Lil Jon says he recently learned that Willie, the man who raised him, was not his biological father.
The 55-year-old musician, born Jonathan Smith, discussed the revelation in an interview with PEOPLE published Oct. 19.
He also writes about it in I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, released Oct. 20. The memoir was written with music journalist Paul Cantor and published by Black Privilege Publishing, an Atria Books imprint.
The book follows his family history back to his mother Carrie’s upbringing in Wedowee, Alabama. She was the oldest of 18 children, according to the publisher.
A Cousin’s DNA Test Changed What Lil Jon Knew About His Father
A cousin took a DNA test to explore the family’s ancestry and shared his results with Lil Jon. “We weren’t matching for some reason,” the rapper told PEOPLE. His cousin reassured him that he still considered them family.
A brother and sister on his biological father’s side have since contacted him. At the time of the interview, Lil Jon said he was not ready to have those conversations and needed time to process what he had learned.
He Says He May Never Get Answers From His Parents
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“Neither one of my fathers are here anymore, nor my mother, so I can’t get answers,” he told PEOPLE. Willie died of bone marrow cancer in the early 2000s, before he could see the full extent of his son’s success, according to Entertainment Weekly. Lil Jon believes he would have been proud of his achievements. Carrie lived to see his career flourish before dying in 2013 after a stroke associated with complications from diabetes.
Lil Jon grew up with brothers Willie Jr. and Chris and adopted siblings Mario and Sheena. In 2011, he chose the United Methodist Children’s Home in Decatur, Georgia, as his Celebrity Apprentice charity because his adopted siblings had come from the organization, as HipHopWired reported.
At a May 24 celebration that year, Carrie kissed her son after presenting him with an award recognizing the $80,000 he raised through the show. His brother Chris and son Nathan also attended the event, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nathan Worked With His Father in the Recording Studio
Nathan Smith, who performed as DJ Young Slade, died in February at 27. Lil Jon shared him with his former wife, Nicole Smith. Authorities found Nathan’s body in a pond near his home in Milton, Georgia, after he had been reported missing. His death was ruled an accidental drowning.
Father and son had performed together and collaborated in the studio. Nathan engineered sessions for Lil Jon’s 2024 album Total Meditation, according to a separate PEOPLE report published Oct. 15. The rapper said he could have hired somebody else but preferred working with his son.
Lil Jon said he had recently realized in therapy that he had not allowed himself enough time to grieve. He is also raising daughter Nahara, born in November 2024, with his partner, Jamila Sozahdah, and said her affection has helped him through the loss.
He Reopened the Memoir After His Son’s Death
At the beginning of the year, Lil Jon believed his manuscript was finished. After Nathan died, he returned to it and wrote an additional chapter about the loss, according to a PEOPLE excerpt published Oct. 14.
In June, he told TMZ that writing about his grief might help others facing similar losses feel less alone. The memoir also traces his early work in Atlanta’s clubs, the development of Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz and his collaborations with artists including Usher and the Ying Yang Twins.
Its published prologue opens with his performance at Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, then looks back at the basement parties where he began.