He fired up Chiefs fans, Democrats. Now Lil Jon will launch KU hoops at Late Night

Can Lil Jon fire up a crowd?

Yeah.

Just ask Kansas City Chiefs fans, or anyone who watched the Grammy-winning rapper, producer and DJ in a surprise, viral appearance at the Democratic National Convention over the summer.

And then be ready, because on Friday the “Turn Down for What” and “Get Low” hitmaker will launch the basketball season for KU at the 40th Late Night in the Phog inside newly renovated Allen Fieldhouse.

The Atlanta rapper will be taking a break from his get-out-the-vote work. (And in front of such a young crowd, don’t be surprised if he slips in a “go vote” message.)

This will be his second trip to the Kansas City area since last year. In January 2023 he performed at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during halftime of the Chiefs-Jaguars AFC divisional round game.

Though he doesn’t appear to have a direct connection to Kansas City, he keeps popping up where the Chiefs are. He made a surprise appearance with headliner Usher and fellow rapper Ludacris during the Super Bowl halftime show in Vegas this year.

And back in the 2016 postseason he performed at NRG Stadium in Houston when the Chiefs beat the Texans.

Right now he’s working to get out the vote for next month’s presidential election. He takes voting seriously.

During the midterm elections in 2015, he worked with other celebrities in the Rock the Vote campaign aimed at young voters.

That year he flew from Los Angeles to Georgia to vote in person because he said the absentee ballot he requested be delivered to his home in Los Angeles never arrived.

After his Late Night performance, he heads to “Party to the Polls” early voting events in Las Vegas and Reno later this weekend.

In August he made a surprise appearance on the second night of the DNC, when he introduced his native Georgia during a musical roll call.

“Yeah! Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris for president,” he yelled as he entered the convention to his 2013 hit, “Turn Down for What.” “Fire up that loud, another round of shots. DNC, turn down for what!”

(The man knows how to make an entrance. Maybe they drop him from the fieldhouse ceiling?)

The Democrats invited him to the convention after fans of Kamala Harris’ VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, changed a lyric to “Get Low” from “to the window, to the wall,” to this: “To the window, to the Walz.’

KU had originally scheduled rapper Nelly to headline Late Night but later cited “extenuating circumstances” when switching to Lil Jon.

Back in August, Nelly was arrested at a St. Louis area casino for suspected drug possession. His attorney said an “overzealous” officer targeted him and conducted an improper search.

Music has become central to KU’s Late Night festivities.

Recent headliners have included Kansas City’s Tech N9ne (2016), Lil Yachty (2017), 2 Chainz (2018), Run-DMC (2021) and, rather infamously, Snoop Dogg in 2019. Snoop brought pole dancers and a money gun that shot fake $100 bills into the crowd.

Last year, Flo Rida performed.

Fans will get their first look on Friday at the renovated Allen Fieldhouse, which will mark its 70th birthday during the upcoming season. This is the 40th annual Late Night event.