The second season of Family Legacy is back on Paramount+, and this time, it’s diving even deeper into the untold stories of music legends through the eyes of their children. Among the new faces featured in the series is Slade, the son of the legendary King of Crunk, Lil Jon.
As Slade steps into the spotlight, he’s carving out his own path while honoring the impressive legacy of his father.
Produced by MTV, Family Legacy gives viewers exclusive insight into the lives of music icons from the perspectives of their children. It also showcases how these offspring are working to build their own legacies while paying homage to the past. This season features the families of Wu-Tang Clan, Salt-N-Pepa, Lil Wayne, DMX, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, TLC, D’Angelo, Ginuwine, Lil Jon, and more.
For Slade, who identifies as an artist, producer, and engineer, music has always been part of his life. However, it wasn’t until one particular moment during his father’s DJ set that everything clicked.
“[My dad] brought me to an after-party he was DJing, and I just saw him rocking the crowd. He was on the mic, and he was just playing all the jams where everybody was dancing,” Slade explained in an exclusive interview with The Quintessential Gentleman. “Telling them to put their hands up, they put their hands up, telling them to put them down, they put them down. And I was like, Oh my God, I’m so excited to be here.”
It was a moment that left an impression on him. “It impressed me. We went home and he put on this app Serato on my computer. I was messing around with some beats and songs and he was like, ‘Man that sounds cool.’ So he set me up with some turntables, and that was history,” he recalled. “He just taught me a few things and just let me do my thing.”
Now, Slade is stepping up to continue the family legacy, but on his own terms. He’s working with heavy hitters like Saweetie, Ice Cube, and T.I., while also producing his own music and experimenting with different sounds. His new single, Feels, which blends R&B and rap, will premiere during this season of Family Legacy and be available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Slade is clear about his mission to build something original. “I produce my own beats, I record and mix my own songs. In the future, that’s what I plan to do. Just rapping, singing.. and just creating my own sound, creating my own genre, creating my own fan base,” he said. “Just trying to do something different that nobody’s done before.”
Slade acknowledges the privilege of having Lil Jon as his father, but he’s determined to make his own mark. “It’s dope to appreciate my dad, show respect, and just look at all the things he’s done, and it’s nice to get the torch passed down and do my own thing,” Slade shared. “Because it’s like it comes from him, but also I’m definitely taking it and making it my own.”
Slade is ready to honor the legacy while paving his own path. And while it’s a big task, he seems fully prepared to take it on.
Be sure to catch Family Legacy Season 2, now streaming on Paramount+.
Check out the full interview.
Photo Credit: Paramount
