Lil John Bio |
The
Atlanta-based rapper/producer began as a club DJ before Jermaine Dupri
invited him in 1993 to come work for So So Def Records, where Jon served
as the executive vice president of A&R. In the meantime, Jon hosted
a radio show at V103 and began producing and remixing tracks for such
major Atlanta-area artists as Too Short, Xscape, Total, and Usher. After
making a name for himself, Jon then debuted his Eastside Boyz (Big Sam
and Lil Bo) on Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album (1996) and scored a club
anthem, "Who You Wit?" For the next five years, Jon remained
an underground phenomenon, mainly confined to regional success, until he
broke into the national market with "Bia', Bia'," his second
massive hit, this one featuring Ludacris, Too Short, and Chyna Whyte and
from Put Yo Hood Up (2001). Jon & the Eastside Boyz returned quickly
with another album, Kings of Crunk (2002), and with it "I Don't
Give A...," yet another huge hit. That wasn't all, though. By
mid-2003, Jon had become a certified hitmaker, responsible for a number
of national hits, chief among them "Get Low" (a Top Five hit
featuring the Ying Yang Twins) and "Damn!" (a Top Ten hit
featuring YoungBloodz). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide |
