a.k.a

The body of Lil Jon’s son Nathan Smith, who performed as DJ Young Slade and went missing Tuesday night, was recovered Friday from a pond near his home in Milton, Ga., according to local police. The rapper’s son was 27.

“I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole Smith] and I are devastated,” Lil Jon and his ex-wife wrote Friday on social media.

“Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted — he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest.”

They said their son was “amazingly talented” as a music producer, artist and engineer. Nathan Smith was a graduate of New York University, his parents said.

Nathan Smith, a.k.a. DJ Young Slade, performs with his father, Lil Jon, at the Hollywood Palladium in March 2014.

(Kevin Winter / Getty Images )

“We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him. He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together we’re comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him,” the parents concluded before thanking the many local authorities and rescuers who helped search for their son.

The Milton Police Department said Tuesday on social media that Nathan Smith hadn’t been seen since he “ran out of his house” at 6 a.m. that day.

“Subject left on foot and does not possess a phone. He may be disoriented and in need of assistance,” the statement said. “Family and friends are concerned for his safety.”

On Friday, Milton police said in a statement that teams had expanded the search to include the pond in a nearby park after failing to find Smith elsewhere. Divers with the Cherokee County Fire Department recovered a body from the water shortly before noon local time Friday, the statement said.

“The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office,” police wrote, adding there was no indication of foul play. However, the official cause and manner of death were still to be determined.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Smith family during this difficult time. The department respectfully asks the community and members of the media to honor the family’s request for privacy as they grieve and navigate this tragedy,” the statement concluded.

Lil Jon and Nicole Smith expressed gratitude in their post confirming their son’s death. The two married in 2004 after welcoming Nathan in 1998 but split up amicably in 2022.

“Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days,” they wrote Friday.

Ye, the provocative rapper formerly known as Kanye West, explains himself once again — this time in a full-page ad in Monday’s issue of the Wall Street Journal.

The Grammy-winning musician penned a lengthy apology in the advertisement, voicing regrets for his social media attacks on Jewish people and his public embracing of Nazism in recent years. He began his letter detailing injuries from a 2002 car accident, including a frontal-lobe injury he says led to his bipolar type-1 diagnosis. Ye wrote that, in the throes of the disorder, “I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika.”

He said: “I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret.”

The “Power” and “I Love Kanye” musician, 48, has long had a history of stirring controversy, but notably began facing waves of scrutiny for embracing white supremacy, fawning over Adolf Hitler and threatening violence to Jewish people on social media in late 2022. Though his professional life seemed to take blows, West continued embracing Nazi symbolism in the following years, in 2025 selling a swastika-bearing T-shirt and releasing a single titled “Heil Hitler.” West had also allegedly told a former employee, who is Jewish, that he was a “Nazi” and compared himself to their leaderAdolf Hitler, according to a lawsuit filed last year.

“Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst,” he continued. “You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to love someone who was at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self.”

The musician said his disorder led him to moments of “poor judgment and reckless behavior,” some he said he can’t recall. The rapper said he is “committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change” and denied that he is “a Nazi or an antisemite.”

West also extended his apologies to the Black community, which he wrote is the “foundation of who I am.”

West (he legally changed his name to Ye in 2021) wrote that early last year he experienced a “four-month manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.” He said there were moments during this episode when “I didn’t want to be here anymore.” West said after “hitting rock bottom” he began seeking help, with the encouragement of wife Bianca Censori. He said he also has since found solace in Reddit, where he said users shared their experiences with manic and depressive episodes.

West said he is moving forward with “much-needed clarity” reached by a routine of medication, therapy, exercise and “clean living.” He added that he is also focused on “positive, meaningful art” including music, clothing and other ventures “to help the world.” He said he is not seeking “sympathy, or a free pass,” but rather forgiveness and patience “as I find my way home.”

West previously opened up about his mental state last year, telling “The Download” podcast that he learned “it’s really a case of autism that I have.” At the time, he also told podcast host Justin Laboy that he had stopped taking his bipolar medication since learning it wasn’t the “right diagnosis.”

Days after his podcast interview, West fired off several antisemitic tweets that have since been deleted. In other posts, he also called for the release of Sean “Diddy” Combs amid the mogul’s sex trafficking case and declared his “dominion” over Censori. Following those posts, Ye returned to X (formerly Twitter) and thanked the app’s owner Elon Musk for giving him a platform.

“It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board,” the rapper said at the time.