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hip hop music - Lil Jon

Crunked up for Lil Jon


Lil Jon is a one of a kind star in the hip hop world. With his long dreads and his metal-plated teeth, it's hard to miss him. And consider this: Lil Jon is one of the top acts in a relatively new type of hip hop called crunk, which mixes together deep bass, with Dirty South rap, and even disco.

The music is often about sex and sexual themes. What am I talking about? Just listen to one of the biggest Lil Jon songs out there, "Get Low," and you can get a sense for the sort of strip bar mentality that follows through in all of the Lil Jon lyrics. We're talking about the unrated, uncensored version of the song too, not a Lil Jon song you might hear on the radio.

Lil Jon came on the scene with his group the Eastside Boyz in 1997 with the Lil Jon album "Get Crunk, Who I Wit." This was followed up by the 2000 Lil Jon album "We Still Crunk" and the 2001 "Put Yo Hood Up."

Getting Lower

It would be this last Lil Jon album that would really put the guy all over the place. What do I mean all over the place? Read on and you'll see how not only did Lil Jon get huge sales with his songs, but he started appearing in movies, cartoons, televisions shows, and video games.

But it was "Get Low" that started it all, making Lil Jon a household name around the world. You heard that right. The song topped out in the global top five, becoming a huge hit in such counties as France and German and even Australia. Lil Jon followed up this success with another album in 2003, called "Kings of Crunk." This album, and a remix CD/DVD of different versions of "Get Low," kept the cash flow coming for Lil Jon.

The next Lil Jon record, "Crunk Juice," came out in 2004, with a hall of fame cast as guest stars, including Ludacris, Usher, Ice Cube, Rick Rubin, and Timbaland. The top Lil Jon song off the album was "Lovers and Friends," which featured the vocal stylings of User and Ludacris. The song topped off at number three on the charts.

The Crunk Businessman

But perhaps Lil Jon's biggest successes in the 2000s have come from other pursuits besides his own rapping. He produced the smash hit "Yeah!" from Usher in 2004, which made it all the way to number one on the charts. He was the producer behind Ciara's debut, as well as material from Nivea.

And Lil Jon is much more than just music nowadays. He is a host of Pimp My Ride International, which he does alongside Fat Joe. Back when Chappelle's Show was big in the mid-2000s, Lil Jon was the focus of a skit making fun of him, as well as a frequent guest helping to poke fun at himself. What can't this guy do? Not movies. He's been in at least four movies, including "Date Movie" And "Scary Movie 4."

What about video games? Nah, he's been in at least five, including "Def Jam Icon" and "Midnight Club 3."


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