Lil Jon, one of the biggest and perhaps loudest rapper in hip-hop, is turning to his gentler side with the release of his second album about meditation.
“No, I’m not your typical meditation guru,” the rapper himself admits.
Despite his fame as a hip-hop artist and producer, the musician says he’s been focusing more on his meditation side these days as he promotes his new album of guided meditations.
“You can’t scream all the time,” says the rapper, who hopes to be a voice for the importance of looking after your mental health.
“I wanted to share a lot of the struggles I’ve had and how I’ve dealt with them,” Lil Jon said. “The overall goal is to help people calm down, step away from it for a bit, and get into a meditative state.”
The musician says he practices meditation and self-affirmations daily to calm himself.
“[Meditation] “It’s helped me more as a person than as an artist because my music is like, ‘Oh, crazy,'” he explains. “It’s helped me get into a calmer state and lower my stress levels.”
One mental health expert hopes Lil Jon’s new album and his openness about seeking mental health help will help end the stigma around looking after your mental health, especially in underserved communities.
“People like us, therapists, don’t meet people who are looking for resources,” says psychologist and therapist Dr. Patrice Le Goy, “and I think there are some marginalized communities who may be struggling with mental health issues but feel like it’s out of reach for them.”
Lil Jon said his next two albums will be meditation albums, with one of them focusing on sleep.
The rapper also said he’s working on an EDM collaboration project.
