Lil Jon’s “Get Low” is going from a crunk club-banger to a potential lifesaver. The rapper who had the world snapping their fingers to his early aughts hits has partnered with Cologuard to promote colon cancer screenings. He has recorded and released “Get Low #2,” a version of the hit dedicated to encouraging people to use the Cologuard kit to get informed about their health.
Cologuard allows anyone to collect a stool sample, ship it out, and have it screened. The majority of the process occurs in the privacy and comfort of their homes.
The twenty-somethings standing on nightclub couches when the original song was released in 2002 are now forty-somethings at the prime age to get screened. “3-6-9, damn, it’s time/If you’re 45 screen with it, get in line,” are just some of the hysterical revised lyrics.
His track aims to use humor and nostalgia to encourage people to get screened before symptoms appear, something tough for those reluctant to be seen by medical professionals due to a history of systemic exclusion.
“Black and Brown people, we do not like to go to the doctor until something’s wrong,” Lil Jon told Black Health Matters in an interview. “I’m so happy I’m doing this campaign because, you know, we could catch some things.”
A 2021 article in the AMA Journal of Ethics said that “Transgenerational trauma is a potential barrier to achieving a healthy and holistic patient-physician relationship, particularly for Black Americans.”
He is not bashful about the theme of bathroom humor. “I think that’s the only way to do it,” he said. He knows people need entertainment to focus on something this serious because he requires the same. “I saw the Cologuard commercials, but I never really paid attention to what it was about,” he admitted.
“It kind of grabs you right away,” he said about the fun song. “We all get the joke, it’s a funny commercial. Y’all can go to getlow2.com to see the commercial and also to order your kits. But it just makes it easier to palette this subject because it’s funny because the song is called ‘Get Low #2,’ and you have to take a #2 to do the colon cancer screen with the Cologuard kit. So I thought it was pretty hilarious.”
Colon cancer is a serious threat to the health of the Black community. According to a 2018 article in The American Journal of Pathology, “African Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) of any ethnic group in the United States.” The American Journal of Preventive Medicine reports that “Blacks have a higher mortality from this malignancy, particularly men, yet screening rates in this population are often found to be lower.”
Colon cancer has snatched the lives of hip-hop greats. Beloved hip-hop podcaster Combat Jack lost his battle with it in December of 2017. He used some of his last months to spread awareness by encouraging others to get screened. Recently, DJ Clark Kent succumbed to it.
This is not Lil Jon’s first foray into promoting health care in the Black community. “I’m all about health,” he said. “I’ve always kind of been about my health, but I took it to another level in the last two years.”
He released an album of Manifest Abundance: Affirmations for Personal Growth in April. He wants to normalize seeking mental health treatment for his fellow Black men. “We kind of suffer in silence, you know? We don’t talk about our problems. Therapy has been made to be taboo for just Black folks, in general,” he said.
He began committing to preventative health measures in his personal life after seeing someone in his circle be forced to have a triple bypass surgery. “It just shocked me enough to say. I need to get my health in check,” he said.
Since then, he has worked with trainers on his diet and exercise regime. He is so dedicated that he has memorized the healthiest menu options near his Las Vegas residency. Hopping off stage and shoving chicken rings and cheese fries in his mouth after every set isn’t an option.
“It’s okay to say, eat a fast food burger now and then, but you can’t eat it daily. We need to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in our diets,” he said.
“It helps me to be on point with my eating because eating is, you know, one of the main parts of being healthy,” he added.
“Much of this boils down to what you put in your body.”
Nutrition is important, but laughter is one of the best medicines. In the silly but catchy video for “Get Low #2,” he reminds viewers, “The Cologuard test can catch pre-cancer before it becomes cancer/ OH-KAY!”
He is thrilled with its reception. “People are having fun with it, and this social media response has been overwhelmingly great and amazing, and people love it,” he continued.
“A lot of people said they were going to order their kits and get screened. So, it’s already doing what it’s supposed to do.”
Watch the full video below.
