Lil Jon is sharing an emotional final exchange with his son, Nathan Smith, revealing how the young musician spoke about anxiety, his music career and his determination to stop letting fear hold him back just hours before his death.
The conversation appears in the rapper’s upcoming memoir, I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, scheduled for release on October 20, according to excerpts reported by AllHipHop.
Nathan, who performed under the name DJ Young Slade, was 27 when he died. In the messages recounted in the book, he reportedly opened up to his father about anxiety and concerns over how audiences would receive his latest music.
Lil Jon, whose real name is Jonathan Smith, responded with encouragement and concern, explaining that he pushed his son because he wanted to see him overcome the challenges he faced.
Nathan responded with a message that has taken on added significance following his death.
“I’m going to stop letting fear hold me back,” Nathan wrote, according to the reported memoir excerpts.
The exchange offers a glimpse into a personal conversation between father and son as Nathan navigated his ambitions as a musician. It also forms part of Lil Jon’s account of their relationship and the circumstances surrounding the family’s loss.
According to the report, Nathan was scheduled to attend a therapy session after their conversation, but the appointment did not take place. The following day, Lil Jon learned that his son had been reported missing.
Nathan’s body was recovered by divers on February 6 from a pond near his home in Milton, Georgia, three days after he was first reported missing. Authorities determined that his cause of death was accidental drowning.
Following the tragedy, Lil Jon and Nathan’s mother, Nicole Smith, issued a joint statement remembering their son as a talented young man and a graduate of New York University.
“He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted,” Lil Jon said. “We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him.”
The memoir, a 304-page book published by Atria and Black Privilege Publishing, is expected to explore several chapters of Lil Jon’s life beyond the loss of his son. It covers his early years in Atlanta, his rise to prominence as one of the defining figures in crunk music and his later professional reinvention.
Nathan’s story adds a deeply personal dimension to the book, bringing attention to the young artist’s ambitions and the relationship he shared with his father.
Lil Jon has said he intends to preserve his son’s legacy through future projects and by sharing what he learned from their final conversation.
The reported exchange does not erase the pain of the family’s loss, but it offers a lasting record of a father encouraging his son and a young musician expressing his determination to confront his fears.
