Lil Jon made headlines with his unexpected performance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and social media can’t get enough of it.
The rapper, known as Jonathan Smith, energized the crowd during Georgia’s roll call on Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois. Videos from the event have quickly gone viral, with one tweet from @ufcolin amassing over 5.5 million views, remarking on “the european mind cannot comprehend lil jon doing georgia’s roll call.”
Another clip shared by @Phil_Lewis_ saw 2.7 million views, while a video from Kamala Harris’ official HQ gathered 1 million views as well.
Commenters expressed both excitement and bewilderment at the spectacle. “It looks fun as hell! Can you imagine the energy in that room?” @LilJeebz said. Others chimed in with responses like, “Most hype delegate vote ever,” and “YEAH!!! Loved it and wasn’t ready for it. 😂”
Meanwhile, some users noted the hype of a celebrity presence, with one poster stating, “This is a concert, not a convention,” and another adding, “Democrats had to get a music celebrity to perform in order to get people to show up at the DNC.”
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During his performance, Lil Jon got the audience to join him in a lively chant. As his 2013 hit with DJ Snake, Turn Down for What, played, he declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris for president.” The rapper continued to pump up the crowd with custom lyrics about the DNC.
Later, as he transitioned to his 2002 classic Get Low, he playfully referenced Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, with personal tweaks to the lyrics.
The DNC came about a month after President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee, following a virtual roll call confirmation.
Interestingly, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, previously claimed not to recognize Lil Jon, despite the rapper having appeared on his show The Apprentice.
In a 2018 press conference, when queried about a comment he allegedly made concerning Black voters, Trump stated, “I don’t know who Lil Jon is,” a remark that raised eyebrows given the rapper’s notable presence in pop culture.