10 Facts You Never Knew About Lil Jon

WHAT! Grammy award-winning producer, rapper and DJ Lil Jon has his own HGTV show, Lil Jon Wants To Do What? — which is exactly what interior design lovers will say when they see the over-the-top transformations he has up his sleeve. Lil Jon gives Atlanta-based homeowners the house call of a lifetime when he turns up at their doorstep with big ideas (and plenty of booze!) to bring the party and pizzazz into their ho-hum homes. With expert designer and builder Anitra Mecadon by his side, the hip-hop hitmaker will channel his clients' design wild side while executing unconventional renovations they never could have dreamed up on their own. Trust us when we say the home reno and design game is about to get a lot more interesting. OKAY! Ahead: Everything you never knew about Lil Jon.

He's Completely Geeked Out on Home Design

Forget what you think you know about Lil Jon. While he's cemented himself into the pop culture zeitgeist with a catalog of party anthems and legendary ad-libs, the famous rapper and producer has another huge passion: home renovation and design. “I’m excited for fans to see a totally different side to me,” he says. “I’ve always been passionate about design, so this show was a no-brainer. I get to bring my unique aesthetic and vision to all sorts of different families’ homes … let’s go!”

His Interest in Home Reno Was Set Into Motion by a Flood

"I got into design because I had a flood in my house," Lil Jon shares. "We were living in Los Angeles at the time, but we still had our house in Atlanta, and we had a flood on the top level of the house that flooded all the way to the bottom. We had to gut the house, and I went through three contractors. Redoing my house made me really fall in love with design."

His Partnership With Anitra Began With a Bingewatch

While Jon is the big ideas guy, his partnership with Anitra is his secret ingredient to staying on budget while bringing his outrageous ideas to life. He first connected with the HGTV designer after bingewatching home improvement television. He reached out to her for help with his own reno. "I liked her style so much," he says. "I contacted her and she was down to work, and she happened to be in Atlanta, too. And here we are today!"

His Design Process Is All About Flow and Vibes

"It's like when you go into the studio and you just let ideas flow," he says. "That's how my design method is. The homes talk to me. Items in spaces speak to me. The space will lend itself to where the design goes. It's all about the vibe. Every home is unique. We go in. We catch a vibe, and that's where it leads us on the journey."

He's Wants to Help His Clients Express Themselves

While he's known for his boisterous persona, Lil Jon sets the record straight: his renovations reflect his clients' lifestyle rather than his own. "It's not like I'm going in and putting fur on the walls," he shares. "People think just because my personality is really out there, that's what I'm doing in these houses. That's not what it is. Anitra and I sit down with the homeowners, and we hang out. We want to channel something in them that they don't even know is in them."

He's a Trendsetter

You won't find Jon following the mainstream trends that clog up the pages of interior magazines and blogger feeds. He prefers to think outside the box to punch up the personality in his clients' homes. "You've got people from all over the country living in the same house," he says. "I'm all about pushing people out of their comfort zones. That's the thing about our show. No house looks the same. We're not doing the same color palette over and over again."

You Can Find Him Scouring Etsy for Decor Gems

Like any interior design pro, Jon knows that sometimes you have to look for a diamond in the rough when sourcing unique pieces to bring gusto to a great design plan. He often gravitates toward thrifting funkier furniture pieces for boujee upcycles and frequents the small maker mecca, Etsy, while shopping for his clients. "I really love vintage," he says. "I love stuff from all over the world. You can put it into different scenarios and combinations and make it really cool. I like stuff that you don't see everyday."

His Own Home Is Anything But Basic

"I made my home a resort so I never want to leave," he says. "I have streams in my backyard. Waterfalls. Beautiful landscape lighting at night. A putting green. I built a studio back there. I even built a hookah lounge in my house. It's a room that in a traditional home nobody ever goes in. You know the room with the plastic on the furniture ... we made that the hookah lounge!"

His Travels Inspire His Design Work

From the VIP sections of Dubai to the nightclubs of Miami, Jon brings his superstar energy around the world with his raucous DJ sets. Whether it's a vibey dive bar or a fancy kitchen, he pulls design inspiration from his travels. "I was at a bar in Boston and they had really cool walls," said Lil Jon. "I asked, "Yo! Who did this?" And hired the guy to do some custom art pieces in my basement. It was the last thing that was missing. It looks like layers and layers of fliers and newspapers that are more than 60 years old."

The King of Crunk Has a Reno Ritual

Even in the daunting process of renovation, Lil Jon knows a beautiful home renovation is something to toast to, which is why it's his tradition to share a drink with his clients at the beginning of each project. Let's all raise a glass to good design and good times!

Follow @HGTV and #LilJonWantsToDoWhat on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok for show content and updates. Follow Lil Jon (@liljon) and Anitra (@anitramecadon) on Instagram.