He is a former member of the group Lil ' Jon & the East Side Boyz which he formed in 1997 . Jonathan Mortimer Smith ( born January 17 , 1971 ) , better known by his stage name Lil Jon , is an American rapper , crunkstar , music producer and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz . Lil Jon formed the group in 1997 , and the group released several albums between then and 2004 .