The acclaimed rapper and producer says the upcoming book offers “a glimpse into the innermost circles of both my professional and personal worlds”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me-Lil-Jon-cover-portrait-041026-70d1efea385749b5ab81eec5d23d7bfe.jpg "The cover of 'I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me'; Lil Jon")
Credit: Black Privilege Publishing; Gavin Leuking
NEED TO KNOW
- PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of Lil Jon’s upcoming memoir I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me
- The memoir details the acclaimed rapper and producer’s rise to fame, along with family revelations and the death of his son, Nathan, in 2026
- “I’ve been blessed to amass enormous wins, but with that, I’ve also had to endure immense hardships and painful losses privately and publicly… and I’m finally ready to share that with you all,” Lil Jon says
Lil Jon is ready to share his story.
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of the award-winning rapper and producer’s memoir I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, out this fall from Black Privilege Publishing, an imprint of Atria Books and Simon & Schuster.
Per a statement shared with PEOPLE, the memoir, written with Paul Cantor, traces Lil Jon’s rise to fame, beginning with his mother’s birth in Alabama. From there, readers will follow Lil Jon’s journey, from his early DJ jobs in Atlanta to the origins of his first band, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.
The book also wouldn't be complete without a few celebrity cameos, as Lil Jon reflects on working alongside legendary artists like Usher, Ice Cube, Pitbull, Ciara and more, along with the creation of his career-defining hits like “Get Low,” “Turn Down for What” and “Yeah!”
Credit: Black Privilege Publishing
“I’ve worked on a lot of different projects over the years, but this one right here made me dig deep and turn inward,” Lil Jon, 55, said of the memoir in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
“Y’all have heard my voice for over three decades, but here's a chance to read what I really have to say about it all, and catch a glimpse into the innermost circles of both my professional and personal worlds.”
Amidst the pages are the author’s reflections on his new commitments to meditation, mindfulness and Islam, among other topics. But Lil Jon also reflects on life’s harder moments, including “shocking” family revelations and the death of his son, Nathan Smith, in February 2026.
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“I’ve been blessed to amass enormous wins, but with that I’ve also had to endure immense hardships and painful losses privately and publicly… and I’m finally ready to share that with you all,” Lil Jon continued. “This ride ain’t been an easy one, but whoever said chasin’ your dreams was easy?”
Credit: Gavin Leuking
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Black Privilege Publishing calls the memoir “full of hustle and heart,” with Lil Jon’s collaborator Charlamagne tha God saying the book is “an invitation to channel that same energy into growth and healing.”
“Lil Jon is the entertainer of a generation, a singular voice and visionary whose music has soundtracked our collective joy for the past 30 years,” said Atria Books Editorial Director of Nonfiction Kate Napolitano.
“In I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, he reveals the person behind the party-anthem hype machine — and the result is a thoughtful, vulnerable and intimate portrait of an artist in constant evolution. We are so proud to publish his work here at Atria/Black Privilege Publishing.”
I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me will be published on Oct. 20 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
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