Lil Jon shared footage from a trip to Japan with his late son Nathan, calling it their "final" father-son vacation
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Alongside the trip footage, the grieving father urged his followers to prioritize family and create lasting memories
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Nathan, a DJ and NYU graduate, died in February 2026 at age 27
Lil Jonis remembering what would become his final father-son trip with his late son, Nathan Smith — and sharing the message that it taught him about family.
The rapper, whoconfirmed the 27-year-old's death in a statement to PEOPLE in February, shared video footage of the pair's final vacation to Japan onInstagramon Friday, May 1. Alongside clips of the father-son duo trying dishes and exploring the country together, he shared a bit about the excursion — which was a birthday trip for Nathan, a DJ and musician who performed under the name DJ Young Slade or Slade.
“Two years ago, I asked Slade what he wanted to do for his birthday,” Lil Jon, 55, wrote, recalling that his son told him he wanted to celebrate by going to Japan. “I had no idea that trip would become our final father-and-son trip… or his favorite one ever,” the rapper said.
Nathan chose the pair's itinerary himself, Lil Jon said, which included museums, sushi dinners, driving and using samurai swords together. They also took a drawing class with an anime book author because Nathan “was a big anime fan.”
“This is just a glimpse into that trip,” Lil Jon wrote. “It was expensive, but I didn't care — I saw how happy it made him. He told me it was the most fun he'd ever had on any trip.”
“It hits different now, knowing we won't get to make memories like that again,” he said of the vacation.
Lil Jon then shared a message for his followers about the importance of family in the wake of his son's death.
“To anyone reading this — don't put your family off. Don't say ‘I'll see them later' or ‘We can do that later.' Don't skip the long hugs [don't] be frugal. Make long-lasting memories when you can,” he wrote in the caption. “We all think we have time… but we don't know Allah's plan.”
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“Love your people hard. You never know when it's the last hug,” he concluded the post. “Love you, son. Dad.”
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Nathan's bodywas discovered in a pondnear the family home on Feb. 6, three days after he wasreported missingunder what police described as “unusual circumstances" from his residence in Milton, Ga.
Hiscause of death was later determined to be "drowning in the setting of psilocybin use"and the manner of death to be an accident.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE in the wake of his son's death, Lil Jon said, "I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother and I are devastated.”
Lil Jon, born Jonathan Smith, shared Nathan with ex-wife Nicole Smith, whom he married in 2004. Heannounced in February 2024that they had split amicably two years prior.
"Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet,” the musician said in the statement. “He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate and warmhearted — he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest. He was an amazingly talented young man; a music producer, an artist and engineer, and a graduate of NYU."
"We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him," the statement continued. "He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together we're comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him."
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Lil Jon shared footage from a trip to Japan with his late son Nathan, calling it their "final" father-son vacation NEED...
