Lil Jon knows how to get a crowd going!
The 53-year-old Atlanta-born rapper won the second day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention with a surprise performance as the spotlight moved to his home state during the event’s roll call.
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the crowd at Chicago’s United Center was already buzzing when it came time for Georgia to award Harris — who officially secured the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination earlier this month — with its ceremonial delegates.
Lil Jon performs at the 2024 DNC in Chicago on August 20, 2024.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
But things took a turn for the worse when suddenly the DJ at the event started playing “Turn Down for What.” As he played the intro to the 2013 hit, the “Shots” rapper appeared in the crowd, prompting thunderous applause before delivering a drawn-out “Yeah!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris for president,” he continued before launching into “Turn Down for What.”
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The musician made his way through the crowd – a sea of clips featuring the heads of Harris, 59, and Tim Walz – and shouted “Everybody hands up!” before stopping next to Congresswoman Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party.
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Lil Jon performs at the 2024 DNC during Georgia’s roll call on August 20, 2024 in Chicago.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
After he chanted at the presidential candidate of the Republican Party, Donald Trump — “We’re not coming back! We’re not coming back!” — the rapper expertly tweaked the lyrics of another of his hits, “Get Low” from 2003.
The star swapped the iconic line to reflect the Democratic presidential ticket, replacing “To the window / to the wall” with “VP Harris / Governor Walz,” before standing with Williams as she announced that Georgia was casting 123 votes to elect Harris as the president is the party’s presidential candidate.
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Backstage at the United Center, Lil Jon also explained his personal support for Harris and Walz, 60. While speaking with Don Lemon, the rapper said, “I’ll say this. People are tired of negativity. People are tired of fighting. People want hope.”
“They want to be positive. They want to be able to depend on your neighbor again,” he said, adding that “that’s what Kamala brings, just good energy.”
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As the second day of the DNC drew to a close, Lil Jon also celebrated his cameo online, sharing several posts on Instagram Stories praising his roll call. “Georgia wins best intro,” read one post, while another called the rapper a “DNC ICON.”
The rapper also kept the energy going well into the evening at a DNC after party hosted by the Georgia Democratic Party, according to NPR’s Stephen Fowler.
At the post-DNC night, jokingly called “Window to the Walz,” Lil Jon sat behind the DJ booth, where he performed a set “until the wee hours of the morning,” Fowler said.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education