The NFL has taken ownership of large parts of the Gregorian calendar. Yet there isn\u2019t a regular-season day more cherished by league officials and fans alike than Thanksgiving Day.<\/p>\n
Family and food are central to the Turkey Day festivities. Football is a close third, with The Shield taking center stage as mac and cheese and collard greens are passed from one side of the table to the other.<\/p>\n
The league knows it, too. It has turned the game into a spectacle over the years, adorning it with trophies, turkey and music.<\/p>\n
The Ravens<\/a> and Bengals<\/a> are slated to lock horns under the Thanksgiving moonlight on Thursday. They won\u2019t be alone when they traipse onto the field. They\u2019ll be accompanied by a famed griot known for his contributions to crunk: Lil Jon.<\/p>\n The Atlanta-based emcee has wielded the mic like a sword throughout his career. He\u2019ll get a formidable test while braving the elements in Baltimore.<\/p>\n So why is Lil Jon performing at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0What to know about Lil Jon’s body transformation<\/p>\n Why is Lil Jon performing during Ravens vs. Bengals game?<\/p>\n Lil Jon\u2019s voice danced across tracks during the mid- and late-2000s and early 2010s. His music has lasted far longer than his prime, though. The patron saint of club-goers, Lil Jon is a well-known presence \u2014 just the sort of talent who offers crossover appeal for the masses of casual fans set to watch the Ravens and Bengals clash on Thanksgiving Day. That should only help the NFL draw more viewers for the matchup.<\/p>\n Lil Jon\u2019s music continues to find a home at sporting events. \u201cTurn Down for What\u201d and \u201cYeah\u201d routinely take hold of stadium speakers, while \u201cSnap Yo Fingers\u201d was included on the Madden NFL 26 soundtrack.<\/p>\n He hasn’t released a musical album in more than a decade, although he did release two guided meditation records in 2024. Nevertheless, Lil Jon’s cadence has remained in the spotlight more than 30 years after his debut. Assuming his setlist includes his classics, he should get butts off the seats during the intermission of Baltimore and Cincinnati’s bout.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Highest-scoring Thanksgiving games in NFL history<\/a><\/p>\n As compared to other Thanksgiving performers like Jack White and Post Malone, Lil Jon doesn’t actually have an allegiance with the Ravens and Bengals. He’s an Atlanta sports fan through-and-through, having expressed nostalgia over the Braves of the past. He has also appeared at a number of Falcons<\/a> games over the years, joining Usher, T.I., Zendaya and TLC as celebrities to sport the black-and-red at Mercedes Benz-Stadium over the years.<\/a><\/p>\n Still, the prospect of performing at another NFL game \u2014 Lil Jon serenaded the Atlanta faithful as recently as Week 13 of the 2024 season \u2014 had to be alluring for the 54-year-old, who will get another chance to show off his gifts, granted in an abridged performance.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0How John Madden started NFL’s Turkey Leg\u00a0tradition<\/p>\n What time\u00a0is Ravens vs. Bengals halftime show?<\/p>\n The Ravens-Bengals game is expected to kick off at about 8:20 p.m. ET. If everything goes as planned and the game is played at a normal pace, Lil Jon should hit the stage around 9:45 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n For those hoping to watch his performance, we\u2019d recommend tuning in slightly before 9:45. The Ravens possess one of the league\u2019s most captivating attacks, spearheaded by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. You might even catch a few fireworks before Lil Jon sets M&T Bank Stadium alight.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Revisiting Creed’s epic 2001 Thanksgiving halftime show<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n NFL Thanksgiving schedule 2025GameKickoff timeTV channelPackers\u00a0at Lions1 p.m. ETFox,\u00a0F<\/a>ubo<\/a>Chiefs at Cowboys4:30 p.m. ETCBS,\u00a0F<\/a>ubo<\/a>Bengals at Ravens8:20 p.m. ETNBC,\u00a0F<\/a>ubo<\/a><\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0What teams always play on Thanksgiving?\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL has taken ownership of large parts of the Gregorian calendar. Yet there isn\u2019t a regular-season day…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310100,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-310099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}