Atlanta, GA · crunk · hip hop

Lil Jon

1 festival played

The architect of crunk, and a DJ set that is essentially two decades of shouted ad-libs delivered at maximum volume.

Jonathan Smith, who records as Lil Jon, is an Atlanta rapper, producer and DJ who led Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz and became the defining figure of crunk — a Southern strain of hip hop built on booming 808s, minimal synth lines and chanted, call-and-response hooks. He produced and shouted his way through a run of mid-2000s hits including "Get Low" with the Ying Yang Twins and Usher's "Yeah!", and produced widely for other Southern artists in the same period. His ad-libs, delivered at a hoarse bellow, became a widely imitated signature. In later years he has worked primarily as a DJ, mixing his own catalogue with electronic dance music.

crunkhip hop