Rapper Lil Jon sits down with SEC Nation to discuss Vols’ “Third Down for What” craze

Lil Jon is a multiplatinum-selling recording artist. One of his hit songs, “Turn Down For What,” has been adopted by the University of Tennessee football team as a rallying cry called “Third Down For What.” (Michael Loftus/ESPN)

Rapper Lil Jon was interviewed for a feature on SEC Network’s SEC Nation show (Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon.) (Michael Loftus/ESPN)

Lil Jon spoke with SEC Nation feature producer Michael Loftus during the rapper’s day off in New York City. SEC Nation’s Kaylee Hartung is the feature’s reporter. (Michael Loftus/ESPN)

Music has often been associated with the state of Tennessee and Vols football.

For decades, teams visiting Neyland Stadium have noted their distaste for the regularly repeated “Rocky Top” melody ringing in the 100,000-plus-seat venue. But this season, it’s a remix of DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s rap/dance music anthem “Turn Down for What” that has the University of Tennessee’s student section rocking and visiting players plugging their ears.

Saturday morning, SEC Network’s traveling pregame show SEC Nation (10 a.m.-noon ET) examines how blaring “Third Down for What” – a slightly altered version of the song – through the stadium’s loudspeakers inspires the Vols defense to stifle visiting offenses at crucial times.

Lil Jon provides the vocals for the original track, which since its release a year ago, has sold more than 5 million copies in the United States. He sat down with SEC Nation to talk about how the remixed song has been embraced by Vols fans in a feature reported by Kaylee Hartung.

“Anyone who keeps up with SEC football has seen how the Vols have altered Lil Jon’s ‘Turn Down for What’ all season at home to get the players and crowd amped on third downs,” said SEC Nation feature producer Michael Loftus. “When Lil Jon surprised the team on campus during its bye week, we saw an opportunity to tell this story if we could get an interview.”

That opportunity presented itself this week, in New York City, just days prior to SEC Nation’s show’s trip to air live from the University of Tennessee campus.

The pictures above were captured behind the scenes of the SEC Nation interview this week in New York City at the Ace Hotel.

“After the interview, the one thing I took away is how he genuinely appreciates the way the team and the Tennessee fan base have embraced him and ‘Turn Down For What,'” Loftus said.

Recently, Lil Jon visited ABC’s “Good Morning America.”