Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) is an American rapper, producer, and the former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was a driving force behind the rise of the hip-hop subgenre crunk and is credited with bringing the genre mainstream prominence. Lil Jon frequently duets with rappers Pitbull from Miami and Too Short and E-40 from the Bay Area. He is one-third of an unofficial trio that includes Atlanta-based artists Ludacris and Usher, who frequently collaborate on tracks.
Lil Jon’s production credits include “Salt Shaker,” “Cyclone,” “Go Low,” “Snap Yo Fingers,” “Damn!”, “Freek-a-Leek,” “Lovers and Friends,” “Goodies,” and “Yes!” on the Billboard Top 100. Lil Jon, a five-time Grammy nominee, won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance with Usher and Ludacris for “Yes!”
Lil Jon partnered with producer DJ Snake in 2013 to record “Turn Down For What,” an EDM hit that has gone 6 multi-platinum in the United States as of 2021. The song was later nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song. The accompanying music video was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, and as of January 2023, it had been viewed over 1.14 billion times on YouTube.
In 2016, Lil Jon achieved his eighth number one on Billboard’s Rhythmic Chart as a songwriter on “My Type,” a song by California rapper Saweetie, and was also a songwriter on the rapper’s track “Tap In,” which reached number two on the same chart.
