Lil Jon has recently converted to Islam, with an official post shared on the King Fahad Mosque Facebook account on Friday, March 15. The post showed the Turn Dow For What? hitmaker taking the shahada at Culver City, California's King Fahad Mosque. This surprising conversion occurred during the first week of the holy month of Ramadan.
This conversion marks one of the significant changes Lil Jon has experienced in recent years. In an interview with XXL magazine in February, Jon revealed that he had separated from his wife, Nicole Smith, around two years ago. The duo got married in 2004, and together they have a 26-year-old son named Nathan Smith, who also goes by DJ Young Slade.
Culver City California's King Fahad Mosque bore witness to Jon's conversion to Islam. In a video shared by the mosque, he could be seen undertaking the Profession of Faith, also known as the Shahada. Lil Jon repeated the words:
"I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner and I testify that Muhammed is his servant and final messenger."
Jon later uploaded a Facebook post thanking people for the outpouring of love and positivity.
Lil Jon married Nicole Smith back in 2004
According to Hip Hop DX, Jonathan Smith, professionally known as Lil Jon, and Nicole Smith got married in 2004 after six years of knowing each other. The couple got married at a Puerto Rican resort in November 2004. The duo has largely kept their relationship private.
In 1998, the couple welcomed their son, Nathan Smith, who is 26 years old now. Nathan is also a musician himself, Jon revealed in an appearance on The Big Podcast in 2023 that Nathan started DJing when he was only 11 and graduated Scratch DJ Academy at 12, before DJing around different clubs as a teenager and molding his craft at New York University. He now goes by DJ Young Slade.
Not much information is available about the personal life of Nicole Smith. However, she accompanied Jon to a few charitable events, including a New York City Pencils of Promise event in 2019. She also made an appearance in a 2017 episode of Tiny House Nation, where Jon and his family tried living in a tiny house for a while. Nicole shared during the episode:
"When he (Lil Jon) is doing music, he needs it loud. He needs to feel like he is in the club, so, yeah, that would drive a guest crazy."
After a discussion and arriving at a compromise to schedule out when Jon is working and when the guests come to their house, Nicole said:
"Teamwork makes the dream work."
However, in an interview with XXL magazine in February 2024, after his Super Bowl appearance alongside Usher, Jon talked about his upcoming meditative album and the factors that influenced it. He told the outlet:
"I’ve always kind of meditated a little bit. But when I turned 50, started going through a lot of things."
He also added:
"Started going through a divorce, I’m separated now."
Jon revealed that all the emotions stemming from the divorce and its process were really getting to him, so he knew he had to reach deep within to calm himself. Right after the interview, a representative for Jon confirmed the couple's split in a statement to People. The statement read:
"Nearly two years ago, Lil Jon and his wife Nicole decided to separate. This is an amicable split, and while Lil Jon is a public figure, his family matters will remain private at this time."
Lil Jon and Kabir Sehgal released their 10-track guided meditation album, Total Meditation, on February 16. Along with helping people relieve anxiety and boost their focus, Jon stated that the album would also help listeners find inner peace.