Celebrity Apprentice 2011: Who is Lil Jon and why is he famous?

Celebrity Apprentice 2011!

Who is Lil Jon and why is he famous?

[Mar. 31]

Lil’ Jon (a.k.a. The King of Crunk) is a celebrated rapper from Atlanta, GA. He’s known for Get Low, a nightclub hit featuring The Ying Yang Twins, and for chart-topping R&B hit Lovers and Friends with Usher and Ludacris. In 2008, he auctioned a 12-pound pendant he was known for wearing, a portion of the proceeds of which went to Russell Simmons’ Rush Community Affairs. He will be playing to benefit the United Methodist Children’s Home of the North Georgia Conference (similar to a diocese).

As the King of Crunk, Lil’ Jon already knows a little something about raising awareness and getting into the business side of things. He has brought the style of what used to be known as rap back to its roots.

Bryan Leach, A&R for TVT Records described in an interview his introduction to Lil’ Jon. “Jon used to be an A&R at So So Def, and he is a DJ, producer and artist — he does it all. He put out an album in 2000 called ‘We Still Crunk’, which was selling independently in three to four markets. […] It was like early Beastie Boys, when they had the energy of a rock group but they were rapping and it was just so different. Jon and I even referred to Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz as the black Beastie Boys because that energy is what crunk music is all about.”

AllMusic reports, “While some Dirty South rappers have a gangsta/thug life agenda and some are into serious sociopolitical messages, Atlanta rapper Lil’ Jon and his two East Side Boyz (Lil Bo and Big Sam) have tended to favor rowdy, in-your-face, profanity-filled party music.” The self-styled King of Crunk made an appearance in Miami’s South Beach, on March 25, 2011, to DJ at The Wall Lounge at the W South Beach Hotel, celebrating his recent win on Celebrity Apprentice, according to the Miami Herald. Lil’ Jon certainly hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to celebrating the party atmosphere common in nightclubs and hip hop joints in the South, given South Beach’s reputation as one of the party capitals in the U.S.

Lil’ Jon already has toed off a bit with Gary Busey, having disagreed in the previous installment about the brand image to bring to the camper experience in downtown Manhattan, but Busey must have done something right, because the men managed to win that week’s around. Stay tuned to see if Donald Trump can come up with a project that Lil’ Jon may find himself more suited to lead … or not.

The fourth episode of Celebrity Apprentice 4 airs Sunday, March 27, 2011, at 9 p.m. on NBC.