Lil Jon says writing his upcoming memoir, “I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me,” became part of how he processed his son’s tragic death. He says he went back to add new sections about navigating grief and hopes readers going through similar losses feel less alone.
Lil Jon is opening up about how he’s been living with the loss of his son, DJ Young Slade — and how writing an upcoming memoir helped him make sense of it.
He spoke at LAX on Tuesday. sharing that his son’s death in February hit while he was trying to finish his book. “I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.” Rather than leave the manuscript as it was. Lil Jon said he returned to the memoir to add new sections about navigating grief and processing the devastating loss.
The rapper also said he wants readers to see the full shape of life — the highs and the lows — and to let people who are going through something similar know they’re not alone.
There’s a clear line running through the updates: the memoir was being written before the tragedy, and then it changed. Lil Jon’s decision to add sections after the death brings the grief directly into the story he planned to tell.
As the public learned in the months that followed, his son’s body was found in a pond near his Milton, Georgia home in February, days after DJ Young Slade was reported missing. The death was later ruled an accidental drowning.
Lil Jon didn’t just recount what happened. He positioned the memoir as something ongoing — tied to what comes next in his music career, and to what he hopes readers take away while dealing with their own losses.
Lil Jon memoir I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me DJ Young Slade son’s death Milton Georgia accidental drowning LAX interview grief
Damn. Lil Jon really doing the memoir thing, huh.
I didn’t know his son passed like that. So he wrote part of the book before and then changed it after, right? That’s honestly kind of wild and sad.
Wait accidental drowning in a pond?? I saw some other post saying it was like… something else. Not saying the article is lying but people be guessing. Either way writing it into the memoir makes me feel uncomfortable but also like he’s trying to help.
I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me sounds like one of those inspirational titles but also super heartbreaking. Like the tragedy happened while he was finishing the book at first, then he goes back and adds grief sections… ok so it’s basically turning into a whole different memoir now. I hope it helps people but also I feel like LAX interview is random timing to me.