Origins of Hip-Hop premieres May 30 on A&E and explores many of hip-hop’s most celebrated and groundbreaking stars as they share the experiences that molded them into the legendary artists they became. HollywoodLife has an EXCLUSIVE clip of Lil Jon opening up about his rise to fame.
“Early on, I started to want to create the Lil Jon, like what is going to make me stand out from everybody else? Nobody’s going to buy your music if they don’t want to be like you, too,” Lil Jon explains. That’s when he started wearing shades.
The rapper then went to get a grill at Famous Eddie’s in Atlanta. “That’s when Lil Jon was kind of starting to be born,” Lil Jon reveals.
Legendary record producer Jermaine Dupri explains why he didn’t sign Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz back in the day. “I’m not one of these greedy CEOs,” Jermaine says. “I should have been, but I’m not that type of person. I always respect that from any person. If that want to build what they do, then I’m not going to get in the way and I’m not going to not allow you to do what you do.”
Lil Jon reveals that he hit the road early on to get his name out there. The rapper and his crew would drive from city to city, specifically in the South, to perform. “My mentality back then was city by city we’ll take over the whole state,” he says. Initially, the South was his priority. Once he made a name for himself there, he branched out across the country.
The rapper’s popularity exploded in the 2000s with the release of mega-hits like “Salt Shaker,” Snap Yo Fingers,” “Get Low,” and more. His song “Turn Down For What” earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video. Origins of Hip-Hop will air new episodes Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on A&E.