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| Lil Jon | |
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 In September 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jonathan Mortimer Smith |
| Also known as | The King Of Crunk |
| Born | January 27, 1971 (age 37) |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop, Crunk |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper & Producer |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, Synthesizers, Roland TR-808, Drum Machine |
| Years active | 1997 - present |
| Label(s) | Universal Republic Records TVT Records (2001-2008) BME Recordings (2003-2008) |
Jonathan Mortimer Smith1 (born January 27, 1971),2 better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American producer, promoter,and rapper. He is best known as a pioneer of the sub-genre crunk of hip hop.
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Biography
Personal life
Lil Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Douglass High School in 1989. He worked for So So Def between 1993 and 2000.2
Lil Jon is a big fan of the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL3 and writes a blog on NHL.com.4 He has also stated on the blog that his son plays hockey. Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen also has a picture of Lil Jon on the back of his helmet.5 He also has his own energy drink, called CRUNK!!!6, and has his own line of Oakley Sunglasses.7
Lil Jon's music
Lil Jon’s songs have a strong relation to Miami Bass, in that it shares the avid use of the Roland TR-808 kick, high dance tempos, and explicit lyrical content, usually dealing with sexual themes. He also samples various Disco sounds in his songs, especially in "What U Goin' Do". His productions show a preference for, as said by Philip Sherburne, "Sharp, spiky rhythms programmed on primitive drum machines and bass synthesizers." The Roland TR-808 is the core of Lil Jon’s music, with its "crisp handclaps and dull, trunk-thumping bass drums".
Lil Jon has become well known for his famous chantscitation needed and excessive interjections (most commonly "Yeah!", "What?!", "Let's Go!", and "Okay!"), but his hits are made infectious by his raw and unprocessed synthesizer riffs. One can easily stumble upon the very same sounds "within five minutes of sitting down at a keyboard store's display model" which only adds to the raw-edge of his Crunk Music.8
He claims that he "was inspired by the synthesizer sounds of rave/dance music he heard playing in Atlanta strip clubs."9 Currently, on the track "The Anthem", Lil Jon can be heard with Pitbull. Part of the lyrics are from an influential Latin American Salsa band leader Wilfrido Vargas track "El Africano".
Television
Lil Jon co-hosts Pimp My Ride International,citation needed along with Fat Joe, which is a version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride.
Dave Chappelle parodied Lil Jon heavily during the second season of Chappelle's Show; one episode featured him in on the act.
Discography
Albums
- 1997: Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album
- 2000: We Still Crunk!!
- 2001: Put Yo Hood Up
- 2002: Kings of Crunk
- 2003: Part II
- 2004: Crunk Juice
- 2005: Crunk Juice Chopped & Screwed
- 2008: Crunk Rock
Video games
- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
- 25 To Life (cameo appearance)
- Def Jam: Icon
- Need for Speed: Underground "Get Low"
- Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix
Filmography
- 2004: Soul Plane
- 2005: Boss'n Up
- 2005: Hip-Hop Honeys: Las Vegas (Featuring guest appearances from Redman, DJ Premier, Lloyd Banks, Floyd Mayweather, Aaron Hall, 50 Cent, Obie Trice and many more) 10
- 2006: Date Movie
- 2006: Scary Movie 4
References
- ^ Samuels, Alana (2007-03-12). "Rappers hear siren song of opportunity", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 11 April 2008.
- ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason (2006). "Lil Jon - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Golbez, Jez (2007-04-24). "Lil' Jon, the Big NHL Fan". FanHouse. Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Chan, Lorne (2007-05-22). "Blogged Down", MySanAntonio.com. Retrieved on 11 April 2008.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Notorious B.I.G., Carrie Underwood, Elliott Yamin, Paris Hilton & More", MTV News (2007-04-17). Retrieved on 11 April 2008.
- ^ "Crunk!!! Energy Drink". BevNet (2003-01-06). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (2004-11-01). "Lil Jon - Big Chips", MTV News. Retrieved on 11 April 2008.
- ^ Philip Sherburne, "Hip-Hop Embraces Techno (Yeah! O.K.!) [first cut"
- ^ Scratch Magazine | The Blueprint of Hip-Hop
- ^ Hip-Hop Honeys: Las Vegas - amazon.com
External links
- Complete Discography of Lil Jon
- Official website
- Lil Jon at the Internet Movie Database
- Lil Jon at MySpace
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