Lil Jon wants to do what? — The HGTV series that marries the headlining rapper’s cutting-edge ideas with the professional training of interior designer Anitra Mecadon — returns Monday. And Mecadon tells PEOPLE that the upcoming season is “crazy.”
“It’s big. It’s wild. There’s a lot of us,” she says. “But I think we’ve got the whole range. We’re doing a house on a boat and there’s a giant basement that we’re basically turning into a nightclub and a bowling alley.”
In each episode of the renovation series, which premieres in 2022, Mecadon and Lil Jon collaborate to transform clients’ spaces. And while parts of Lil Jon’s process might seem unconventional — like drinking tequila with the homeowners — Mecadon says the partnership works.
“I think he’s super creative and fearless,” she says. “He’s really loud and he’s really out there when Lil Jon is on. And because he’s Lil Jon, he gets to travel the world and bring home some really creative ideas.”
Anitra Mecadon.
HGTV
“I studied art all my life,” she adds. “And so his wild ideas mixed with what I’m classically trained for, I think it’s a pretty good marriage.”
The family’s reactions to the rooms, she says, were “unbelievable”.
“Everyone is delighted,” she says. “They come with a small idea, and then between the two of us, we launch creative bombs. And that can be devastating for the average person.”
Lil Jon Talks Shifting Focus From Music To Home Designing On HGTV: ‘That’s How You Have Longevity’
The couple’s relationship has been going on for more than five years. After a pipe burst and flooded Lil Jon’s Atlanta home, he contacted Mecadon for help while drunkenly watching her show Mega Dens.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1041x346:1043x348)/anitra-mecadon_1468-f7138b694c964a36a37855289b095bf2.jpg)
Anitra Mecadon.
courtesy of Anitra Mecadon
Mecadon, who also rescues animals with her husband and business partner Adam Brett, describes her own design aesthetic as “furniture rescue.”
“It’s very eclectic. It’s very collected. Everything is special and looks well-traveled,” she says. “Most of the things in my house I didn’t pay anything for and I re-invented . . . You see that thing that once had potential and breathe new life into it.”
Mecadon, who started out as a theater designer, adds, “I call myself a maximalist because I’m the girl who wants to go into grandma’s jewelry box and wear it all together with scarves and leather.”
However, her latest show presents some unique challenges. The biggest one, she says, isn’t reviving Lil Jon’s proposals, but funding them.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(655x535:657x537)/anitra-mecadon_1467-f333848418104d18abde2aedef654846.jpg)
Anitra Mecadon.
courtesy of Anitra Mecadon
“Jon’s ideas are so big,” says Mecadon. Former features of the home designed by the duo include a two-story slide and a cinema room built to resemble the fuselage of a private jet.
This is where Bret’s business experience comes into play. “He helps us make Jon’s ideas come true,” says Mecadon.
WATCH: Lil Jon Turns Family Basement Into Nightclub In Sneak Peek Of His New HGTV Show
“We’ve always worked together and he understands how much I needed boots on the field,” says Mecadon, who has a 7-year-old son, Nash, with Brett. “And so he’s perfectly fine with taking control of the phone, creating things while holding the kid on his hip. We’re a really great team, and we’ve been together for almost 20 years.”
Mecadon attributes his success in juggling marriage and work to the fact that they were friends first before things turned romantic.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(759x134:761x136)/anitra-mecadon-lil-john-020624-2-59aae684e8b148269078cc50dc1ff72a.jpg)
Lil Jon and Anitra Mecadon.
HGTV
“I think that’s a big part of it,” she says. “I never play the blame game. . . It’s never like, ‘Shame on you.’ And Adam is the same way. And I think that’s a big part of it. Mutual respect, friendship, laughter, all of that is key.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The couple’s son has also formed a “very sweet” relationship with “Uncle Jon”, who Mecadon says is “lovely with kids”. He adds that Nash “loves his music.”
The series, of course, includes plenty of references to Lil Jon’s many pastimes, like “Yeah!” and “Reject for what.” But Mecadon says the song that got the biggest response was his 2003 hit “Get Low” — thanks in no small part to the HGTV-adapted “To the window/to the wall” lyrics.
“Everyone says we got the name of the show wrong,” he jokes. “We could have called it that.”
Lil Jon wants to do what? premiering on HGTV on February 12th at 10:00 PM ET.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education