Lil Jon is opening up about a shocking personal discovery in his upcoming memoir, I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me. The book, which hits shelves on October 20, reveals that the 55-year-old rapper recently learned that Willie Smith, who raised him, is not his biological father.
Lil Jon reveals a family DNA discovery showed that Willie, the man who raised him, was not his biological father
Lil Jon, whose real name is Jonathan H. Smith, spoke to People about the personal revelation. He expressed, “You never think that will happen to you. And when it happens to you, it just knocks you back, and you got so many questions.” The Grammy winner grew up with his mother, Carrie, and Willie. He has two biological brothers, Willie Junior and Chris. His family also includes two adopted siblings, Mario and Sheena.
Jon uncovered the truth about his father quite recently. The discovery came after one of his cousins took a DNA test to learn more about their family. The cousin later shared the results with Jon. “He shared his map with me,” the rapper said. “We weren’t matching for some reason.” His cousin quickly reassured Jon that the discovery would not change their relationship. However, Jon is still searching for answers.
He said, “Neither one of my fathers is here anymore, nor my mother, so I can’t get answers. And that drives you crazy as well, until you get to the point where you have to accept that you will never get answers.”
Willie died of bone marrow cancer in the early 2000s. At the time, the rapper was beginning to make a name for himself in the music industry. He said Willie did not live to see him become a star. However, he believes his father would have been proud of his achievements.
Carrie, on the other hand, saw Jon achieve fame. The rapper said his mother was especially happy because he was her firstborn child. “She was just so happy because I was the firstborn, so I was the baby,” Jon recalled. Carrie died in 2013 following a stroke linked to complications from diabetes.
