"Little Jon" redirects here. For the character in the Robin Hood legend, see
Little John.
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This article is incomplete and may require expansion or cleanup. Please help to improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
| Lil Jon |

In September 2007.
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| Background information |
| Birth name |
Jonathan Smith12 |
| Born |
January 27, 1971 (1971-01-27) (age 38) |
| Origin |
Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| Genres |
Crunk
Rapcore
Rap rock
Hip house
Reggaeton
Crunkcore |
| Occupations |
Rapper, Singer, Producer, Vintner |
| Instruments |
Keyboards, Synthesizers, Roland TR-808, Drum Machine, Sampler |
| Years active |
Since 1993 |
| Labels |
BME Recordings
Universal Republic Records
TVT Records (2001-2008) |
| Associated acts |
Pitbull, The East Side Boyz, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Ying Yang Twins, DJ Drama, T.I., Usher, E-40, Diplo, T-Pain, R.Kelly, Soulja Boy, Lil Wayne, Swizz Beatz, Three 6 Mafia |
| Website |
Official Website |
Jonathan Smith (born January 27, 1971),2 better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American composer, producer, promoter, and rapper. He is best known as a pioneer of the hip hop sub-genre crunk. His work is recognizable by his distinctive hype shouts of "What?!","Hey!", "Yeah!", and "Okay!", which have earned him a part as a regular character in the repertoire of popular comedian Dave Chappelle.
Early life
Musical career
Lil Jon says that he is a full time rapper who "was inspired by the synthesizer sounds of rave/dance music he heard playing in Atlanta strip clubs."3
In 2006 before recording the album Crunk Rock, Lil Jon severed his negotiation with record label TVT. He vowed never to record for TVT Records again, alleging that TVT owner Steve Gottlieb was shortchanging him.4
| “ |
After a long battle and negotiations with TVT, we worked out our differences. TVT cut the check and now it's time for me to get back to work.4 |
” |
Jon said in a statement: "Crunk Rock is going to be some next level shit."4 As part of TVT Records' 2008 bankruptcy auction, Lil Jon withdrew his multi-million dollar objection to the TVT sale proceedings and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist agreement to The Orchard. In return, The Orchard released Lil Jon from all future obligations and returned the rights to the master recordings of his constantly delayed LP, Crunk Rock.5
Other endeavors
Lil Jon is a big fan of Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL6 and writes a blog on NHL.com.7 On the blog, he has stated that his son plays hockey. Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen has a picture of Lil Jon on the back of his helmet.8
Lil Jon has his own energy drink, called CRUNK!!!9, his own line of Oakley Sunglasses10, and his own brand of wine, Little Jonathan Winery, which produces a Merlot, a Chardonnay, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.11
Discography
Albums
with The East Side Boyz
Solo Albums
Video games
Filmography
References
- ^ Semuels, Alana (March 12, 2007). "Rappers hear siren song of opportunity". LA Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/12/business/fi-hiphop12. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason (2006). "Lil Jon - Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jbfexqthldke~T1. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Scratch Magazine | The Blueprint of Hip-Hop
- ^ a b c "Lil Jon Readies Rock Album" (Online interview). SOHH.com. http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8400/1. Retrieved 22 February 2006.
- ^ VIBE: Lil Jon Goes to the Orchard
- ^ Golbez, Jez (2007-04-24). "Lil' Jon, the Big NHL Fan". FanHouse. http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/04/24/lil-jon-the-big-nhl-fan/. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Chan, Lorne (2007-05-22). "Blogged Down". MySanAntonio.com. http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA052207.2D.ChanBlog.37f81d3.html. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Notorious B.I.G., Carrie Underwood, Elliott Yamin, Paris Hilton & More". MTV News. 2007-04-17. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1557393/20070417/spears_britney.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ "Crunk!!! Energy Drink". BevNet. 2003-01-06. http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/crunk/. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (2004-11-01). "Lil Jon - Big Chips". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/bands/l/lil_jon/news_feature_041101/. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ "Little Jonathan Winery". 2009-10-23. http://littlejonathanwinery.com/. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
External links
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Lil Jon |
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| Albums |
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| Singles |
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| Featured Singles |
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| Related articles |
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