Little John and Lil Jon do have some similarities; both belong to an esteemed "band." Little John of Robin Hood fame belongs to the band of Merry Men, while Lil Jon is a member of Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. While they both have high rank in their respective group, Lil Jon has a position of greater authority as he is the leading member of the East Side Boyz. Little John, however, is second in command to Robin Hood. The advantage here appears to go to the rapper. But when considering their positions in their groups, we must also consider what exactly each group does. Lil Jon and the gang get together and make songs that pretty much are all about some combination of shawties, skeet skeet, and/or getting crunk. While you have to admire his unique diction, the subject-material is a bit repetitive and, frankly, unintelligent (according to Wikipedia, Lil Jon admitted that people must dumb themselves down to listen to his music). Little John accompanies Robin Hood on noble adventures to do things like rob from the rich and corrupt, give to the poor, and overthrow the disastrous John, younger brother of former King Richard I. Though he's just a sidekick, it seems a lot cooler (not to mention more important) to be Number 2 in a group devoted to stamping out tyranny and restoring justice rather than taking all the glory for albums like Crunk Juice.
| Chappelle's Show | ||||
| A Moment in the life of Lil Jon - Oprah | ||||
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Lil Jon's greatest enemy is himself
Though Lil Jon's music career has been somewhat short-lived and seems to be fading, he has made a positive impact simply because he's so easy to make fun of. His tendency to repeat the same exclamations ("What?! Okay!") has led to lots of great parodies (like this YouTube classic), most notably the "A Day in the Life of Lil Jon" sketches on Chappelle's Show. But Little John is no stranger to parody, as Robin Hood: Men in Tights is arguably one of Mel Brooks' best satires (Initially, it appears that Lil Jon's affiliation with Dave Chappelle should secure his victory, since Chappelle is a member of the Hall of Ballin'. But since Chappelle was also in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the Chappelle factor cancels out). Plus, Little John has been popular since the 14th Century, while Lil Jon was popular for a handful of years. Today, he's not even the most relevant rapper with the "Lil" prefix (Congrats, Lil Wayne).
This may traumatize children who watch Lazy Town
Looking at the Robin Hood legend - and when I say legend, I mean the Disney cartoon - we see Prince John portrayed as a self-involved leader who sits on a throne sipping from his diamond-studded chalice and sucking his thumb. His reign does not last long in the movie. Lil Jon, leader of the East Side Boyz, is known to sit on giant chairs with bling, a crown, and a sparkling pimp cup of crunk juice. His reign did not last long, either. Though he shares a name with Little John, the Robin Hood character he most resembles is Prince John. This is an easy victory for Little John and the Merry Men.
Gotta love mash-ups
PS: If being Sean Connery's son was enough to edge Indiana Jones over Dora the Explorer, then let's add insult to injury. In 1976, Sean Connery starred as Robin Hood in Robin and Marian opposite Audrey Hepburn (weird, right?). If Sean Connery is Robin Hood, then Little John is friends with Sean Connery, automatically making him the cooler one (As Connery might say, "Suck it, Lil Jon"). But while we're talking about it - try to imagine a Robin Hood adaption where Connery stars as Robin and Lil Jon plays his trusty companion, Little John. My head almost just exploded from sheer juxtaposition.
PPS: According to Wikipedia, Lil Jon's phone number is the same as Miley Cyrus' old one. Imagine your surprise if you were a 12 year old girl trying to call Miley and Lil Jon picked up.
Caller: Hello, is this Miley?
Lil Jon: What??
C: Can I speak to Miley?
LJ: Whhhat??
C: Miley. Cyrus. Is she there?
LJ: .....whhhhhhat??
C: All right, I think I have the wrong number..
LJ: Okayyyy!!
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