There’s a reason Lil Jon says no to the vibe of his next album.
In an interview with XXLthe “Act a Fool” artist (real name Jonathan Smith), 53, said of the project’s title. total meditationsays that he deepened his meditation practice after splitting from his wife Nicole Smith, whom he married in 2004.
“I always meditate a little bit,” Lil Jon told the magazine. “But when I turned 50, I started going through a lot of things. I started going through a divorce, and now we’re separated, and the divorce and all the emotions of that process really got to me. So I realized what I had been doing was starting to go within myself to calm myself down. ”
A representative for Lil Jon tells PEOPLE, “About two years ago, Lil Jon and his wife Nicole decided to separate. This was an amicable separation and while Lil Jon is a public figure, his family is currently in the process of separating.” The matter remains private,” he said exclusively. ”
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Elsewhere in the interview, the hip-hop star reflected on his appearance on Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, where he served as the show’s musical director and sang “Turn Down for What” before transitioning into “Yeah!” played some. With Usher and Ludacris.
“It’s been quite a process,” Lil Jon said. “It was a lot of work. It was hard to come up with the right setlist. By the time we got to the end, I think she had 180 different versions of the setlist.”
During the performance, he also performed his new song with Pizza Hut, “Pizza wHut!?” as a way to unite pizza and music lovers.
Last week, PEOPLE learned that Lil Jon will release a 10-song guided meditation album on February 16th.
According to a report from TMZ, the upcoming LP is said to reflect the “truth” of his personal life, which has focused on “fitness and wellness.”
Lil Jon supported the news about his new album by sharing a post on his Instagram Story and retweeting related stories about the project.
The rapper has been known to showcase a variety of interests in the past as well.
In 2022, he starred in his own HGTV Home Design series. What does Lil Jon want to do?is now back for season two.
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“As we all know from the Dave Chappelle sketches, there are many sides to Lil Jon,” he tells PEOPLE. “This her HGTV show isn’t all about screaming and partying. It’s really about getting a feel for the vibe from the people, listening to the homeowners, [giving them] It’s a place where you can make memories with your family. ”
The show featured Lil Jon and professional designer Anitra Mecadon working with families to remodel parts of their homes and bring their wild ideas to life.
“Anitra is always trying to balance and rescue,” he says. “I’m like, ‘No, no, I’m just going to do this.’ [And she says,] “No, John. It’s not in the budget.”
second season of What does Lil Jon want to do? It premiered on HGTV on Monday, February 12th at 10pm ET.
