Who is Lil John? Biography

Biography of Lil Jon:

Atlanta is rich in talent. Let's list only people of continental scale: Outcast, Goodie Mob, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris. And today we have every reason to add Lil Jon to this list.

Lil Jon & Eastside Boyz: Kings, Fuck...

Incorporating the American word "crunk" into your vocabulary can get you into a difficult situation. It's too ambiguous. Firstly, they are sometimes replaced by obscene expressions. Like, "blah." Secondly, it is indispensable when other excellent epithets like “cool”, “hype”, as well as “cool”, “cool” and “cool”, seem insufficiently capacious. Finally, there is a nice version about the origin of the word "crunk" from a mixture of "crazy" (madness) and "drunk" (drunkenness). Although the main expert on this matter, Lil Jon, says that "crunk" means a higher energy state. With this word he calls the direction he created in hip-hop.

Is it difficult to create a new direction in such a mature culture as hip-hop? As it turns out, no. In this case, the most important thing is to come up with a biting name. Don’t laugh, but the main criterion of the crunk style is the participation of Lil Jon in a track, no matter in what role - performer or producer. Otherwise, crunk does not violate the stylistic framework of dirty south, a characteristic southern rapper, not without country influence. Naturally, as a native Atlanta, Lil Jon dived into this abyss.

Atlanta is rich in talent. Let's list only people of continental scale: Outcast, Goodie Mob, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris. And today we have every reason to add Lil Jon to this list. Although his road to glory was crowned not with roses, but with thorns.

Lil Jon, born Jonathan Smith, spent many years as an underground fighter, and Jonathan had a career as a club DJ in his native Atlanta. In the mid-90s, his experiments in producing began: at the suggestion of Jermaine Dupri, he received a post on the So So Def record label. The first noteworthy works were compositions for Too $hort. In 1996, he debuted as an artist and, with the support of his fellow Eastside Boyz (Big Sam and Lil Bo), released the album "Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album". The disc failed, perhaps due to poor distribution and the lack of a promotional campaign (in 2003, some of this material was remixed under the name “Certified Crunk”), and perhaps because people were not ready for the aggressive energy of crunk. Lil Jon & Eastside Boyz's next album, "We Still Crunk", released by the indie label BME, also went unnoticed. It’s a paradox, but at the same time John’s skills as a producer were in demand; the “Lil Jon” brand was known not only within the state of Georgia.

The release of the album "Put Yo Hood Up" significantly changed the situation. Lil Jon's production successes made it possible to attract real stars such as Ludacris and MOP to record the album. And Lil Jon himself was trained in writing hits and clearly knew what and how to do. Without overloading the listeners' brains with philosophical thoughts and political slogans, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz entertained audiences with quality club hits with powerful bass lines and choruses firmly imprinted in the brain.The tracks "Bia, Bia" and "Put Yo Hood Up" allowed Jonatan to break out of the underground and receive a gold disc for the first time in his career.

And the next year the dam broke. The national triumph of the album "King Of Crunk" (double platinum) brought Lil Jon to the forefront of the world rap scene and made him one of the most influential artists and producers in modern hip-hop. Since 2002, his list clients included Trick Daddy, Nappy Roots, Ying Yang Twins, Mobb Deep, Young Buck, David Banner and many, many others. The list of accomplices from the album "King of Crunk" looks no less presentable. The whole South and sympathizers: Ying Yang Twins, Eightball , MJG, Mystikal, Trick Daddy, Petey Pablo, Kraziye Bone, Devin The Dude, E40, and for dessert - Fat Joe, Styles and Jadakiss. The track "I Don`t Give a..." blew up the dance floors, and "Get Low" made All gamers playing Need For Speed ​​Underground need to step on the gas even more aggressively.

In 2004, Lil Jon's successes were associated with producing. The mega-hit “Yeah!”, which he wrote for Usher, was repeatedly talked about; the debut of new wards of Lil Jon and the BME label - Lil Scrappy and Trillville - was also quite good. And the release of the next album "Crunk Juice" is scheduled for the end of the season. The new masterpiece threatens to beat all records of "King of Crunk". The long list of guests is headed by such legends as Ice Cube, Nas and Snoop Dogg. Jonathan did not produce everything himself, he entrusted several tracks to sound wizards Scott Storch and the Neptunes, Timbaland and Rick Rubin. Somewhat unexpectedly in the number The invited guests include punks Bad Brains and rocker Tommy Lee.

So the triumphant march of crunk music will continue. A prolific musician, a fierce MC, a boastful communicator and a restless producer with a penchant for mixing styles, Lil Jon can dress crunk in the clothes of any musical style. Yesterday he wrote Crunk&B for Usher, today - crunk-rock for the group Korn. What will he do tomorrow?

Discography

Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album / Mirror Image / 1997

We Still Crunk / BME / 2000

Put Yo Hood Up/TVT/2001

Kings of Crunk/TVT/2002

Certified Crunk / Ichiban / Ryko / 2003

The first noteworthy works were compositions for Too $hort. In 1996, he debuted as an artist and, with the support of his fellow Eastside Boyz (Big Sam and Lil Bo), released the album "Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album". The disc failed, perhaps due to poor distribution and the lack of a promotional campaign (in 2003, some of this material was remixed under the name “Certified Crunk”), and perhaps because people were not ready for the aggressive energy of crunk. Lil Jon & Eastside Boyz's next album, "We Still Crunk", released by the indie label BME, also went unnoticed. It’s a paradox, but at the same time John’s skills as a producer were in demand; the “Lil Jon” brand was known not only within the state of Georgia.

The release of the album "Put Yo Hood Up" significantly changed the situation. Lil Jon's production successes made it possible to attract real stars such as Ludacris and MOP to record the album. And Lil Jon himself was trained in writing hits and clearly knew what and how to do. Without overloading the listeners' brains with philosophical thoughts and political slogans, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz entertained audiences with quality club hits with powerful bass lines and choruses firmly imprinted in the brain.The tracks "Bia, Bia" and "Put Yo Hood Up" allowed Jonatan to break out of the underground and receive a gold disc for the first time in his career.

And the next year the dam broke. The national triumph of the album "King Of Crunk" (double platinum) brought Lil Jon to the forefront of the world rap scene and made him one of the most influential artists and producers in modern hip-hop. Since 2002, his list clients included Trick Daddy, Nappy Roots, Ying Yang Twins, Mobb Deep, Young Buck, David Banner and many, many others. The list of accomplices from the album "King of Crunk" looks no less presentable. The whole South and sympathizers: Ying Yang Twins, Eightball , MJG, Mystikal, Trick Daddy, Petey Pablo, Kraziye Bone, Devin The Dude, E40, and for dessert - Fat Joe, Styles and Jadakiss. The track "I Don`t Give a..." blew up the dance floors, and "Get Low" made All gamers playing Need For Speed ​​Underground need to step on the gas even more aggressively.

In 2004, Lil Jon's successes were associated with producing. The mega-hit “Yeah!”, which he wrote for Usher, was repeatedly talked about; the debut of new wards of Lil Jon and the BME label - Lil Scrappy and Trillville - was also quite good. And the release of the next album "Crunk Juice" is scheduled for the end of the season. The new masterpiece threatens to beat all records of "King of Crunk". The long list of guests is headed by such legends as Ice Cube, Nas and Snoop Dogg. Jonathan did not produce everything himself, he entrusted several tracks to sound wizards Scott Storch and the Neptunes, Timbaland and Rick Rubin. Somewhat unexpectedly in the number The invited guests include punks Bad Brains and rocker Tommy Lee.

So the triumphant march of crunk music will continue. A prolific musician, a fierce MC, a boastful communicator and a restless producer with a penchant for mixing styles, Lil Jon can dress crunk in the clothes of any musical style.

Discography

Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album / Mirror Image / 1997

We Still Crunk / BME / 2000

Put Yo Hood Up/TVT/2001

Kings of Crunk/TVT/2002

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Jonathan Mortimer Smith (born January 27, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American record producer, promoter, and rapper. Also known as a pioneer of the newly formed sub-genre of hip-hop - "crunk" (combines elements of bounce, disco and southern hip-hop music). His group, The East Side Boyz, featuring Big Sam and Lil Bo, is one of the most notable crunk rap groups. Lil Jon also successfully produces other groups. He is the founder of the record label BME Recordings.

Biography

Lil Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In 1989 he graduated from Frederick Douglass High School. After graduation, he began performing as a club DJ. His first steps as a producer were achieved after, with the support of Jermaine Dupri, he received a post on the So So Def record label. The first noteworthy works were compositions for Too $hort. Lil Jon also had his own evening show on radio V103 at that time. In total, he worked for So So Def for about 7 years, from 1993 to 2000.

In 1996, Lil Jon began working with Big Sam and Lil Bo, also known as the Eastside Boyz, to produce their joint album, Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, released in 1997. The single "Who U Wit" ? became a club anthem in Atlanta. This album marked the birth of crunk. However, sales of the disc failed, perhaps due to poor distribution and lack of a promotional campaign, and perhaps because the listener was not ready for the emergence of a new branch in hip-hop. The album received a lot of negative reviews. Almost the same fate befell the next album, entitled “We Still Crunk,” released by BME Recordings in 2000. However, with all this, John’s skills as a producer were in demand, the “Lil Jon” brand was known not only within the state of Georgia.

In 2001, Lil Jon and his team returned with a new album, Put Yo Hood Up, which became the first breakthrough in their career. The single "Bia Bia", recorded with Ludacris, Too Short, and Chyna Whyte, managed to become a hit throughout America, and became one of the twenty most downloaded songs on MP3.com. The album itself received gold status.

In 2002, Lil Jon was discovered by Rick Taylor (better known as Disco Rick), the king of bass music and Miami legend, who, for the record, gave Jon his first MPC-3000 sampler in 1996. Taylor invited Lil Jon to his recording studio in Miami to work on a new album. And in the same year, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz released their new studio album, Kings of Crunk. The first single, “I Don’t Give a Fuck,” recorded with Mystikal and Krayzie Bone, became a real club hit. And the track “Get Low” is the most successful composition of the album. It became a top five hit on the French, German and American R&B charts in 2003 as well as on the Internet charts. In addition, the song was included in the soundtrack of the popular computer game Need For Speed: Underground. Thanks to "Get Low", "Kings of Crunk" entered the top twenty best-selling albums in the United States in September 2003. Lil Jon released a sequel to this album on CD and DVD in 2003, entitled "Part II", which included a remix of Get Low.

John does not stop producing. For example, he produces the single Salt Shaker for the Ying Yang Twins. He is also working with Youngbloodz on their song Damn!. And in 2004, he produced Usher’s single Yeah!, recorded with Ludacris. The track instantly reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks and becomes a mega hit. Lil Jon doesn't stop there. He helps young R&B singer Ciara, also from Atlanta, write her debut single "Goodies." Recorded with the notorious Petey Pablo, he topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004. Lil Jon produces hits for Petey Pablo (“Freak-A-Leak”) and for Nivea (“Okay”). He worked with Korn on a track released later in 2005.

In 2004, his album “Crunk Juice” was released, created with the participation of his protégés Lil' Scrappy and Bo Hagon, as well as R. Kelly, Ice Cube, Timbaland, Usher, Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo, Ludacris, Bad Brains and Rick Rubin himself. The double CD 'Crunk Juice' includes a remix of Daddy Yankee's 'Gasolina', the Terror Squad's 'Lean Back', and more. The most successful composition of the album is “Lovers & Friends”, recorded together with Usher and Ludacris, which rose to #3 position in the hot hundred.

In 2005, Lil Jon concentrated on producing and promoting the BME Recordings label. His charges from that time included: Trillville, Lil' Scrappy, Oobie, E-40, BHI, and Bo Hagon.

February 22, 2006 John announces the resolution of all business issues with the TVT label: “After long and painful negotiations with TVT, we have finally come to a resolution to our differences. And now it's time for me to get back to working in the studio." The next album is called "Crunk Rock" and is positioned as Lil Jon's first solo album. Slated for release in late 2008, it already boasts two hit singles: "Snap Yo Fingers", featuring E-40 and YoungBloodZ's Sean Paul, and "Act A Fool", featuring Three 6 Mafia.

The East Side Boyz also began recording their own album in 2007 with the support of Rick Robinson, which will be released in 2008.

Lil Jon appeared in the video for the song “Twisted Transistor,” by the famous Nu-metal band Korn, along with Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and David Banner as members of Korn.

Music by Lil Jon

Lil Jon's songs bear a strong resemblance to Miami Bass, reflected in the use of a Roland TR-808 for drum production, fast dance tempos, and explicit lyrical content based on the use of sexually themed lyrics and a distinct Miami dialect. Samples of various Disco sounds are often used, especially in "What U Goin' Do". His compositions favor, as Philip Sherburne said, "Abrupt rhythms created on primitive drum machines or bass synthesizers." The Roland TR-808 is the backbone of Lil Jon's music, with its "crisp pops and thumping, booming bass."

As he himself states, he was "inspired by the synth sounds of dance music that he heard in the strip clubs of Atlanta."

Lil Jon is also known for his constant shouting (most famously "Yeah!", "What?!", "Let's Go!", and "Okay!") throughout his songs.

A television

Lil Jon is the co-owner of Pimp My Ride International (along with Fat Joe), the international version of the hit MTV show Pimp My Ride.

He also guest starred on Chappelle's Show as himself alongside comedian Dave Chappelle playing Lil Jon and talking to the real Lil Jon. It's part of a series of parodies called "A Moment in the Life of Lil Jon." In other parts, Chappell portrays Lil Jon in various life situations (a doctor's appointment, an airport flight), where his entire vocabulary consists only of the sensational "What?!", "Yeah!" and “Okay!”

Additionally, he guest starred in the animated comedy series “Class of 3000,” created by Outkast member Andre 3000. Lil Jon voiced Santa Claus in a Christmas special that aired on November 30, 2007 on Cartoon Network. John also acted as the narrator in the animated series "AE Winter Tales", in the episode "Snowman" released on December 11, 2007.

In the 2004 film Soul Plane, along with the East Side Boyz and Ying Yang Twins, he played himself during the filming of the video.

The rapper began airing his own animated series “Lil Jon’s A’Town” (derived from “Atlanta Town”). Two episodes have been released so far. The first episode of "An Al Sharpton Hip Hop Moment" is a satire of famous politician Al Sharpton. The second episode of “The Pussy Patch” tells how Lil Jon decided to help Eliot Spitzer (also a politician) overcome his great passion for prostitutes. The cartoon was first shown on funnyordie.com.

Lil Jon has appeared on several commercial radio shows, including Subway in 2006 and Heineken, performing alongside Germanie Dupri. He guest starred on the sketch comedy show Short Circuitz in 2007, appeared on every season of Wild N Out (except the first), appeared on the NBC game Identity, and has also appeared on MTV's MTV Cribs and The Andy Milonakis Show.

He also competed at the Pro Skateboardings X Games in 2007.

Interesting Facts

Lil Jon is a big hockey fan, in particular, he actively supports his home club, the Atlanta Thrashers, who play in the NHL. The rapper even started a blog on NHL.com, in which he repeatedly noted his own son’s involvement in hockey.
Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen has an image of Lil Jon on his helmet.
Lil Jon produces his own energy drink, CRUNK!!!, has a wine company called Little Jonathan Winery, and also has his own line of sunglasses produced by the famous Oakley company.
Today he holds the world record for having the largest diamond pendant (bling). The pendant is composed of the words “Crunk Aint Dead.” Its dimensions are approximately 19 centimeters in length, 15 in width and 2 cm in thickness. Its weight is 2.04 kilograms along with all 73 carats of diamonds.
He is a skateboarding fan and knows Greg Lutskaya personally. He also blogged online during the X-Games 13 Skateboard Street finals at expn.com.
Lil Jon, like KoRn's Jonathan Davis, has a gold mug with diamonds.

Cooperation Labels

Jonathan Mortimer Smith(English) Jonathan Mortimer Smith; January 17, 1971), better known by his pseudonym Lil Jon (Lil Jon listen)) is an American rapper, producer and promoter. Also known as a pioneer of the newly formed sub-genre of hip-hop - “crunk” (combines elements of bounce, disco and southern hip-hop music). His group The East Side Boyz, which includes Big Sam ( Big Sam) and Lil Bo ( Lil Bo) is one of the most remarkable rap groups performing crunk. Lil Jon also successfully produces other artists. He is the founder of the record label BME Recordings.

Biography

Career

In 1996, Lil Jon began working with Big Sam and Lil Bo, also known as the Eastside Boyz, to produce their joint album, Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, released in 1996. Single "Who U Wit?" "became a club anthem in Atlanta. This album marked the birth of crunk. However, sales of the disc failed, perhaps due to poor distribution and lack of a promotional campaign, and perhaps because the listener was not ready for the emergence of a new branch in hip-hop. The album received a lot of negative reviews. Almost the same fate befell the next album, entitled “We Still Crunk!! ", released by BME Recordings in 2000. However, with all this, John's skills as a producer were in demand, the brand "Lil Jon" was known not only within the state of Georgia.

In 2001, Lil Jon and his team returned with a new album Put Yo Hood Up, which became the first breakthrough in their career. The single “Bia Bia”, recorded with the participation of Ludacris, Too Short and Chyna Whyte, managed to become a hit throughout America and get into the top twenty most downloaded songs on MP3.com. The album itself received gold status.

In 2002, Lil Jon was discovered by Rick Taylor (better known as Disco Rick), the king of bass music and Miami legend, who, for the record, gave Jon his first MPC-3000 sampler in 1996. Taylor invited Lil Jon to his recording studio in Miami to work on a new album. And in the same year, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz released their new studio album, Kings of Crunk. The first single “I Don’t Give a Fuck”, recorded together with Mystikal and Krayzie Bone, became a real club hit. And the track “Get Low” became the most successful composition of the album. It became a top five hit on the French, German and American R&B charts in 2003, as well as on the Internet charts. In addition, the song was included in the soundtrack of the popular computer game Need for Speed: Underground. "Get Low" propelled Kings of Crunk into the top 20 best-selling albums in the United States in September 2003. Also in 2003, Lil Jon released a continuation of this album on CD and DVD called “Part II”, which includes a remix of Get Low.

Also in 2004, his album “Crunk Juice” was released, created with the participation of his protégés Lil' Scrappy and Bo Hagon, as well as R. Kelly, Ice Cube, Timbaland, Usher, Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo, Ludacris, Bad Brains and Rick Rubin himself. The double CD “Crunk Juice” includes a remix of the song “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee, the song “Lean Back” by the Terror Squad and others. The most successful composition of the album is “Lovers & Friends” recorded with Usher and Ludacris, which rose up to 3rd position in the hot hundred.

In 2005, Lil Jon concentrated on producing and promoting the BME Recordings label. His charges at that time included: Trillville, Lil" Scrappy, Oobie, E-40, BHI and Bo Hagon.

On February 22, 2006, Lil Jon announced that all business issues with the TVT label had been resolved: “After long and painful negotiations with TVT, we have finally come to a resolution to our differences. And now it’s time for me to get back to working in the studio.” The next album is called "Crunk Rock" and is positioned as Lil Jon's first solo album. Its release was scheduled for the end of 2008, but already in 2006 two hit singles were released: “Snap Yo Fingers”, recorded with E-40 and Sean Paul from YoungBloodZ, and “Act A Fool”, recorded with Three 6 Mafia .

The East Side Boyz also began recording their own album in 2007 with the support of Rick Robinson, which was released in 2008.

He also guest starred in Chappelle's Show as himself alongside comedian Dave Chappelle playing Lil Jon and talking to the real Lil Jon. It's part of a series of parodies called "A Moment in the Life of Lil Jon." In other parts, Chappell portrays Lil Jon in various life situations (a doctor's appointment, an airport flight), where his entire vocabulary consists only of the sensational “What?!”, “Yeah!” and “Okay!”

In addition, he guest starred in the animated comedy series Class of 3000, created by Outkast member Andre 3000. Lil Jon voiced Santa Claus in a Christmas special that aired on November 30, 2007 on Cartoon Network. John also acted as the narrator in the animated series "AE Winter Tales" in the episode "Snowman", released on December 11, 2007.

In the 2004 film "Awesome Transport" Soul Plane), along with the East Side Boyz and Ying Yang Twins, he played himself in the filming of the video.

The rapper began airing his own animated series “Lil Jon’s A’Town” (derived from “Atlanta Town”). The first episode of "An Al Sharpton Hip Hop Moment" is a satire of politician Alem Sharpton. The second episode of "The Pussy Patch" tells how Lil Jon decided to help another politician - Eliot Spitzer - overcome his great passion for prostitutes. The cartoon was first shown on the website (link unavailable since 08/12/2013 (2180 days)).

Lil Jon has appeared on several commercial radio shows, including Subway in 2006 and Heineken, performing alongside Germanie Dupri. He was a guest star on a sketch comedy show Short Circuitz in 2007, participated in the NBC game called Identity, appeared in all seasons of the show Wild N Out except the first, as well as in the MTV show MTV Cribs And The Andy Milonakis Show.

In 2007, Lil Jon performed at the Pro Skateboardings X Games.

Discography

As a member of the East Side Boyz

  • : Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album

Solo albums

  • 2015: Party Animal

Video games

Filmography

  • 2005: Hip-Hop Honeys: Las Vegas

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Excerpt characterizing Lil Jon

After Metivier left, the old prince called his daughter to him and the full force of his anger fell on her. It was her fault that a spy was allowed in to see him. .After all, he said, he told her to make a list, and those who were not on the list should not be allowed in. Why did they let this scoundrel in! She was the reason for everything. With her he could not have a moment of peace, he could not die in peace, he said.
- No, mother, disperse, disperse, you know that, you know! “I can’t do it anymore,” he said and left the room. And as if afraid that she would not be able to console herself somehow, he returned to her and, trying to assume a calm appearance, added: “And don’t think that I told you this in a moment of my heart, but I am calm, and I have thought it over; and it will be - disperse, look for a place for yourself!... - But he could not stand it and with that bitterness that can only be in a person who loves, he, apparently suffering himself, shook his fists and shouted to her:
- And at least some fool would marry her! “He slammed the door, called m lle Bourienne to him and fell silent in the office.
At two o'clock the chosen six persons arrived for dinner. The guests—the famous Count Rostopchin, Prince Lopukhin and his nephew, General Chatrov, the prince’s old comrade in arms, and young Pierre and Boris Drubetskoy—were waiting for him in the living room.
The other day, Boris, who came to Moscow on vacation, wished to be introduced to Prince Nikolai Andreevich and managed to gain his favor to such an extent that the prince made an exception for him from all the single young people whom he did not accept.
The prince’s house was not what is called “light,” but it was such a small circle that, although it was unheard of in the city, it was most flattering to be accepted into it. Boris understood this a week ago, when in his presence Rostopchin told the commander-in-chief, who called the count to dinner on St. Nicholas Day, that he could not be:
“On this day I always go to venerate the relics of Prince Nikolai Andreich.
“Oh yes, yes,” answered the commander-in-chief. - What he?..
The small company gathered in the old-fashioned, tall, old-furnished living room before dinner looked like a solemn council of a court of justice. Everyone was silent and if they spoke, they spoke quietly. Prince Nikolai Andreich came out serious and silent. Princess Marya seemed even more quiet and timid than usual. The guests were reluctant to address her because they saw that she had no time for their conversations. Count Rostopchin alone held the thread of the conversation, talking about the latest city and political news.
Lopukhin and the old general occasionally took part in the conversation. Prince Nikolai Andreich listened as the chief judge listened to the report that was being made to him, only occasionally declaring in silence or a short word that he was taking note of what was being reported to him. The tone of the conversation was such that it was clear that no one approved of what was being done in the political world. They talked about events that obviously confirmed that everything was going from bad to worse; but in every story and judgment it was striking how the narrator stopped or was stopped every time at the border where the judgment could relate to the person of the sovereign emperor.
During dinner, the conversation turned to the latest political news, about Napoleon's seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg and about the Russian note hostile to Napoleon, sent to all European courts.
“Bonaparte treats Europe like a pirate on a conquered ship,” said Count Rostopchin, repeating a phrase he had already spoken several times. - You are only surprised at the long-suffering or blindness of sovereigns. Now it comes to the Pope, and Bonaparte no longer hesitates to overthrow the head of the Catholic religion, and everyone is silent! One of our sovereigns protested against the seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg. And then...” Count Rostopchin fell silent, feeling that he was standing at the point where it was no longer possible to judge.
“They offered other possessions instead of the Duchy of Oldenburg,” said Prince Nikolai Andreich. “Just as I resettled men from Bald Mountains to Bogucharovo and Ryazan, so he did the dukes.”
“Le duc d"Oldenbourg supporte son malheur avec une force de caractere et une resignation admirable, [The Duke of Oldenburg bears his misfortune with remarkable willpower and submission to fate," said Boris, respectfully entering into the conversation. He said this because he was passing through from St. Petersburg had the honor of introducing himself to the Duke. Prince Nikolai Andreich looked at the young man as if he would like to say something to him about this, but changed his mind, considering him too young for that.
“I read our protest about the Oldenburg case and was surprised at the poor wording of this note,” said Count Rostopchin, in the careless tone of a man judging a case well known to him.
Pierre looked at Rostopchin with naive surprise, not understanding why he was bothered by the poor edition of the note.
– Doesn’t it matter how the note is written, Count? - he said, - if its content is strong.
“Mon cher, avec nos 500 mille hommes de troupes, il serait facile d"avoir un beau style, [My dear, with our 500 thousand troops it seems easy to express ourselves in a good style,] said Count Rostopchin. Pierre understood why Count Rostopchin was worried about the edition of the note.
“It seems that the scribblers are pretty busy,” said the old prince: “they write everything there in St. Petersburg, not just notes, but they write new laws all the time.” My Andryusha wrote a whole lot of laws for Russia there. Nowadays they write everything! - And he laughed unnaturally.
The conversation fell silent for a minute; The old general drew attention to himself by clearing his throat.
– Did you deign to hear about the latest event at the show in St. Petersburg? How the new French envoy showed himself!
- What? Yes, I heard something; he said something awkwardly in front of His Majesty.
“His Majesty drew his attention to the grenadier division and the ceremonial march,” continued the general, “and it was as if the envoy did not pay any attention and seemed to allow himself to say that in France we do not pay attention to such trifles.” The Emperor did not deign to say anything. At the next review, they say, the sovereign never deigned to address him.
Everyone fell silent: no judgment could be expressed on this fact, which related personally to the sovereign.
- Daring! - said the prince. – Do you know Metivier? I drove him away from me today. He was here, they let me in, no matter how much I asked not to let anyone in,” said the prince, looking angrily at his daughter. And he told his whole conversation with the French doctor and the reasons why he was convinced that Metivier was a spy. Although these reasons were very insufficient and unclear, no one objected.
Champagne was served along with the roast. The guests rose from their seats, congratulating the old prince. Princess Marya also approached him.
He looked at her with a cold, angry gaze and offered her his wrinkled, shaved cheek. The whole expression of his face told her that he had not forgotten the morning conversation, that his decision remained in the same force, and that only thanks to the presence of guests he was not telling her this now.
When they went out into the living room for coffee, the old men sat down together.
Prince Nikolai Andreich became more animated and expressed his thoughts about the upcoming war.
He said that our wars with Bonaparte would be unhappy as long as we sought alliances with the Germans and meddled in European affairs into which the Peace of Tilsit dragged us. We did not have to fight either for Austria or against Austria. Our policy is all in the east, but in relation to Bonaparte there is one thing - weapons on the border and firmness in politics, and he will never dare to cross the Russian border, as in the seventh year.
- And where, prince, are we supposed to fight the French! - said Count Rostopchin. – Can we take up arms against our teachers and gods? Look at our youth, look at our ladies. Our gods are the French, our kingdom of heaven is Paris.
He began to speak louder, obviously so that everyone could hear him. – The costumes are French, the thoughts are French, the feelings are French! You kicked out Metivier, because he is a Frenchman and a scoundrel, and our ladies are crawling after him. Yesterday I was at a party, so out of five ladies, three are Catholics and, with the permission of the pope, on Sunday they sew on canvas. And they themselves sit almost naked, like signs of commercial baths, if I may say so. Eh, look at our youth, Prince, he would take the old club of Peter the Great from the Kunstkamera, and in Russian style he would break off the sides, all the nonsense would fall off!
Everyone fell silent. The old prince looked at Rostopchin with a smile on his face and shook his head approvingly.
“Well, goodbye, your Excellency, don’t get sick,” said Rostopchin, getting up with his characteristic quick movements and extending his hand to the prince.
- Goodbye, my dear, - the harp, I will always listen to it! - said the old prince, holding his hand and offering him a cheek for a kiss. Others also rose with Rostopchin.

Princess Marya, sitting in the living room and listening to these talk and gossip of the old people, did not understand anything of what she heard; she only thought about whether all the guests noticed her father’s hostile attitude towards her. She did not even notice the special attention and courtesies that Drubetskoy, who had been in their house for the third time, showed her throughout this dinner.