Lil’ Jon
by Believer on Jul.23, 2010, under Lil' Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith, better known by his stage name Lil’ Jon, is an American rapper, hip hop singer, musician and record producer.
Born 27th January 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia, Smith’s first job in the industry was as a producer with So So Def Recordings. In the mid-90s he set up the hip hop group Lil’ Jon & the East Side Boyz, alongside Sam ‘Big Sam’ Norris and Wendell ‘Lil’ Bo’ Neal, and in 1996 they signed to Mirror Image Records. The following year they released their debut Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, which produced the singles Who U Wit? and Shawty Freak a Lil’ Sumthin’.
The group followed up with the album We Still Crunk!! – released in August 2000. The lead single I Like Dem Girlz debuted at number three on the Hot Rap Singles chart and helped the album make an impression on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. This was followed by 2001’s Put Yo Hood Up, which produced the singles Who U Wit, Bia’ Bia’ (their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100) and Nothins Free, and then 2002’s Kings of Crunk, which charted inside the US Top 20 and produced the group’s first US Top 10 single Get Low (ft. Ying Yang Twins). Finally there came Crunk Juice, released in November 2004, which reached number three on the Billboard 200 and produced the Top 5 single Lovers & Friends, as well as the hits What U Gon’ Do and Real Nigga Roll Call.
After disbanding the group in 2004 to focus on production and solo work, Lil Jon worked on a number of hit urban singles, including Salt Shaker by Ying Yang Twins, Yeah! by Usher and Shorty Wanna Ride by Young Buck. Then, on 8th June 2010, he finally released his debut solo album Crunk Rock. To date it has produced one single: Ms. Chocolate.
