Born on Jan. 17, 1972, Lil Jon is the stage name of rapper and record producer Jonathan H. Smith.
A pioneer of crunk, the popular hip-hop subgenre, 52-year-old Lil Jon was a huge proponent of its breakthrough into the mainstream in the early 2000s. As such, he paved the way for the likes of Pitbull, Too Short, E-40, Ludacris, Ciara, and Usher, all of whom he produced music for.
Lil Jon has performed as a solo artist and the frontman of the crunk group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.
His career has resulted in the release of six studio albums, a compilation album, an EP, 35 singles as the lead artist, 28 singles as a featured artist, four promotional singles, and countless other guest appearances.
As a producer, in addition to the artists mentioned above, his discography includes music for Amerie, Bow Wow, David Banner, Fat Joe, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Mariah Carey, Mario, Ricky Martin, Snoop Dogg, and Young Buck.
But where is the crunk icon from? Well, something that happened recently gave that away to anyone who didn’t know.
Lil Jon’s hometown and state confirmed
On Aug. 20, 2024, Lil Jon performed at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The reason? To support Kamala Harris and introduce his home state of Georgia in the ceremonial state roll call.
As per his IMDb biography, he was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. His success, having risen to stardom in the area, has resulted in him gaining a reputation as a Southern rap kingpin.
Lil Jon’s performance turned the DNC into a party with a rousing rendition of his iconic 2013 hit “Turn Down for What.” Following the call for Georgie to cast its vote, the lights went low and he appeared with the state’s U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams to announce that Georgia would cast its 123 votes to nominate Harris for president, firing up the delegation.