It’s hard to imagine a world where “Yeah!” doesn’t dominate pop and R&B music the way it did. The Usher single felt destined to become a hit in any universe, one of those mythical records that’ll last for eons. If people weren’t so burnt out by overplay, it would receive almost unanimous praise. Nowadays, “Yeah!” still rings off whenever Usher, Ludacris, or Lil Jon perform it, respectively. As for the King of Crunk, it would be shocking if he didn’t include it when he’s at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Pitbull tonight. With Ryan Seacrest hosting the event, it would be jarring not to hear “Yeah!” to hype the crowd.
However, what if I told you that the stars almost didn’t align for “Yeah!” to come out? When Lil Jon spoke with Jennifer Hudson in 2024, they talked about the timeless record. There, the “Snap Yo Fingers” hype-man detailed how the iconic song was one of the last recorded for the album. Moreover, all anyone knew at the time was that “Burn” would be the lead single out of the crop songs. Jermaine Dupri knew he had a hit, though. So he took matters into his own hands.
Lil Jon Details The Journey It Took for “Yeah!” to Blow Up
“The song was like one of the last songs recorded for the album. They already knew they wanted to put out “Burn” as the first single. But we knew “Yeah!” was a smash. I talked to Jermaine Dupri, and he was like, ‘Do what you do,’” Lil Jon recalls. “So I kind of leaked the song out to radio stations and DJs. The record company set up, basically, what they call a cease-and-desist. That means stop playing this song, like you’re not supposed to play this. Stop playing it.”
However, the radio stations knew they hit a gold mine when Lil Jon sent them “Yeah!” Consequently, Hot 97 took the initiative and continued to play the song anyway. Ever since, history was made, and the Usher classic has been inescapable ever since.
“They send (cease-and-desist letters) to all the radio stations. One station in particular, Hot 97 in New York City, the program director’s name was Tracy. She said, ‘Nope! This is a smash! We’re not going to stop playing this,’” Lil Jon continues. “She took the letter and framed it and put it on her wall. So she has that history.”
The post Lil Jon Reflects on the Legacy of ‘Yeah!’ and the Unlikely Way It Became a Hit appeared first on VICE.
