Lil Jon, born Jonathan Smith, is a rapper, producer, and DJ widely recognized as a pioneer of the crunk movement in hip-hop. Rising to prominence in the early 2000s with hits like ?Get Low? and collaborations with artists across genres, he helped bring Southern hip-hop to the mainstream while earning a Grammy Award for his production on Usher's ?Yeah!?.

Paul Cantor is the author of the critically acclaimed, bestselling biography Most Dope: The Extraordinary Life of Mac Miller (Abrams, 2022). His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vulture, Rolling Stone, XXL, Esquire, Billboard, and dozens of other outlets. Born and raised in New York City, he began his career as a music producer before becoming one of music journalism's most respected voices. He has interviewed and written about many of the genre's defining artists and figures, including J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Wu-Tang Clan, Logic, Common, Scarface, Wyclef Jean, Damon Dash, Young Jeezy, M.I.A., Action Bronson, and Suge Knight. I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me is his first co-written memoir.