Please take a moment here to breathe. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. It’s amazing how much a little break can do. But what changes when the leader of a spiritual retreat becomes a man known to show up at clubs?
Rapper and producer Lil Jon has been focusing on meditation lately, so much so that he decided to release an album featuring his mantras instead of music. The king of crunk has been bringing energy for decades with songs like DJ Snake’s “Turn Down For What” and his LMFAO’s “Shots.”” and his own Eastside Boys’ “Get Low.” But, as he tells NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe, “sometimes you have to say no” — which is exactly what he says on his new album of guided meditations. total meditation.
Lil Jon spoke to Lascaux Weekend Edition Sunday It’s about maturing in music, focusing on health, and finding the balance between the two ends of the volume knob. Listen to their conversation at the audio link and read an edited transcript below.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ayesha Lascoe: I practice meditation when I’m anxious or overwhelmed, which is really hard, but it helps me calm down. Is that why you started practicing? Was it anxiety?
Lil Jon: Yes, it was anxiety and a little bit of stress from having so many things hitting me at the same time. You’re 50 years old, you’re looking at your life, you’re looking at your marriage, you’re looking at a lot of other things, and you’re trying to move on and get over those things. Before I go on stage, I meditate, take a few breaths, and take some time for myself. But at this particular point in my life, I realized I needed to dig a little deeper into it. So I meditated every day and said my affirmations every day. It calmed me down, calmed down all the crazy thoughts and emotions I was having, and gave me peace.
Of course, a lot of people know you as the party guy that the club DJ is screaming at.got it!” Did you want to tell people that there is more to you and that you are a well-rounded person?
You don’t walk around screaming, “Yeah! Why? I got it!” All day, every day. Sometimes you have to say no. I have to rest. I have to sleep. Must drink lots of water! You must take care of your health. You know, people are having heart attacks and strokes. I know a man who had triple bypass surgery. Initially under its influence, I started to get healthy. Because I looked at him and thought, “He’s 10 years younger than me.” So, around 2010 or 2012, my health journey began.
You still DJ regularly. I’ve read that you’ve cut back on your drinking significantly and obviously meditate, but being in a club isn’t necessarily the most focused experience. So how do you strike a balance?
You have to look at the club as a release. Some people need to be in social situations with other people. Some people need to be with friends and family. Music can also be therapeutic. Dancing can also be therapeutic. It’s good for the soul, it’s good for the heart. So it worked for me, you know, I can still do it. And I’m spreading good energy to people. I give them some fun time in meditation and clubbing.
Your music is really high energy and I can see how it affects people’s moods. I remember back in the day, when you played songs like “Head Bussa,” the men would go so crazy that the women would leave the dance floor. . But now you’re obviously creating a very calming sound for this meditation album. Can you talk about how you use sound to evoke different emotions?
Every time I write a song, I have to find the right one. I call it a character. It’s literally like finding the right voice that connects to the right feel and feel of the song. It took me a while to find the right voice, the right tone. One of the things people have told me is that they were surprised by how calm and calming my voice was.
What is the most difficult part of meditation for you?
I think the most difficult thing for anyone is to disconnect from the Matrix. It has always been difficult for me to formally meditate because I am always thinking about the future. But when you learn to pause and come back, you become more calm. Your mind is clear. Taking a break will further fuel your creative process.
When you think about taking care of your body, black men generally have higher mortality rates from things like cancer. Too many black entertainers, especially black male entertainers, die at relatively young ages. You’ve turned to things like meditation and therapy. And I heard that you recently had a colonoscopy.
Yeah. I mean, when you turn 50, you need to figure it out.
Do we want to send a message to black men in particular that they should take care of themselves and that there is no shame in doing so?
100%. And I think the same goes for releasing this album. Mental health is really important to me because men, especially black men, are suffering. And we’ve been raised to just suffer in silence and deal with our problems on our own, saying, “We’ll just get through it.” “Stand up.” So this album says, “Listen to this meditation, it’ll give you a different perspective on things.” Try it with an open mind and see how it helps you.
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