Lil Jon recently shared the footage from the final trip with his son, Nathan Smith, who recently passed.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, May 1, Lil Jon shared clips he and Nathan took while visiting Japan. He said it’s hard to believe that it would be their last trip together,
“Two years ago, I asked Slade what he wanted to do for his birthday,” Lil Jon wrote, “I had no idea that trip would become our final father-and-son trip… or his favorite one ever.”
“This is just a glimpse into that trip,” he continued. “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.”
Lil Jon also revealed that Nathan planned the entire trip. Their time together, which included museums, sushi dinners, driving, and using samurai swords together.” Noting that Nathan was a big anime fan,” they took a drawing class with an anime book author.
“It hits different now, knowing we won’t get to make memories like that again,” he said of the vacation.
Lil Jon also shared the importance of connecting with family.
“To anyone reading this — don’t put your family off. Don’t say ‘I’ll see them later’ or ‘We can do that later.’ And don’t skip the long hugs [don’t] be frugal. Make long-lasting memories when you can,” he wrote. “We all think we have time… but we don’t know Allah’s plan.”
“Love your people hard. You never know when it’s the last hug,” he concluded the post. “Love you, son. Dad.”
Nathan tragically passed away in early February 2026, with his body found in a pond near his Milton, Georgia home. An autopsy later revealed the cause of death as an accidental drowning related to psilocybin use. Known as DJ Young Slade, he was a respected producer, engineer, and NYU graduate.