Heavy/Getty Usher at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016
After weeks of speculation about whether Usher will include any famous friends in his Super Bowl halftime show on February 11, 2024, the R&B singer has confirmed multiple guest stars will appear — including rapper and HGTV star Lil Jon, who produced and performed on Usher’s Grammy-winning “Yeah!” along with fellow rapper Ludacris. “Yeah!” was the biggest song of 2004, according to Billboard.
Performing at one of the most-watched events of the year, which typically has over 100 million viewers according to Billboard, will kick off a busy week for Lil Jon. The second season of his HGTV series premieres the next night and he’s releasing a highly-unexpected meditation album a few days later.
Here’s what you need to know:
Second Season of Lil Jon’s HGTV Show Was Delayed in 2023, But Will Premiere After Super Bowl Performance
Usher has collaborated with lots of music stars during his 30-year career, from Justin Bieber to Beyoncé. But rumors of Lil Jon and Ludacris performing during halftime reached a fever pitch on February 8, when Apple Music released a short film and ad featuring the two rappers, alongside actress Taraji P. Henson, searching all over Las Vegas for Usher.
At the end of the seven-minute Apple Music film, which takes a page from “The Hangover” as the threesome searches all over Vegas for Usher, they finally find the headliner and Lil Jon exclaims, “We’ve got a show to do!”
When asked by Entertainment Tonight whether that was a sign that the two rappers are among his guest stars, Usher confirmed their participation.
He said, “I would be a fool to not play ‘Yeah!’ Let’s just start there. It would be foolish to make it all the way to Las Vegas — Jon is here, Luda’s here — and not play ‘Yeah!'”
Called the “King of Crunk” by Vulture, Lil Jon, 52, rose to fame in the early 2000s with hits like “Get Low” and “Turn Down For What” while producing similar hits for other stars. He became known as a master of the Atlanta-bred hip-hop subgenre called crunk, distinguished by its synthesizer melodies and booming electronic beats, the outlet said.
While Lil Jon has continued to produce and perform around the world for two decades, he also got into home renovation and design as a side passion, unbeknownst to most fans. In August 2022, he partnered with HGTV to launch his own show, “Lil Jon Wants to Do What?”
Though an eight-episode, second season was expected to air in 2023, it got postponed for reasons unknown — and will now debut the night after the Super Bowl, on February 12 at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Lil Jon will team up again with designer Anitra Mecadon to provide homeowners with unexpected, out-of-the-box home makeovers, per HGTV.
To get his clients to open up to his “crazy” renovation ideas, he told “Good Morning America” in 2022, “I make ’em take a shot of tequila first, before we present the idea. For real. It’s in the show!”
“But people call because they also want something different,” he continued. “They don’t want the standard, same-old, same-old. So they call us because they know we’re gonna push the limits a little bit.”
He then quipped, “I mean, I wouldn’t trust me necessarily to do it!”
Lil Jon Will Also Release His First-Ever Meditation Album on February 16
Speaking of doing something different, Lil Jon is turning lots of heads by also releasing his first guided meditation album several days after the Super Bowl, on February 16.
TMZ first reported on February 5 that music industry insiders were buzzing about the secret project, which was hard for most fans to imagine given Lil Jon’s reputation for being so loud and in-your-face with his music. But two days later, the rapper confirmed the news by posting an Instagram preview video of the new album, “Total Meditation,” featuring an illustration of him meditating.
“Hey, it’s Lil Jon,” he says as a synthesizer plays calmly in the background. “I’d like to welcome you to ‘Total Meditation.’ Ten guided meditations to relieve anxiety, boost focus and find peace.”
A voice is then heard whispering, “Total meditation” as the release date — February 16 — appears on the screen. The album can be pre-saved on all major music streaming platforms.