Jonathan H. Smith[1] (born January 17, 1971),[2] better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, hype man, and record producer.

[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!

[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).

[3] They also began to frequently attend concerts at the Masquerade, to see their favorite bands, including Agent Orange and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

[21] After graduating from high school, Lil Jon continued to work as a DJ in popular downtown Atlanta clubs.

When it came to hiring an A&R to lead his Atlanta-based music label So So Def, Dupri stated that "All I could think about was Lil Jon, because he was the person in the clubs.

After he was promoted to Executive Vice President of A&R, Lil Jon recruited DJ Smurf, Shawty Redd, Raheem the Dream, and Playa Poncho with others to create the compilation album series, So So Def Bass All Stars as his first project.

[23] The album, executive produced by Lil Jon, included the hit single "My Boo" by Ghost Town DJ's.

[31] Bryan Leach, formerly an A&R executive at the now defunct New York based label TVT Records, heard about the group and attended their Atlanta show.

"[32] By 2002, Leach signed Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz to TVT Records with Black Market delivering the albums to the label.

[33] In 2002, the group released their sophomore studio album under the label Kings of Crunk with the song "I Don't Give a Fuck" as the first single.

In 2004, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz released what would be the group's last studio album, Crunk Juice.

In 2006, Lil Jon, in an attempt to fulfill his obligations to TVT released the single "Snap Yo Fingers".

On June 8, 2010, Lil Jon release his first solo album, Crunk Rock, through Universal Republic Records.

He would go on to perform one of the songs from the film, "Goin' In" with Jennifer Lopez on the season finale of television series American Idol.

On July 22, 2014, Lil Jon released the single "Bend Ova" (featuring Tyga) on Epic Records.

[47] Lil Jon made a cameo in Usher's Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, performing "Turn Down for What" and his portion of "Yeah!".

Lil Jon appeared at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and introduced the Georgia delegation during the ceremonial roll call.

In 2003, Lil Jon was the voice of Jang Ryang in the American remake of the South Korean film Volcano High, broadcast on MTV.

[52] He has since appeared on various TV shows including André 3000's animated series Class of 3000, Crank Yankers, Robotomy, Hell's Kitchen, Tiny House Nation, Hollywood Puppet Show, American Idol, About A Boy, Celebrity Apprentice, and All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, Bar Rescue, The Bachelorette, Hip Hop Squares, and a commercial for Bud Light.

[55] On January 29, 2019, a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial featuring Lil Jon, rapper Cardi B and actor Steve Carell was released.

[59] Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic has described Lil Jon's production as "bass-heavy", and his album Put Yo Hood Up as having "a long and varied list of guest rappers to accompany the beats".

[60] Lil Jon was specifically influenced by 2 Live Crew, 8Ball & MJG, Three 6 Mafia, Outkast, Geto Boys, UGK, N.W.A, Dr. Dre, and Sir Mix-a-Lot.

Alex Henderson, also of AllMusic, contrasted Lil Jon's style of "rowdy, in-your-face, profanity-filled party music" with other Southern rappers, those who "have a gangsta/thug life agenda" and those who convey "serious sociopolitical messages".

He was seen on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time program wearing a Bad Brains T-shirt, and he used to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd while growing up in the South in the 1970s.

[40] His support for the Vegas Golden Knights led to him appearing in the team 2019 documentary Valiant,[66] and being given a Stanley Cup ring after their 2023 title, which he wore during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.

[citation needed] Lil Jon is a notable Atlanta resident and appears on advertisements in Hartsfield-Jackson Airport welcoming new arrivals to the city.

[71] Lil Jon has worked to help children in underdeveloped countries gain access to a proper education.

[72] In 2019, Pencils of Promise honored both Lil Jon and Trevor Noah in recognition of their charitable efforts at the charity's annual gala.