Lil Jon says he recently found out that the man who helped raise him was not his biological father.
The 55-year-old Atlanta native made the revelation in his new book ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’, which hits shelves on Tuesday.
Talking with The Get Low artist People On Monday, he told how he reacted to the shocking news of his life.
‘You never thought this would happen to you,’ the Turn Down For What artist told the publication. ‘And when it happens to you, it shocks you, and you have a lot of questions.’
The music artist, whose real name is Jonathan Smith, grew up with mother Carey; Willie, whom he considered his biological father; biological brothers Willie Jr. and Chris; and adopted siblings Mario and Sheena.
The Daily Mail has contacted Lil Jon’s representatives for further comment on the story.
Lil Jon, 55, says he recently found out that the man who helped raise him was not his biological father. 2019 photo in NYC
Lil Jon said he had an early interest in music and started playing drums when he was six years old, surprising his parents.
“My mom and dad didn’t really understand it at first,” Lil Jon told the outlet.
He said Willie died after a battle with bone marrow cancer decades ago, before growing professionally in the music industry.
Lil Jon said Willie ‘really didn’t see [him] Be a Star’ and was ‘very proud’ of his professional achievements.
He said his late mother Carrie – who died in 2013 after a stroke during a battle with diabetes – was able to see him succeed in his profession.
‘She was so happy because I was her first child, so I was the baby,’ Lil Jon said.
The music artist said she learned that Willie is not her biological father as a result of her cousin taking a DNA test and sharing the results with her.
‘For some reason we weren’t matching,’ Lil Jon said, adding that the revelation didn’t change the way he and his cousin view each other as family.
The Grammy-winning artist photographed on stage in Tennessee last June
Lil Jon’s new book ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ hit the shelves on Tuesday. Pictured on stage in Clarkston, Michigan last month
Lil Jon said that the man he learned was his biological father has passed away, so he has resigned himself to the fact that he ‘can’t get answers’ for further clarity on the subject.
‘It also drives you crazy,’ he said, ‘until you get to the point where you have to accept that you’ll never get answers.’
Lil Jon said he contacted his ‘brother and sister [his] The biological father’s side,’ but ‘hasn’t been ready to act on that yet and have a conversation, because it’s too heavy.’
He further said, ‘It is very difficult to process. It takes time.
In the interview, Lil Jon also talked about the tragic death of his son DJ Young Slade at the age of 27 earlier this year, as his body was recovered from a pond near his family’s Milton, Georgia home on February 6.
In an autopsy report reviewed by The Daily Mail, Fulton County medical examiners said the death was ruled accidental, with toxicology reports indicating he had psilocybin (which is found in hallucinogenic mushrooms) in his system.
‘The number one lesson I tell people now is don’t feel like you can put something off until tomorrow, because you don’t know how much time you have with people,’ the entertainer, who is father to one-year-old daughter Nahra with his partner Jameela Sojahda, said.
He further said, ‘Fatherhood has taught me that family is everything.’