Lil Jon seeks posthumous Grammy for late son Nathan Smith

Rapper Lil Jon is calling for a posthumous Grammy Award to honor his late son, Nathan “Slade” Smith, for his technical contributions to his father’s meditation albums. In a social media appeal, Lil Jon noted that Nathan engineered projects such as “Total Meditation” and “Manifest Abundance: Affirmations for Personal Growth,” stating, “his talent lives on in this music.”

Nathan Smith, who performed as DJ Young Slade, passed away at age 27. His body was discovered in a pond near Milton, Georgia, in February 2026, following a three-day disappearance. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death an accident.

Lil Jon is also preparing to release his autobiography, “I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me,” on October 20. The book contains personal reflections on his son’s life, including Nathan’s struggles with emotional and physical pain, his studies at New York University’s Tisch program, and their final emotional exchanges before his death.