Rapper Lil Jon (real name: Jonathan H. Smith) and his family are mourning the loss of their son Nathan Smith, a.k.a DJ Young Slade, after the 27-year-old went missing in Georgia in early February 2026.
“The family is asking for privacy at this time,” a statement from Lil Jon and his family read, obtained by E! News.
Find out what we know so far about Nathan’s disappearance here.
How Many Kids Does Lil Jon Have?
Lil Jon has two children: his son, Nathan, and daughter, Nahara. The “Turn Down for What” hitmaker shares Nathan with his estranged wife, Nicole Smith. Nathan was born in 1998. In 2024, Jon welcomed Nahara with his girlfriend, Jamila Sozahdah.
Nathan followed in his father’s footsteps in the music industry, which Lil Jon beamed about during a 2017 interview with Paste magazine.
“I remember changing his diapers, he couldn’t even talk yet, couldn’t walk yet, crawling around and coming in the back when I’m making music and hitting on the drum pads, and now he’s producing his own music in the Clive Davis program at NYU,” Jon said. “He really knows how to engineer, and his stuff sounds really good. So, with him and these kids, it’s amazing to see those ideas and see people grow.”
What Happened to Lil Jon’s Son Nathan Smith?
Nathan, a.k.a Young Slade, was reported missing by the Milton Police Department in Georgia. Before he disappeared, Nathan was last seen running out of his home on February 3, 2026, on foot and is currently without his phone, according to the police department’s missing person alert.
Per the Milton Police Department, Nathan might also be “disoriented and in need of assistance,” and “family and friends are concerned for his safety.”
His last known location was “in the vicinity” of Baldwin Dr./Mayfield Rd. in Milton, Georgia, the news alert indicated.
Where Is Nathan ‘DJ Young Slade’ Now?
Unfortunately, Nathan died after police located a dead body in a pond.
“After being unable to locate Mr. Smith during that time, teams expanded the search to include a pond in Mayfield Park near Smith’s Milton residence,” the Milton Police Department announced on social media. “On February 6, 2026, at approximately 11:53 a.m., divers with the Cherokee County Fire Department located and recovered a body from the pond. The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.”
According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner, his cause of death was ruled an accidental “drowning in the setting of psilocybin use,” per an autopsy report obtained by People.
