Jonathan Mortimer 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!".
Lil Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Douglass High School (Georgia) in 1989. He worked for So So Def between 1993 and 2000, which is where he got his stage name.[3] [2]
Lil Jon is a big fan of Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL[4] and writes a blog on NHL.com.[5] He has also stated on the blog that his son plays hockey. Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen also has a picture of Lil Jon on the back of his helmet.[6] He also has his own energy drink, called CRUNK!!![7], and has his own line of Oakley Sunglasses.[8]
Lil Jon says that he is a full time rapper and "was inspired by the synthesizer sounds of rave/dance music he heard playing in Atlanta strip clubs".[9]
