is a big fan of
Atlanta
Thrashers of the
NHL and
writes a blog on NHL.com. On the blog, he has stated that his son
plays hockey. Atlanta Thrashers goalie
Kari Lehtonen has a picture of Lil Jon on the
back of his helmet.
Lil Jon has his own energy drink, called
CRUNK!!!, his own
line of
Oakley Sunglasses, and his own
brand of wine, Little Jonathan Winery, which produces a
Merlot, a
Chardonnay, and a
Cabernet Sauvignon.
Discography
Albums
with The East Side Boyz
Solo Albums
Video games
Filmography
References
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1441760/bio
- Scratch Magazine | The Blueprint of Hip-Hop
- VIBE: Lil Jon Goes to the Orchard
External links
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