Rapper Lil Jon found out that man who raised him wasn’t his biological father: ‘You never think that will happen to you’

Lil Jon says he recently found out that the man who helped raise him was not his biological father.

The Atlanta native, 55, makes the reveal in his new book I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, which hits shelves Tuesday.

The Get Low artist, speaking with People on Monday, explained how he reacted to the shocking life news.

‘You never think that will happen to you,’ the Turn Down for What performer told the publication. ‘And when it happens to you, it just knocks you back, and you got so many questions.’

The musical artist, whose real name is Jonathan Smith, grew up with mother Carrie; Willie, who he thought was his biological father; biological brothers Willie Junior and Chris; and adopted siblings Mario and Sheena.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Lil Jon for further comment on the story.

Lil Jon, 55, says he recently found out that the man who helped raise him was not his biological father. Pictured 2019 in NYC 

Lil Jon said that he took an early interest in music, and by the time he was six, began playing drums, which surprised his parents.

‘My mom and dad didn’t really understand it at first,’ Lil Jon told the outlet.

He said that Willie passed away after a bone marrow cancer battle decades back, prior to his professional rise in the music industry.

Lil Jon said Willie ‘didn’t really see [him] become a star’ and ‘would’ve just been so proud’ of his professional accomplishments.

He said that his late mother Carrie – who passed away in 2013 following a stroke during a battle with diabetes – was able to see him succeed at his profession.

‘She was just so happy because I was the firstborn, so I was the baby,’ Lil Jon said.

The musical artist said he learned Willie was not his biological father as a result of his cousin taking a DNA test and sharing the results with him.

‘We weren’t matching for some reason,’ Lil Jon said, adding that the reveal did not change how his cousin and him look at one another as family.

The Grammy-winning artist pictured onstage in Tennessee this past June 

Lil Jon’s new book I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me hits shelves Tuesday. Pictured onstage last month in Clarkston, Michigan

Lil Jon said that the man who he learned was his biological father has passed away, so he’s resigned himself to the fact he ‘can’t get answers’ for further clarity on the topic.

‘That drives you crazy as well, until you get to the point where you have to accept that you will never get answers,’ he said.

Lil Jon said that he’s had his ‘brother and sister reach out on [his] biological dad’s side,’ but hasn’t ‘been ready to process that yet and have that conversation, because it’s just so heavy.’

He added, ‘It’s just hard to process. It takes time.’

Lil Jon in the interview also spoke about the tragic death of his son DJ Young Slade at 27 earlier this year, as his body was recovered from a pond near his family’s Milton, Georgia home on February 6.

Fulton County medical examiners said in an autopsy report reviewed by The Daily Mail that the death was ruled accidental, with toxicology reports indicating he had psilocybin (which is found in hallucinogenic mushrooms) in his system.

‘The number one lesson I tell people now is, don’t feel like you can put something off for tomorrow, because you don’t know how much time you have with people,’ said the entertainer, who is father to daughter Nahara, one, with partner Jamila Sozahdah.

He added, ‘Fatherhood has taught me that family is everything.’

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