WHO IS LIL JON?
FAIRLEA W.Va. (WVDN) – In this edition of the State Fair Concert Series, we look at rap recording artist Lil’ Jon.
Grammy award winning artist Lil Jon captured the attention of music lovers back in the early 2000s by yelling three pretty common words: “Yeah, Okay, and What.” However, when he says them, it sounds and reads a lot better than how you just may have read them.
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Lil Jon teamed up with the East Side Boyz and put out platinum hits such as ‘Bia Bia’ and ‘Put Yo Hood Up.’ But things got even bigger for the artist after the release of ‘Get Low’ in 2002 which featured the Ying Yang Twins. There is not a generation of people born after 1970 who have not at least heard of the platinum hit. It is to this day arguably the most recognizable rap song ever written. The lyrics, “from the window, to the wall,” are maybe the most iconic lyrics in the history of the genre.
Lil Jon exploded onto the scene from that point forward. He teamed up with major recording artists such as Usher, Ciara, E-40, Ice Cube and more. He has also worked with Will.i.am, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Bret Michaels, Travis Barker, Jennifer Lopez, Machine Gun Kelly and many more.
As etched into rap history as Lil Jon is though, his latest album release was a little different, to say the least. Released earlier this year, titled ‘Total Meditation,’ the album is exactly that. It is 11 songs of light background music while Lil Jon talks quietly for his fans to kick back, relax, and meditate. There is no yelling, catchy lyrics, or star-studded guests, it is literally the artist talking and telling fans to breathe in and breathe out.
One more fun fact about Lil Jon is he invented the word ‘crunk’ which was added to the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary in 2007.
WHY SHOULD YOU GET TICKETS?
Honestly, in my humble opinion, which a lot of the time means absolutely nothing, it has the potential to be the wildest and craziest night in state fair history. With the concert being on a Friday night, Aug. 9, the grounds will most likely be packed with people anyway, and when the Atlanta resident takes the stage and gets into his natural talent of hyping everyone up right as the sun goes down, there may be an opportunity for fans to look back one day and say the words, “yeah, I was there.”
Now, Lil Jon could come out and sit down on the stage and have the whole crowd meditate, but I’m banking on the former being true.
My top 5 Lil Jon Songs (lead artist or a featured artist):
1. Get Low
2. Yeah
3. Turn Down for What
4. Throw it Up
5. Knockin’ Heads Off
