AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
I'm really into meditation. It helps quiet my mind and calm my anxiety. And this week I tried a new guided meditation.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MINDFUL BREATHING")
LIL JON: Take a deep breath in through your nose, then breathe out slowly through your mouth.
RASCOE: But are you wondering who that is? Let me give you another clue.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT")
LIL JON: (Singing) Turn down for what? Turn down for what?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GET LOW")
LIL JON: (Singing) Now stop. Then wiggle with it. Stop. Then wiggle with it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YEAH!")
USHER: Usher, Usher.
LIL JON: Lil Jon.
RASCOE: Yes, that is the same person (laughter). It's rapper and DJ Lil John, and he now wants you to turn it way down. His latest project is a guided meditation album called "Total Meditation." And Lil Jon joins me now. Welcome to the show.
LIL JON: Hey. Hey, thanks for having me. Thanks for having me.
RASCOE: All right, so like I mentioned, I practice meditation when I'm feeling anxious and overwhelmed, which is a lot, and it helps calm me down.
LIL JON: Yeah.
RASCOE: Is that what started you with your practice? Was it anxiety?
LIL JON: Yeah, it was anxiety and a little stress from a lot hitting me at the same time, turning 50, looking at my life, looking at my, you know, marriage and a lot of things and dealing with addressing and trying to move on and get through those things. And I would meditate, you know, before I go on stage, or here and there, I take a little - you know, a little breath here, or I just take some time for myself. But I really found at this particular point in my life, I really need to go into it a little deeper. And so I would meditate every day, and I would say my affirmations every day, and all of that would quiet me, calm those crazy thoughts and emotions that I would have, and calm me and give me some peace.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RELIEVE ANXIETY")
LIL JON: Your mind is clear and calm.
RASCOE: You could have just gotten into meditation and just listen to other people. Why did you feel like I should take the lead on this, it should be my voice?
LIL JON: I learned to listen to the universe, and the universe never guides me in the wrong direction. And one thing I learned at this time, too, was having an acceptance to what the universe brings you because with acceptance, you have peace. But I also went through understanding that this is what I'm supposed to be doing next. It just - an epiphany came over me, and it's like you're supposed to help masses of people, and this is how you're going to be able to do that.
RASCOE: A lot of people would, of course, have this perception of you as this party guy, the DJ in the club screaming, you know, OK and all - did you want to also tell people that there is more to you that you, that you are a well-rounded person, to give people another side of you?
LIL JON: I don't just walk around screaming, yeah, what, OK all day...
RASCOE: (Laughter).
LIL JON: ...And every day. And you got to turn down sometimes. You got to get rest. You got to get sleep. You got to drink a lot of water. You got to take care of your health. You know, people are having heart attacks and strokes. I know this one guy who had a triple bypass. And that influenced me, you know, initially to start getting healthy because I looked at him and was like, he's 10 years younger than me. So that started me on my health journey about 2010, 2012-ish.
RASCOE: You still DJ at the the club, you know, on a regular basis. And I mean, I read that you've cut down a lot on your your drinking. And obviously, you're meditating. But I was reading that, thinking, like, being at the club - like, that's not exactly the most centering experience. So, like...
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: ...How do you balance that? Like...
LIL JON: You have to look at the club as a release, though.
RASCOE: Oh, OK.
LIL JON: It is a release.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHOTS")
LIL JON: (Singing) Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots. Everybody.
Some people need to release. Some people need to be in social settings around others. Some people need to be with their friends and family. Music is therapeutic, as well.
RASCOE: Yeah.
LIL JON: Dancing is therapeutic, as well. It's good for the soul, good for the mind. All of that is good. Connecting with others is good for the mind, body and soul. All of that is great. So it works out for me. You know, like, I can still do it. And I'm, I'm spreading good energy to people. I'm giving them good times with the meditation and with the club.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BOOST FOCUS")
LIL JON: Now let's truly experience the present.
RASCOE: Your music is, like, really super high energy. And you can tell how it affects people's moods. Like, this is back in the day. Like, you play a song like "Head Bussa." A song like that - people go crazy on the dance floor. I remember, you know, all the women would leave the dance floor because the men would go so crazy. And they'd be throwing their bows and stuff like that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEAD BUSSAS")
LIL JON: I'm Lil Jon. OK. (Singing) We some head bussas. We some head bussas. We'll knock a hater out. We some head bussas.
RASCOE: But now you are obviously doing a very calming sounds for this meditation album. I guess can you talk to me about how you use sound to bring out different emotions?
LIL JON: Whenever I do a song, I have to find the right - I call them characters. It's literally like finding the right voice that kind of connects you with the right mood and the right vibe for the song or what you're talking about. So it took me a little while to find the right voice, the right tone. One thing that people have told me is that my voice - they were surprised at how soothing and calming my voice was.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RELIEVE ANXIETY")
LIL JON: Let's turn our attention to the breath.
RASCOE: When it comes to meditating, like, what is the hardest part of meditation for you?
LIL JON: I think the hardest part for anybody is to disconnect from the Matrix. It was always hard for me to, like, really formally meditate because I'm always thinking in the future. But you learn that you can take a pause. And then when you come back, you're more level-headed. Your mind is clear. You have your creative processes, even, you know, sparked even more because you took a break.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IMAGINE NATURE")
LIL JON: But the sun is shining down on your face. You're just there, reclined on planet Earth.
RASCOE: I mean, what you're talking about, this kind of - this level of acceptance, this also - when you think about taking care of the body, Black men in general are dying at higher rates from things like cancer and things like that. So many Black entertainers, especially Black male entertainers, have died at a relatively young age.
LIL JON: Yeah.
RASCOE: You've leaned into things like meditation and therapy. And, I mean, I read you got a colonoscopy (laughter)...
LIL JON: Yeah, yeah.
RASCOE: ...Like, recently. Like, are you trying...
LIL JON: I mean, you turn 50. You got to get it.
RASCOE: Yeah. You got to do it. Are you trying to send a message to Black men specifically to take care of themselves and that there's no shame in doing that?
LIL JON: One hundred percent. And I think releasing this album, too, is also - you know, mental health is really important to me because men, especially Black men - we suffer, and we've been raised to just suffer in silence. And, you know, whatever - you know, you get over it. You'll be fine. You know, and just deal with our problems ourselves.
RASCOE: Just man up, you know?
LIL JON: Yeah, man up. So it's like with this album, it's showing, like, hey, listen to this meditation. It'll help to give you a different perspective on things. It'll calm you. And try it with an open mind and see how it helps.
RASCOE: That's rap artist and meditation guide Lil Jon. Thank you so much for talking to me.
LIL JON: Oh, no worries. Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FEEL GRATITUDE")
LIL JON: Now I want us both to take a few more deep breaths together.
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