Tomorrow, Lil Jon’s memoir I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, co-written with literary and media critic Paul Cantor, will be released. The book reveals his recent discovery that the man who raised him was not his biological father. He spoke about this finding in a recent interview with People.
Born Jonathan Smith, Lil Jon grew up believing Willie was his father, alongside his mother Carrie. He had two biological brothers, Willie Junior and Chris, and also grew up with adopted siblings Mario and Sheena. Willie died in the early 2000s from bone marrow cancer. Lil Jon recalls, “He never got to see me become a star.” Regarding his mother, he says, “She was thrilled I was her firstborn, so I was her baby.” She passed away in 2013 after a stroke linked to diabetes complications.
A cousin’s DNA test revealed that Willie was not Jon’s biological father. Jon explains, “He shared his results with me, but our profiles didn’t match.”
He adds, “Both of my fathers and my mother are gone, so I can’t get answers. It’s frustrating, until you reach a point where you accept that you may never know.” He notes that his biological half‑siblings have recently reached out, but he isn’t ready to engage: “It’s just too heavy right now; I need more time to process.”
