Turn Down.for What

[Queila Neubecker]

Turn Down for What" is a song by French DJ and record producer DJ Snake and American rapper Lil Jon. It was released on 18 December 2013 as DJ Snake's debut single. The song and its viral music video popularized the use of the phrase.[2][3] The song was particularly successful in North America, where it has earned eight platinum certifications in the United States. In late 2020, seven years after it was released, the video passed 1 billion views on YouTube.[4]

When I hit up the big homie Jon and asked him if he wanted to be on the track, this song is a pretty balling song. He heard the beat and was instantly down with the vision. What he sent me back, though, absolutely blew my mind. I knew Jon was one of the best, but he absolutely killed it on this joint.[6]

DJ Snake sent me the track with a sample and he wanted me to redo it with my voice. When I heard the song I was like this beat is too crazy for that sample. I wanted to make it hip and current, and the first thing that came to mind was the phrase 'Turn Down for What!'[6]

"Turn Down for What" contains the lyrics of Lil Jon rapping "Fire up that loud, another round of shots" and "Turn down for what" throughout the song. It also contains bass and trap music elements that are original to Atlanta, GA, Lil Jon's hometown. "Turn Down for What" is written in the E Phrygian mode and is set in common time at a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute.

"Turn Down for What" entered the top 10 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart during the last week of December.[8] In January 2014, the single entered the top 5 on the Dance/Electronic chart and debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9] It peaked at number 4 on the chart, becoming DJ Snake's first and Lil Jon's ninth top ten, and was certified gold in February 2014.[10][11] It reached its first million copies sold in the U.S. in March 2014.[12] The song reached its 3 million sales mark in July 2014.[13] It became the seventh best-selling song of 2014 in the US with 3,449,000 copies sold for the year.[14]

"Turn Down for What" received generally positive reviews from music critics and publications. Rolling Stone voted "Turn Down for What" as the second best song of the year 2014, saying, "The year's nutsiest party jam was also the perfect protest banger for a generation fed up with everything. DJ Snake brings the synapse-rattling EDM and Southern trap music; Lil Jon brings the dragon-fire holler for a hilarious, glorious, glowstick-punk fuck you."[15] In January 2015, "Turn Down for What" was ranked at No. 9, tied with Beyonc's "Flawless", on The Village Voice's annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll.

Jason Newman of Rolling Stone described the video as "perfect insanity" and added, "It's hard to pinpoint specifically what makes the video for DJ Snake and Lil Jon's 'Turn Down for What' so compelling and ripe for repeat viewings."[17] Edwin Ortiz of Complex called it "incredibly absurd and awesome" and wrote, "The hard-hitting EDM record delivers an undeniable vibe that listeners can't help but mosh out to, and that's clearly evident in the accompanying music video."[18] Writing for Idolator, Robbie Daw said the video "takes things to a whole new level of WTF-ness not quite seen before."[19]

On 26 April 2014, an official remix featuring Juicy J, 2 Chainz, and French Montana was released. A second official remix, the "Dancehall Remix", followed on 28 April 2014, featuring Chi Ching Ching, Assassin, and Konshens. A third remix was released on 7 May 2014, titled "Turn Down for What (Lil Jon Remix)", featuring Pitbull and Ludacris.[20][21][22]

The music video won Best Direction at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) held in Inglewood. It also received 3 additional nominations for MTV Clubland Award, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction.[24]

The song won a Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards held in Vegas and the music video won the Clio Bronze in Film and Music at the 2015 Clio Awards.[27]

"Turn Down for What" has been featured in various films, commercials and television programs. Uses include a TV commercial for Sol Republic, to introduce a wireless speaker, which aired in October 2013.[28] The song was used in the films 22 Jump Street, Furious 7 and The Angry Birds Movie 2, and in the trailers for Horrible Bosses 2[29] and Brick Mansions. The song was also used in a TV spot for the 2019 film, Pokmon Detective Pikachu. In May 2014, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Rogen and Zac Efron danced dressed as girls to the song during an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[30] In July 2014, Robin Wright also danced to the song during an appearance on The Tonight Show.[31]

In October 2014, Lil Jon and various other celebrities appeared in an online video that featured a remix of the song, renamed to "Turn Out for What", that was organized by Rock the Vote and intended to encourage young people to vote in the upcoming elections.[32]

On 15 October 2014, Michelle Obama posted a video clip of herself dancing to "Turn Down for What" while holding a turnip[33] as a Vine response to US comedian and impressionist Iman Crosson's post hashtagged #AskTheFirstLady.[34] In Alphacat's original post Michelle Obama was asked, "On average how many calories do you burn every time you 'turn up'?!" Her response was "Turnip for what?" The Vine was posted as part of a Q&A organized by the First Lady's office to promote her Let's Move! healthy lifestyle campaign.[35]

In November 2017, "Turn Down for What?" was the title of a research paper in the American Journal of Transplantation written by Mary Grace Bowring, Dorry Segev and colleagues, about the decision to turn down offers of certain deceased donor kidneys for transplantation.[38]

This guide was written in July. It is now October and "Turn Down for What" has been used in (among other things) a "get out and vote" campaign and a Project Runway advertisement since this guide was published. On October 14, Michelle Obama danced with a turnip while making a pun on the song ("turnip for what"):

Actor and co-director Daniel Kwan, of the directing duo The Daniels There were three questions I had after watching "Turn Down for What" for the first time. One, how did the special effects team so realistically depict their protagonist smashing stuff with his penis; two, who are the complete freakazoids that directed this thing; and three, what does it all mean?

The video, directed by the LA-based filmmaking duo known as The Daniels, tells the story of what happens when otherwise reasonable people are coaxed into writhing, hysterical dance moves by a beat they just can't seem to resist. It stars director Daniel Kwan and his possessed, dancing penis, as patient zero in a twerking epidemic that eventually infects his entire apartment building. Alongside co-director Daniel Scheinhert, they've made music videos for stars like Foster the People, Passion Pit, and Tenacious D, and until "Turn Down for What" they spent a year away from music videos working on new material for television and beginning their first feature-length project.

Having shown "Turn Down for What" to the entire VICE office and all of my roommates, I realized that interviewing the director and protagonist might be a good way to get him to be friends with me. So I tracked him down and we talked about Brazilian facial butt-smash dances, racist YouTube commenters, and the nitty gritty details of how he broke a 2x4 with his penis while shooting this thing. Maybe he'll come dancing with me in New York some day and he can show off that adorable teapot dance he does so well. Eh?

Was it nice to just break shit and focus on eye-candy rather than focus on concept or story line?

Generally we come from a concept and we try to push that as far as we can and that's usually the glue that holds it together. It's usually a really dumb concept that we try to treat with utter sincerity, you know, in a way that makes people feel like, Really, they spent this much time on this idea? For some reason I think that cognitive dissonance is really funny to us.

It's almost like trying to turn someone on, just to upset them, almost like Antichrist. He does that in the worst way possible and I hate it. I hate that movie and I love that movie at the same time, and we want to do that in a more comedic way.

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: I'm really into meditation. It helps quiet my mind and calm my anxiety. And this week I tried a new guided meditation.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MINDFUL BREATHING")LIL JON: Take a deep breath in through your nose, then breathe out slowly through your mouth.RASCOE: But are you wondering who that is? Let me give you another clue.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT")LIL JON: (Singing) Turn down for what? Turn down for what?(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GET LOW")LIL JON: (Singing) Now stop. Then wiggle with it. Stop. Then wiggle with it.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YEAH!")USHER: Usher, Usher.LIL JON: Lil Jon.RASCOE: Yes, that is the same person (laughter). It's rapper and DJ Lil John, and he now wants you to turn it way down. His latest project is a guided meditation album called "Total Meditation." And Lil Jon joins me now. Welcome to the show.LIL JON: Hey. Hey, thanks for having me. Thanks for having me.RASCOE: All right, so like I mentioned, I practice meditation when I'm feeling anxious and overwhelmed, which is a lot, and it helps calm me down.LIL JON: Yeah.RASCOE: Is that what started you with your practice? Was it anxiety?LIL JON: Yeah, it was anxiety and a little stress from a lot hitting me at the same time, turning 50, looking at my life, looking at my, you know, marriage and a lot of things and dealing with addressing and trying to move on and get through those things. And I would meditate, you know, before I go on stage, or here and there, I take a little - you know, a little breath here, or I just take some time for myself. But I really found at this particular point in my life, I really need to go into it a little deeper. And so I would meditate every day, and I would say my affirmations every day, and all of that would quiet me, calm those crazy thoughts and emotions that I would have, and calm me and give me some peace.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RELIEVE ANXIETY")LIL JON: Your mind is clear and calm.RASCOE: You could have just gotten into meditation and just listen to other people. Why did you feel like I should take the lead on this, it should be my voice?LIL JON: I learned to listen to the universe, and the universe never guides me in the wrong direction. And one thing I learned at this time, too, was having an acceptance to what the universe brings you because with acceptance, you have peace. But I also went through understanding that this is what I'm supposed to be doing next. It just - an epiphany came over me, and it's like you're supposed to help masses of people, and this is how you're going to be able to do that.RASCOE: A lot of people would, of course, have this perception of you as this party guy, the DJ in the club screaming, you know, OK and all - did you want to also tell people that there is more to you that you, that you are a well-rounded person, to give people another side of you?LIL JON: I don't just walk around screaming, yeah, what, OK all day...RASCOE: (Laughter).LIL JON: ...And every day. And you got to turn down sometimes. You got to get rest. You got to get sleep. You got to drink a lot of water. You got to take care of your health. You know, people are having heart attacks and strokes. I know this one guy who had a triple bypass. And that influenced me, you know, initially to start getting healthy because I looked at him and was like, he's 10 years younger than me. So that started me on my health journey about 2010, 2012-ish.RASCOE: You still DJ at the the club, you know, on a regular basis. And I mean, I read that you've cut down a lot on your your drinking. And obviously, you're meditating. But I was reading that, thinking, like, being at the club - like, that's not exactly the most centering experience. So, like...(LAUGHTER)RASCOE: ...How do you balance that? Like...LIL JON: You have to look at the club as a release, though.RASCOE: Oh, OK.LIL JON: It is a release.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHOTS")LIL JON: (Singing) Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots. Everybody.Some people need to release. Some people need to be in social settings around others. Some people need to be with their friends and family. Music is therapeutic, as well.RASCOE: Yeah.LIL JON: Dancing is therapeutic, as well. It's good for the soul, good for the mind. All of that is good. Connecting with others is good for the mind, body and soul. All of that is great. So it works out for me. You know, like, I can still do it. And I'm, I'm spreading good energy to people. I'm giving them good times with the meditation and with the club.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BOOST FOCUS")LIL JON: Now let's truly experience the present.RASCOE: Your music is, like, really super high energy. And you can tell how it affects people's moods. Like, this is back in the day. Like, you play a song like "Head Bussa." A song like that - people go crazy on the dance floor. I remember, you know, all the women would leave the dance floor because the men would go so crazy. And they'd be throwing their bows and stuff like that.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEAD BUSSAS")LIL JON: I'm Lil Jon. OK. (Singing) We some head bussas. We some head bussas. We'll knock a hater out. We some head bussas.RASCOE: But now you are obviously doing a very calming sounds for this meditation album. I guess can you talk to me about how you use sound to bring out different emotions?LIL JON: Whenever I do a song, I have to find the right - I call them characters. It's literally like finding the right voice that kind of connects you with the right mood and the right vibe for the song or what you're talking about. So it took me a little while to find the right voice, the right tone. One thing that people have told me is that my voice - they were surprised at how soothing and calming my voice was.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RELIEVE ANXIETY")LIL JON: Let's turn our attention to the breath.RASCOE: When it comes to meditating, like, what is the hardest part of meditation for you?LIL JON: I think the hardest part for anybody is to disconnect from the Matrix. It was always hard for me to, like, really formally meditate because I'm always thinking in the future. But you learn that you can take a pause. And then when you come back, you're more level-headed. Your mind is clear. You have your creative processes, even, you know, sparked even more because you took a break.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IMAGINE NATURE")LIL JON: But the sun is shining down on your face. You're just there, reclined on planet Earth.RASCOE: I mean, what you're talking about, this kind of - this level of acceptance, this also - when you think about taking care of the body, Black men in general are dying at higher rates from things like cancer and things like that. So many Black entertainers, especially Black male entertainers, have died at a relatively young age.LIL JON: Yeah.RASCOE: You've leaned into things like meditation and therapy. And, I mean, I read you got a colonoscopy (laughter)...LIL JON: Yeah, yeah.RASCOE: ...Like, recently. Like, are you trying...LIL JON: I mean, you turn 50. You got to get it.RASCOE: Yeah. You got to do it. Are you trying to send a message to Black men specifically to take care of themselves and that there's no shame in doing that?LIL JON: One hundred percent. And I think releasing this album, too, is also - you know, mental health is really important to me because men, especially Black men - we suffer, and we've been raised to just suffer in silence. And, you know, whatever - you know, you get over it. You'll be fine. You know, and just deal with our problems ourselves.RASCOE: Just man up, you know?LIL JON: Yeah, man up. So it's like with this album, it's showing, like, hey, listen to this meditation. It'll help to give you a different perspective on things. It'll calm you. And try it with an open mind and see how it helps.RASCOE: That's rap artist and meditation guide Lil Jon. Thank you so much for talking to me.LIL JON: Oh, no worries. Thank you.(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FEEL GRATITUDE")LIL JON: Now I want us both to take a few more deep breaths together.

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