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Lil Jon wants his late son posthumously honored with a Grammy Award after his untimely death.
In a social media post he shared on Tuesday, October 13, the Atlanta native asked members of the Recording Academy to consider his late son, Nathan “Young Slade” Smith, for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording. Jon says Slade helped engineer his recent meditation albums, including his most recent Remix Meditation LP.
"GRAMMY voters, help me honor my son Nathan “Slade” Smith with a posthumous GRAMMY," he wrote. "He engineered my meditation albums, and his talent lives on in this music. Your consideration means the world."
Lil Jon's son, also known as DJ Young Slade, passed away in February after "drowning in the setting of psilocybin use." An autopsy found psilocybin, which is a hallucinogenic compound found in mushrooms, in Smith's blood at the time of his death. The 27-year-old's body was found in a pond near his home in Milton, Ga., several days after he was reported missing.
"I love you, son," Jon said after he laid his son to rest. "Life will never be the same without you. Allah, give me strength. Also thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences, love, and prayers we appreciate you all. I will make sure the world knows your talent and never forgets your name."
Jon talks about his late son in his new memoir, I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me. He also discusses his rise as a DJ, the launch of Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, his work with music's biggest names, and more. His first book, which he co-authored with esteemed journalist Paul Cantor, will be available in bookstores everywhere via Charlamagne Tha God's Black Privilege Publishing on October 20.