A final conversation
It’s impossible not to feel for Lil Jon right now. The crunk icon is pulling back the curtain on the most painful moment of his life in his upcoming memoir, I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, dropping October 20. In a gut-wrenching excerpt shared today, the rapper recounts the final moments he spent talking with his son, Nathan Smith, before his untimely death in February.
Nathan, who made his own mark as a producer under the alias DJ Young Slade, was only 27. Lil Jon writes openly about the "emotional difficulties" and "intense physical pain" his son was navigating, noting that Nathan had been going to therapy to work through it all.
The last exchange
In their last conversation, Lil Jon expressed his deep support, telling his son, "I’m on you because I love you. I care about you. I want you to get better." Nathan replied with an incredibly vulnerable text that will definitely live rent-free in your heart, promising to work on his communication and stop letting fear hold him back.
After a therapy session where the rapper realized his son just needed to be truly seen, Lil Jon reached out one last time to say, "I see that you’re trying, and I want you to know that you are seen. All the effort you’ve been putting in — I see it. And I see you." It’s giving main character energy to be that vulnerable with your family, and it's heartbreaking that it was the last time they spoke.
Why it matters
Just one day after those texts, Lil Jon got the call that his son was missing. Nathan’s body was discovered in a Georgia pond on February 6. Authorities later confirmed his death was an accident, caused by drowning while under the influence of psilocybin. The loss of Nathan has clearly left a void for the family, and this memoir offers a raw, honest look at the weight of grief and the importance of holding our loved ones close while we can.
