Lil Jon Says Memoir Led To Discovery About His Biological Father

Lil Jon said he learned the man who raised him was not his biological father while writing his memoir, “I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.” The book reaches readers on October 20.

In his ABC News interview, Lil Jon said that he had long kept his personal life private. His team urged him to tell his story, and he chose to share what he learned.

“I could have left that out,” he said.

In an interview with People, Lil Jon said he learned this after a cousin took a DNA test. His cousin shared the results, and the two did not match as expected. The cousin assured him they were still family.

Lil Jon said both his biological father and Willie, the man who raised him, had died, as had his mother, Carrie. That left him with questions he could not put to them.

“Neither one of my fathers are here anymore, nor my mother, so I can’t get answers,” he told People.

The memoir took another turn after the death of Lil Jon’s son, Nathan Smith. Lil Jon told ABC News the book was already done when he went back and wrote an epilogue about his loss. He hoped sharing what he went through would help someone facing the same grief.

Nathan, known in music as DJ Young Slade, was 27 when his body was found in a pond in Milton, Georgia, on February 6. He worked as an artist, producer and engineer and had followed his father’s path into music.

Lil Jon said fans of his meditation albums had told him the records helped them sleep and deal with grief. He hoped sharing his own loss could help people in the same way.

His 2024 album “Total Meditation” includes “Coping With Grief.” Lil Jon made that project with Kabir Sehgal.

The publisher lists the memoir at 304 pages, written with Paul Cantor. Its account of family loss sits alongside Lil Jon’s years in Atlanta’s music scene, the rise of crunk, burnout and his return to DJing.

Atria/Black Privilege Publishing releases the book in the United States on October 20.