Lil Jon Transforms DNC Roll Call Into a Party With ‘Turn Down for What’
Lil Jon pumped up the energy during Georgia’s roll call at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. The “Yeah!” rap star surprised the Chicago crowd by popping out with the delegation of Georgia to perform his hit “Turn Down for What.”
After a call for Georgia to cast its vote, the lights dimmed, and Lil Jon appeared with an elongated, “Yeaaaaah!” He joined Rep. Nikema Williams, who represents Georgia’s 5th congressional district, and announced that Georgia would cast its 123 votes to nominate Harris for president.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris for president,” he declared, before rapping the opening lyrics to his 2013 hit: “Fire up that loud/Another round of shots … DNC, turn down for what!”
The entire arena could be seen dancing and jumping to Lil Jon’s performance as the rapper walked through the crowd, high-fiving the audience. He then led the arena into a chant of “We’re not going back! We’re not going back!”
Lil Jon then transitioned his surprise performance to performing the chorus of “Get Low,” changing the lyrics to “VP Harris to the Walz!”
Rhode Island played Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” New Jersey played Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” Nebraska shared a snippet of Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Massachusetts played “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” New Mexico played a snippet of Demi Lovato’s “Confident,” and New York played Alicia Keys and Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” (DJ Cassidy was in charge of spinning the tunes.)
The roll call performance from Lil Jon comes a day after Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell represented country music on the main stage. Guyton performed her 2021 song “All American,” and Isbell played “Something More Than Free,” his 2015 album’s title track.
The first night of the DNC included a keynote speech from President Joe Biden, as well as remarks from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in support of Vice President Kamala Harris.
