Lil Jon has credited two major life moments with inspiring his unlikely new meditation album.
In an interview with XXL following his recent appearance at Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show, the crunk legend shed light on his upcoming project which is called Total Meditation.
Jon explained how divorcing his wife and turning 50 — both of which happened in the last few years — has led him down a different path, both personally and professionally.
“I’ve always kind of meditated a little bit. But when I turned 50, started going through a lot of things,” he said before dropping the bombshell news that he and his wife are no longer together. “Started going through a divorce, I’m separated now.
“And all the emotions from the divorce and all that process was really getting to me. So, I found I had to start to go within to calm myself.”
After news of his divorce broke, a rep for Lil Jon told PEOPLE: “Nearly two years ago, Lil Jon and his wife Nicole decided to separate. This is an amicable split, and while Lil Jon is a public figure, his family matters will remain private at this time.”
The former couple tied the knot back in 2004 and have a son named Nathan who is now 26. They got married six years after first meeting and had largely kept their relationship out of the public eye.
As for his guided meditation album, news of Lil Jon’s drastic sonic (and spiritual) direction emerged earlier this month.
The 10-track project, which is set to arrive on Friday (February 16), aims to help listeners “relieve anxiety, boost focus and find peace,” Jon told XXL.
The initial announcement caught fans by surprise, with some likening it to André 3000’s New Blue Sun, which found the OutKast luminary swapping the bars for ambient flute instrumentals.
“DAWG WHAT IS IT WITH ICONIC RAPPERS AND MEDITATION ALBUMS NOWADAYS LMAO. FIRST ANDRE 3000 NOW LIL JON WHAT IS GOING ON,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another said: “Okay but let’s get into Black men doing mindfulness work! First 3K and now Lil Jon? Will be putting this in my rotation.”
