Lil Jon

Lil Jon Gets Rowdy In Yelawolf's 'Hard White' Video

20 Sep 2011 18:57:55 EDT

First clip from Yela's upcoming Radioactive debut features a debauched crowd in a gritty bar.
By Rob Markman

Bar fights, bikini wrestling and a Lil Jon guest spot — what's not to love about Yelawolf's "Hard White" video? On Tuesday (September 20) Catfish Billy debuted the first visual to his debut album, Radioactive, which is set to hit stores on October 25.

The Motion Family-directed clip starts with a pan from an outside parking lot, revealing bikers, truckers and various riffraff who file into the gritty bar where the MC is set to perform. Lil Jon is the hype man, but Yela is clearly the life of the party as he raps and pops champagne bottles in a tie-dyed hoodie. "You ain't gotta lay down on your back to know you're already f---ed up/ Lettin' me in the motherf---in' club is like lettin' me drunk drive in your truck," the Shady signee spits to set things off as partygoers keep their hands in the air.

The crowd is a mixed bunch — black, white, tatted up and gangsta — who seem to enjoy debauchery. Women are passed out drunk in the bathroom, while Wolf slides his buddy across the bar top like a human bowling ball, striking all the staged beer bottles in the process. The Gadsen, Alabama, lyricist isn't the only entertainment in the staged nightclub, however. In the middle of the venue a kiddie pool, filled with some type of lubricant, houses two scantily clad eye candies who wrestle and smack each other on the backside in slow motion as the rowdy crowd cheers them on.

The song's hook ("Up in the club, don't give a f---") is a lyrical reflection of what fans see. Visually, "Hard White" is dark, mixing hip-hop and punk elements seamlessly as Yela proves he is a musical force to be reckoned with even before his boast at the end of the clip. "I ain't in the building, I own the building, bitch," he exclaimed. And who are we to argue?

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Lil Jon Surprised By How Hard 'Celebrity Apprentice' Is

20 Jan 2011 15:00:14 EST

'Mentally and physically, it just wears on you,' Jon says.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Lil Jon has worn many hats in the hip-hop industry, from artist to DJ to label head. And the rowdy rapper will be drawing from those experiences and more during his stint on the upcoming season of "Celebrity Apprentice."

The Atlanta star said the reality-TV challenge is one of the most difficult things he's had to take on. "Man, before we started filming the show, I watched the last two seasons of the show," Jon told MTV News. "I thought, this is hard but I can deal with it. Until you get into the season, though, and start dealing with it, you don't realize how hard it is.

"America has no idea how hard it is to do this show. You wake up in the morning, you have to do this task, basically in six or eight hours. It's just as hard, to me, as putting together an album. As an artist, it's hard to make an album. You're a perfectionist, you want to make it perfect and you want to give your audience the best you can give them. [The show] is just as hard or maybe harder. Because you don't know what you have to do in the morning. You get the task and you have to do it."

According to Jon, the hours are long and the arduous schedule only allows for one day off a week. "Mentally and physically, it just wears on you," he said.

With the roster of contestants this season coming from the worlds of TV, music, movies and elsewhere, including Gary Busey, LaToya Jackson and Mark McGrath, Jon has to be on his toes if he wants to take the top spot. His strategy "is to not lose," he said, laughing. " 'Cause if you lose, you have to go into the boardroom and that's where you get your head cut off. So no rivalries with me. I want to play together as a team and just win. It's ugly in that boardroom."

Despite the difficulties, however, Jon, who scored the spot with the help of his longtime publicist, admitted the decision to appear on the show was easy because of the charitable aspect.

"It's for the charity," he explained. "So when I get to a point where I wanna quit, I just think about the people that I'm helping out."

The new season of "Celebrity Apprentice" premieres March 6 on NBC.

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Lil Jon, LaToya Jackson, Mark McGrath To Compete On 'Celebrity Apprentice'

14 Jan 2011 09:36:32 EST

Gary Busey, Jose Canseco, Meat Loaf are among other contestants who will appear on reality show's 11th season.
By Gil Kaufman

Real estate mogul Donald Trump may not have decided whether he's running for president, but he's definitely put together the strangest cabinet yet for the upcoming season of "Celebrity Apprentice."

The Donald went on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Thursday to unveil the cast for the 11th season of the reality competition, and once again it is a fascinating grab bag of musicians, models, sports figures and actors.

From the world of music, the cast of 16 includes King of Crunk Lil Jon, Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath, country star John Rich, classic rocker Meat Loaf, LaToya Jackson and R&B legend Dionne Warwick.

Among the actors signing on for the chance to win some cash for the charity of their choice are unhinged reality staple Gary Busey, 1970s teen idol and "Partridge Family" star David Cassidy, Lisa Rinna and Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin.

"LaToya Jackson and Gary Busey anywhere, I'm there!" Fallon enthused. "Gary Busey, yikes."

The other famous faces include tax-troubled "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch, "Real Housewives of Atlanta" firecracker NeNe Leakes, former "View" host Star Jones, model Niki Taylor, former baseball star Jose Canseco and Playboy Playmate of the Year Hope Dworaczyk.

Jon and Leakes joined Trump on Fallon's show on Thursday to help promote the upcoming season by playing a game of charades, with Jon seemingly unclear on the rules of the rec-room staple.

"It was like fistfights all the time," Trump told Fallon about the tension between Jones and Leakes. "I've never seen confrontations like that. In fact, they make Omarosa look nice!"

Last season was one of the most drama-filled to date, as Poison singer Bret Michaels took the prize amid the medical crisis of his brain hemorrhage. The show premieres on March 6 on NBC.

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T.I. Gets Support From Ciara, Lil Jon And NeNe Leakes

17 Oct 2010 17:49:27 EDT

Atlanta stars send MC words of encouragement as he heads back to prison for 11 months.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

T.I. is heading back to jail for nearly a year but not without some words of support from his fellow Atlanta stars.

The superstar MC was sentenced Friday to 11 months in prison for probation violation after he was caught with drugs during a traffic stop in Los Angeles last month. Tip just wrapped up a bid for a felony weapons charge in March and is expected to turn himself in within the next two weeks. As the ATL spitter heads back to prison, some famous faces are sending T.I. some hometown love.

"He just gotta hold his head up," Atlanta producer and DJ Lil Jon told MTV News on the Tao New York 10th Anniversary red carpet Saturday. "Sometimes you get the wrong curveballs in life but you keep your head up, keep pushing, everything will be good."

Southern songbird Ciara also sent the MC some messages of support.

"To the big homie T.I., I just want to ... send you and your family all my love and support and prayer and, of course, keep your head up strong," she said. "You survived this long, and before you know it, the journey will be over and I'm hoping that when you come out that things can only continue to get better for you and for your family."

The R&B princess added that she feels for T.I., who has to deal with the sometimes harsh glare of the spotlight and fair-weather support from the music game when handling mistakes.

"I support him. None of us have perfect days and it's crazy because in our industry when we don't have perfect days a lot of times people turn their backs on you. We're all human and unfortunately ... when you are a celebrity what you do is exposed. But there are a lot of people just like you that go through troubles every day," the "Ride" singer said. "I support anybody that's going through a tough time and I'm sure ... he wants to do better and I support a person who wants to do that too."

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" diva NeNe Leakes said she hopes Tip will turn his life around after his latest slip-up.

"I feel sorry for him because he's so great and he's so powerful. I feel really bad that it's happening to him," she said. "So maybe this will be the last lesson learned. Maybe he'll really get it together."

Ultimately, it sounds as though many of the city's celebs will continue to hold the MC down.

"He represents Atlanta," NeNe smiled. "We love him."

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Jersey Shore Soundtrack -- Hear It Now On 'The Leak'!

13 Jul 2010 13:03:10 EDT

Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull, Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Lil Jon, David Guetta with Fergie and LMFAO and more star on the album -- check it out now!
By James Montgomery

Do you like to party? Are your fists in dire need of some pumping? If so, you're in luck! We've got the album for you, and all your friends, too: the Jersey Shore Soundtrack!

And while it doesn't hit stores until July 20 — the same day the first season of MTV's breakout hit is available on DVD, btw — you can hear the entire Jersey Shore Soundtrack right now, only on MTV.com's The Leak.

Along with Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull's first single from the album, "I Like It," you also get tracks from Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Lil Jon (who teams up with 3OH!3 on "Hey") and David Guetta (who brings together Fergie, Chris Willis and LMFAO on the decidedly epic "Getting Over You"). It's sure to be the soundtrack to all your GTL-related activities, not to mention the beach, the boardwalk, and probably the bedroom (depending, of course, on just how you get down).

And since there's also music from superstar DJs like Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Tiësto (who goes up against Diplo on "Come On"), Paul Oakenfold and of course DJ Pauly D, the Jersey Shore Soundtrack also packs a rather sizeable, club-ready wallop, too.

So get ready to dance, party, take your shirt off and everything else that feels "Jersey Shore," because we've got the soundtrack for you. But why read about it when you can hear it? Head on over to The Leak right now to get the magic. And don't miss the second season of "Jersey Shore" — which follows Snooki, the Situation, JWoww, Pauly D and the gang down to Miami's South Beach before returning to their now-famous house in Seaside Heights — when it premieres Thursday, July 29, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

Season two of "Jersey Shore" premieres Thursday, July 29, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Be there!

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Lil Jon Says He Got Fit, Spent Time In The Clubs During Hiatus

04 May 2010 17:15:00 EDT

'I got a chance to really let my batteries recharge,' he tells MTV News.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Lil Jon's long-delayed album Crunk Rock was in the works for so many years that the project evolved from a rock-leaning effort to a "lifestyle" collection featuring electro sounds, R&B and Bali funk. It's been six years since the producer released his last album, Crunk Juice. put out in 2004 on TVT Records. Jon feuded with the label for a time but finally reached a resolution in 2008, when the company filed for bankruptcy.

So what's Lil Jon been up to all this time?

"I actually am glad [the album's] just now coming out, 'cause I got a chance to really let my batteries recharge," Jon told MTV News. " 'Cause I was doing a lot of stuff, making a lot of records, doing a lot of albums and getting pulled in different directions. And you get burned out and need time to recharge and rejuvenate and come back.

"So it gave me time to go out and also get in the club and just DJ again. To feel the pulse of music and people all over the world, 'cause I went all the way to Australia and to Japan and all over America, from Vegas to New York to Miami; I'm DJing every week, basically. All of that helped me to have an eye and be a little bit ahead of everyone else. 'Cause the pulse of music is in the club. If you don't go to the club, you can't know where to go next or what's gong on. I think everything helped give me time to open my eyes again."

To help kick-start his career while also maintaining his momentum on the DJ circuit, Lil Jon decided to incorporate a new emphasis on physical fitness into his routine. The rowdy personality recently hired a trainer and lost 25 pounds as a result. He's even pushing a new sugar-free version of his Crunk Energy Drink — just don't expect him to give up adult beverages anytime soon.

"We getting older, man, so I started thinking and realizing you got to get in shape and get healthy," he explained. " 'Cause we want to live longer lives. People are living longer lives, but only if you're eating healthy and living healthy. I do a lot of drinking [still], so I was like, 'I need to get my body right!' "

Are you looking forward to hearing new Lil Jon music? Let us know in the comments!

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Lil Jon's Revamped Crunk Rock Trades Rock For 'Lifestyle' Music

03 May 2010 20:01:00 EDT

'We live life to the fullest — that's what crunk rock really means now,' he tells MTV News.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Lil Jon once proclaimed "crunk ain't dead," and these days, he could easily rework that former mantra in support of his long-delayed Crunk Rock album.

The long-in-the-works project finally has a release date set, June 8, and Jon is in full promo mode behind the project. The album, in the works for four years due to a feud with his former label, transformed over time from a rock-leaning effort into one that reflects his new life as a working DJ.

"Initially, when I started work on it I was collaborating with a lot of rock producers and rock musicians," he told MTV News. "And then, as time progressed and as I was going through stuff with the label and as I was DJing again, then I got the new deal and so on and so forth. The new energy started to come around me by being in the club. It started meaning we're crunk all the time, we party like rock stars, we live life to the fullest — that's what crunk rock really means now.

"Because there's so many different kinds of Lil Jons that's on this album that it's not just rock and roll," he added. "You got some rock kind of collaborations, but you got some electro collaborations, you got crunk music, you got dance music, you got all kinds of stuff, Bali funk. We got so many different kinds of collaborations on the album that it changed really into a lifestyle. We live like this."

Crunk Rock features an array of producers, including David Guetta, Drumma Boy and Steve Aoki, whom Jon recently worked with on the DJ's own project. Pitbull, R. Kelly, Mario, LMFAO and 3OH!3 are among the collaborators who chipped in to help Jon on the album.

The producer said he took a step back from manning the boards on Crunk Rock to help him reset and recharge after his battle with TVT, on which he released a number of albums before.

But the beatsmith, who has scored hits for Usher ("Yeah!") and E-40 in the past, said fans should expect to hear him on upcoming projects by Flo Rida and Pitbull, among others.

Last week, Lil Jon premiered his latest video, "Outta Your Mind," featuring LMFAO, the lead offering from Crunk Rock.

Are you excited to hear new music from Lil Jon? Let us know in the comments!

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Weezer, Kid Cudi, Lil Jon Work With Steve Aoki On New Album

08 Apr 2010 19:41:00 EDT

'It should be interesting,' Aoki says of the eclectic collaborations.
By Adam Murphy, with additional reporting by Akshay Bhansali

At this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami, MTV News spoke to some of the biggest names in dance music and beyond. One name that we couldn't escape was West Coast electronic tycoon Steve Aoki.

To assign any one title to Steve Aoki is to do his talents a disservice. DJ, producer and record-label owner (Dim Mak) are but a few of the hats he somehow manages to wear all at once. And if you've heard him spin, Aoki doesn't miss a beat.

As mainstream artists are increasingly consulting underground icons of dance music for production advice, Aoki has a well-trodden path from the major labels to his doorstep, having remixed hit singles for Weezer, Kid Cudi, Robin Thicke, the Killers and beyond.

On the international scene, however, Aoki is a completely different phenomenon. His track "I'm in the House," which features Zuper Blahq (who is almost certainly the alter ego of Will.I.Am) has been making waves in the clubs and on the indie and dance singles charts abroad since it dropped in November of last year. This reboot of the chant-along sensibility of classic house (also revamped by David Guetta in "On the Dancefloor") may offer us a glimpse of Aoki's forthcoming LP.

"With my album I'm doing a couple of different tracks with some familiar voices," Aoki said. "Zuper Blahq, Kid Cudi, Lil Jon, Weezer, Black Star, Uffie, Sky Ferreira ... just mixing it up with some hip-hop vocals, rock vocals, house vocals. So yeah, it should be interesting."

Aoki's eclectic sensibility and his DIY spirit perhaps stem from his roots in — of all things — hardcore punk bands. And as more and more "bedroom producers" ascend to international stardom, the independent spirit seems to be the look of the moment.

"We're all doing it ourselves," Aoki offered. "We're making enough of a riot in our own world that more people are getting interested and want to get involved in what we're doing. And if it makes sense to do a collaboration with a familiar voice that everyone knows, then it can make sense on both sides. It can work on the underground and it can work in the commercial world."

When you're not showing off your moves at the club, stick with MTV News for Dance Music Week. We'll be catching up with your favorite dance-floor staples as well as introducing you to up-and-coming talent.

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Travis Barker, A-Trak Pay Tribute To DJ AM At Winter Music Conference

26 Mar 2010 12:06:00 EDT

Lil Jon joins duo onstage to honor late DJ at WMC 2010.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Akshay Bhansali

MIAMI — Travis Barker, A-Trak, Lil Jon, Jazzy Jeff, "Jersey Shore" star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Steve Aoki were some of the guests on hand to honor the late DJ AM at an unannounced tribute show on Thursday night at Miami's LIV nightclub.

The lineup of the show — part of the Winter Music Conference — was a tightly guarded secret, though most in attendance suspected that both Barker and Trak, who recently toured as a duo, were part of the bill. And when they hit the stage shortly after midnight, those suspicions were confirmed.

Trak announced that he and Barker were performing "in honor of our fallen friend, DJ AM," and the two launched into their set, which saw the DJ cutting up a song that mentioned AM by name while Barker flailed at his kit. Both men were wearing "Rest in Peace AM" T-shirts, and a video screen behind the stage displayed a collage of images of AM (real name: Adam Goldstein), who was found dead in his New York apartment last August, of an accidental drug overdose in September.

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Barker and AM famously teamed together for years — they were the house band at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards — survived a fiery South Carolina plane crash in September 2008. Earlier this year, Barker remembered his friend and colleague by getting an "In Memory Of" tattoo on his thigh.

On Thursday night, Barker and A-Trak's performed for roughly 45 minutes, and featured a cameo by Lil Jon. Also in attendance were DJs Steve Aoki, Jazzy Jeff and Tiesto, all of whom — except Tiesto — also performed at the tribute show.

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Lil Jon Shoots Video For 'Outta Your Mind' At WMC 2010

25 Mar 2010 12:26:00 EDT

The crunk king shows off his house DJ skills in Miami.
By Akshay Bhansali, with additional reporting by Adam Stewart

Lil Jon is a house music DJ. While this may come as news to those of you who only expect crunk hip-hop with smatterings of "yeahs" and "whaaats" from him, the producer says he's just going back to his roots.

"I was a house DJ in the '90s actually," Jon told MTV News at the Winter Music Conference on Wednesday. "House has always been a part of me. I love house music. I love music, no matter what kind of music it is, from dance, house, electro, hip-hop, crunk, gansta, West Coast, country western. That's how I grew up, I just love music."

Moments before our interview, Lil Jon finished his set at Nikki Beach's Flying Circus party with "Outta Your Mind," his collaboration with LMFAO and one of the first tracks off his long-awaited Crunk Rock album (due out June 8). As he let the song rip, he told the crowd that they were all to be a part of the video, and the cameras were already rolling.

"We're shooting a video all over WMC, and I wanted to capture the essence of Lil Jon's life," he said. "Lil Jon's life and LMFAO's life is: You wake up and you are running and gunning until we put our heads down. From party to party, we party with everybody from the hip-hop to the electro crowd, and that's what we're really capturing in the video. We love everybody, and everyone loves us."

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WMC provides a chance for Jon to get together with all of his new friends in the electronic world. Jon is featured on a DJ Chuckie Remix of David Guetta's "Sexy Chick," and through Chuckie, he came to know David Guetta. And now LMFAO and Steve Aoki are among his favorite colleagues.

"My boy is Steve Aoki now," Jon said. "It's crazy because me and Aoki met here in Miami, and he just hit me one day out of the blue, like, 'You! I want you to get on this beat.' And we got on Skype — me, him and Afrojack, which is a crazy combination — and we ended up linking up in the studio later."

Lil Jon said it's not that big of a stretch for him to be playing one of the country's biggest electronic music festivals. After all, a party is a party, and if there is one thing Lil Jon can do, it's bring parties to a roaring frenzy.

"They don't really expect me to play house music at all," Jon said. "People really don't understand that this is my world too. Any time I play any house record, people just, like, bug out. I play a lot of Dutch records. I play baile funk. I play electro. I play house. I just bring the party to the table. I'm the guy that everybody looks to bring the party to them."

Stick with MTV News all week for more coverage of the Winter Music Conference 2010.

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