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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
I am actually into meditation. It helps quiet my thoughts and calm my anxiousness. And this week I attempted a brand new guided meditation.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MINDFUL BREATHING”)
LIL JON: Take a deep breath in by your nostril, then breathe out slowly by your mouth.
RASCOE: However are you questioning who that’s? Let me provide you with one other clue.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TURN DOWN FOR WHAT”)
LIL JON: (Singing) Flip down for what? Flip down for what?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GET LOW”)
LIL JON: (Singing) Now cease. Then wiggle with it. Cease. Then wiggle with it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “YEAH!”)
USHER: Usher, Usher.
LIL JON: Lil Jon.
RASCOE: Sure, that’s the identical individual (laughter). It is rapper and DJ Lil John, and he now desires you to show it manner down. His newest undertaking is a guided meditation album known as “Complete Meditation.” And Lil Jon joins me now. Welcome to the present.
LIL JON: Hey. Hey, thanks for having me. Thanks for having me.
RASCOE: All proper, so like I discussed, I follow meditation after I’m feeling anxious and overwhelmed, which is lots, and it helps calm me down.
LIL JON: Yeah.
RASCOE: Is that what began you together with your follow? Was it anxiousness?
LIL JON: Yeah, it was anxiousness and a little bit stress from lots hitting me on the identical time, turning 50, my life, my, you understand, marriage and a whole lot of issues and coping with addressing and making an attempt to maneuver on and get by these issues. And I’d meditate, you understand, earlier than I am going on stage, or right here and there, I take a little bit – you understand, a little bit breath right here, or I simply take a while for myself. However I actually discovered at this explicit level in my life, I actually need to enter it a little bit deeper. And so I’d meditate every single day, and I’d say my affirmations every single day, and all of that may quiet me, calm these loopy ideas and feelings that I’d have, and calm me and provides me some peace.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “RELIEVE ANXIETY”)
LIL JON: Your thoughts is obvious and calm.
RASCOE: You might have simply gotten into meditation and simply take heed to different folks. Why did you are feeling like I ought to take the lead on this, it must be my voice?
LIL JON: I discovered to take heed to the universe, and the universe by no means guides me within the flawed path. And one factor I discovered presently, too, was having an acceptance to what the universe brings you as a result of with acceptance, you could have peace. However I additionally went by understanding that that is what I am imagined to be doing subsequent. It simply – an epiphany came to visit me, and it is such as you’re supposed to assist lots of individuals, and that is how you are going to have the ability to try this.
RASCOE: Lots of people would, in fact, have this notion of you as this celebration man, the DJ within the membership screaming, you understand, OK and all – did you wish to additionally inform folks that there’s extra to you that you just, that you’re a well-rounded individual, to provide folks one other facet of you?
LIL JON: I do not simply stroll round screaming, yeah, what, OK all day…
RASCOE: (Laughter).
LIL JON: …And every single day. And you bought to show down generally. You bought to get relaxation. You bought to get sleep. You bought to drink a whole lot of water. You bought to deal with your well being. You understand, persons are having coronary heart assaults and strokes. I do know this one man who had a triple bypass. And that influenced me, you understand, initially to begin getting wholesome as a result of I checked out him and was like, he is 10 years youthful than me. In order that began me on my well being journey about 2010, 2012-ish.
RASCOE: You continue to DJ on the the membership, you understand, frequently. And I imply, I learn that you’ve got reduce down lots in your your consuming. And clearly, you are meditating. However I used to be studying that, pondering, like, being on the membership – like, that is not precisely probably the most centering expertise. So, like…
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: …How do you steadiness that? Like…
LIL JON: You must have a look at the membership as a launch, although.
RASCOE: Oh, OK.
LIL JON: It’s a launch.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SHOTS”)
LIL JON: (Singing) Pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures. Everyone.
Some folks must launch. Some folks should be in social settings round others. Some folks should be with their family and friends. Music is therapeutic, as nicely.
RASCOE: Yeah.
LIL JON: Dancing is therapeutic, as nicely. It is good for the soul, good for the thoughts. All of that’s good. Connecting with others is sweet for the thoughts, physique and soul. All of that’s nice. So it really works out for me. You understand, like, I can nonetheless do it. And I am, I am spreading good power to folks. I am giving them good occasions with the meditation and with the membership.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BOOST FOCUS”)
LIL JON: Now let’s actually expertise the current.
RASCOE: Your music is, like, actually tremendous excessive power. And you may inform the way it impacts folks’s moods. Like, that is again within the day. Like, you play a music like “Head Bussa.” A music like that – folks go loopy on the dance flooring. I keep in mind, you understand, all the ladies would depart the dance flooring as a result of the lads would go so loopy. They usually’d be throwing their bows and stuff like that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HEAD BUSSAS”)
LIL JON: I am Lil Jon. OK. (Singing) We some head bussas. We some head bussas. We’ll knock a hater out. We some head bussas.
RASCOE: However now you might be clearly doing a really calming sounds for this meditation album. I suppose are you able to speak to me about how you utilize sound to deliver out totally different feelings?
LIL JON: At any time when I do a music, I’ve to search out the appropriate – I name them characters. It is actually like discovering the appropriate voice that sort of connects you with the appropriate temper and the appropriate vibe for the music or what you are speaking about. So it took me a short time to search out the appropriate voice, the appropriate tone. One factor that folks have instructed me is that my voice – they have been stunned at how soothing and calming my voice was.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “RELIEVE ANXIETY”)
LIL JON: Let’s flip our consideration to the breath.
RASCOE: In relation to meditating, like, what’s the hardest a part of meditation for you?
LIL JON: I believe the toughest half for anyone is to disconnect from the Matrix. It was at all times laborious for me to, like, actually formally meditate as a result of I am at all times pondering sooner or later. However you study which you can take a pause. After which while you come again, you are extra level-headed. Your thoughts is obvious. You’ve your inventive processes, even, you understand, sparked much more since you took a break.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “IMAGINE NATURE”)
LIL JON: However the solar is shining down in your face. You are simply there, reclined on planet Earth.
RASCOE: I imply, what you are speaking about, this sort of – this degree of acceptance, this additionally – when you consider taking good care of the physique, Black males typically are dying at increased charges from issues like most cancers and issues like that. So many Black entertainers, particularly Black male entertainers, have died at a comparatively younger age.
LIL JON: Yeah.
RASCOE: You have leaned into issues like meditation and remedy. And, I imply, I learn you bought a colonoscopy (laughter)…
LIL JON: Yeah, yeah.
RASCOE: …Like, just lately. Like, are you making an attempt…
LIL JON: I imply, you flip 50. You bought to get it.
RASCOE: Yeah. You bought to do it. Are you making an attempt to ship a message to Black males particularly to deal with themselves and that there is no disgrace in doing that?
LIL JON: 100%. And I believe releasing this album, too, can also be – you understand, psychological well being is actually necessary to me as a result of males, particularly Black males – we undergo, and we have been raised to only undergo in silence. And, you understand, no matter – you understand, you recover from it. You may be tremendous. You understand, and simply take care of our issues ourselves.
RASCOE: Simply man up, you understand?
LIL JON: Yeah, man up. So it is like with this album, it is displaying, like, hey, take heed to this meditation. It’s going to assist to provide you a unique perspective on issues. It’s going to calm you. And take a look at it with an open thoughts and see the way it helps.
RASCOE: That is rap artist and meditation information Lil Jon. Thanks a lot for speaking to me.
LIL JON: Oh, no worries. Thanks.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “FEEL GRATITUDE”)
LIL JON: Now I need us each to take a couple of extra deep breaths collectively.
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