Lil Jon | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Jonathan H. Smith |
Born | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | January 17, 1972
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Discography | |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels |
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Formerly of | Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz |
Spouse |
Nicole (m. 2004) |
Children | 1 |
Website | liljon |
Jonathan H. Smith[1] (born January 17, 1972),[2] better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ. He was instrumental in the commercial breakthrough of the hip-hop subgenre crunk in the early 2000s and is often credited as a progenitor of the genre.[3] He was the frontman of the crunk group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, with whom he has released five albums.[4][5] In addition, Lil Jon served as a producer for most recordings by artists who popularized the genre; these include Pitbull, Too Short, E-40, Ludacris, Ciara, and Usher.[6]
Lil Jon has produced several Billboard Hot 100 hit singles including "Salt Shaker", "Cyclone", "Get Low", "Snap Yo Fingers", "Damn!", "Freek-a-Leek", "Lovers and Friends", "Goodies" and "Yeah!".[7] The lattermost won Lil Jon a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance as part of his five Grammy Award nominations.[8]
In 2013, Lil Jon released "Turn Down for What" (with DJ Snake), an EDM single which was certified octuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[9] The song went on to win the Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song.[10] The accompanying music video was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, and passed the milestone of 1 billion views on YouTube seven years after it was released.[11] Listed as one of the Top Billboard Music Award Winners of All Time in 2016,[12] Lil Jon has amassed his eight number one singles on Billboard's Rhythmic chart.[13]