Lil Jon Brings His Signature 'Okay' Energy To Hyundai And A New Meditation Album

Say it with us - "OKAY!"

Lil Jon, best known for his signature “OKAY” and crunk music, has been branching out and adding some new things to his resume. He’s been working on a meditation album that's getting ready to be released, recently competed in the Venice Beach Muscle competition, and is gearing up for an Australian tour with Mariah Carey.

And to add to his long resume, Lil Jon recently teamed up with Hyundai to bring his signature energy to the new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid campaign. Lil Jon had some time to sit down with The Blast to share more about the campaign, as well as some of the other projects he’s been working on.

Lil Jon brings his signature energy to the new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid campaign, shouting his iconic “OKAY!” over a soundtrack inspired by his crunk era. 

According to a press release sent to The Blast, Hyundai Motor America, in collaboration with Culture Brands, launched "I See You," a new marketing campaign for the all-new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid. The "OKAY Hyundai" series highlights music, culture, and community, capturing the spirit of HBCU homecomings, block parties, and Sunday brunches while showcasing the SUV’s bold style.

When asked about the vibe on set while filming the new commercial, Lil Jon said it was a celebration of "Black excellence."

"It's a vibe that's just nice and chill, grown, celebrating Black excellence. You show a little bit of HBCUs, you show a nice brunch, and then you come across me, kind of chilling, and I see the Hyundai Palisade pull by," he told The Blast exclusively. "I'm like, okay, impressed. The okay kind of means like okay, Hyundai, y'all are doing it. That's nice. And that's actually what I thought when I first saw the car."

He explained that before shooting the commercial, he was never in a Hyundai before but once he saw it, he was instantly impressed by both the outside and the inside of the vehicle.

"I was also shocked at three rows of seats," he continued. "So I was really like, OKAY, Hyundai, this is nice."

He said that his reaction in the commercial was his "genuine reaction" to the vehicle.

While Lil Jon said there really isn't any notable behind-the-scenes moments other than his genuine reactions to the car on set, there was one thing that happened that put the brakes on filming for a bit.

"One thing that happened though, we had like a monsoon," he said. "We thought the commercial was over. Because the rain came out of nowhere and it was just storming. It set us back about an hour or two hours, but the rain stopped, and we were able to resume shooting."

He said with shooting outside, you just never know, and they weren't even expecting rain that day, except for possibly after the shoot was done.

"We salvaged the day," he said. "Kept it moving and here we are with this wonderful commercial."

Of course, something on many people's minds would be what Lil Jon's ultimate playlist would be if he were to go on a road trip in the new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.

"When I'm on the road, I think a road trip is not hype music," he began. "Lil Jon songs, I'm a little too hyped."

He said he wouldn't be playing any high-energy music, but he also wouldn't be listening to meditation music (more on meditation tunes later).

"I would listen to some low-fi, jazz, smooth jazz, piano jazz, or just some R&B, 90s R&B, 2000s R&B, anything that's nice and chill would go well on a nice long road trip," he said. "Nothing to put you to sleep, nothing to get you too hype, but something nice and mellow so you can enjoy the scenery."

When you think of Lil Jon, meditation might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but maybe his new album will change that.

"Remix Meditation" will be released on October 30 and will have people relaxing to some familiar songs remixed to be more chill than the originals.

"Basically, I recorded this album at the same time as the other two albums, 'Total Meditation' and 'Manifest Abundance: Affirmations for Personal Growth,'" he said. "I took a bunch of songs I'm either the artist on or I produced and turned them into meditations."

Lil Jon is hoping that people take him "serious in the meditation space." He said the time is right for this project and he thinks it will do well.

"It's legit meditation," he said. "But it's just playing off of words from the songs."

In addition to his music, the Hyundai partnership, and an upcoming tour with Mariah Carey, Lil Jon recently won third place in the Venice Beach Muscle Competition. He shared some background on how it came to be.

"I've been on my health journey for a while. I kicked it up a notch for Super Bowl. I wanted to look good on the Super Bowl stage," he shared. He started to really train for the competition after the Super Bowl, and despite feeling like he wasn't quite ready yet, he decided to just go for it in early September.

"It was crazy because the night before, I was in Vermont performing. Now mind you, most of these bodybuilders are prepping and I was on the road doing shows," he told The Blast. "Three in the morning, I drove from Vermont to Boston, three-and-a-half hours, then I had to take a six-hour flight from Boston to LA."

For Lil Jon, it wasn't just the hard work to train, but also his schedule that he had to tough out. He said he was just "happy to be there" and felt entering was a good step because he's a "role model" and at 53 years old, he wants others to know it's possible.

Lil Jon is about to hit the road again, this time with Mariah Carey in Australia, so he's not slowing down one little bit. You just never know where you'll see him next. But you can always find him on his Instagram page to keep up with all that he's doing.