Atlanta, GA · crunk · hip hop

Lil Jon

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

Jonathan Smith, born in 1971 and raised in Southwest Atlanta, taught himself to DJ at fifteen and hosted house parties in his parents' basement rather than being out in the streets, as his father, an aerospace engineer with military service, and his mother, who had a medical career in the military, preferred to keep him close.

He 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. His ad-libs, delivered at a hoarse bellow, became a widely imitated signature.

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!," the latter winning him a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance among five nominations. He also produced other Southern hits of the period, among them "Salt Shaker" by Ying Yang Twins, "Damn!" by YoungBloodZ and "Goodies" by Ciara. As a lead artist he reached the Hot 100's top ten with "Lovers and Friends," "Get Low" and "Snap Yo Fingers."

His solo debut album, Crunk Rock, arrived in 2010 to a muted response. Three years later he teamed with DJ Snake for "Turn Down for What," an EDM single certified eight-times platinum that won a Billboard Music Award and passed one billion YouTube views. In later years he has worked primarily as a DJ, mixing his own catalogue with electronic dance music.

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