Lil Jon: The Popcast (Deluxe) Interview

This week’s episode of Popcast (Deluxe), the weekly culture roundup show on YouTube hosted by Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli, features an interview with the hip-hop and EDM legend Lil Jon in conversation about:

• Behind the scenes at Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, in which Lil Jon was the musical director and a performer

• The peak of Lil Jon’s pop fame in the early to mid-2000s, with hits as a performer and producer and sketches on “Chappelle’s Show”

• The making of the song “Lovers & Friends”

• Lil Jon’s early days as a D.J., and stories about concerts by the Notorious B.I.G. and Ol’ Dirty Bastard

• Atlanta bass music and “So So Def Bass All-Stars”

• Early Atlanta punk and skateboarding scenes

• The connections between crunk and EDM and drill

• His connection to Pitbull

• Lil Jon’s introduction to the EDM scene, including Steve Aoki and the Electric Daisy Carnival

• Getting healthy later in life and learning about meditation

• The fate of his Crunk Ain’t Dead chain

• Snack of the week: Lil Jon rates Girl Scout cookies

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