Lil Jon is best known for his energetic party productions, his catchy ad-libs and a slew of hit songs, including “Get Low” and “Yeah,” the latter which he produced for Usher. But in recent weeks, the rapper/producer has been showcasing another side of his business smarts on the Donald Trump-helmed reality show Celebrity Apprentice.

In fact, this week’s episode saw the Crunk-rocker, who was a project manager for a second time, beat out fellow Atlanta native Nene Leakes again (he beat her once before), and raise $80,000 for his charity of choice, United Methodist Children’s Home; they provide foster care and adoptive services in Decatur.

The secret to his success? Jon tells XXLMag.com its quite simple: “not acting like these girls. It’s funny, I watched season two of the show before I came in at the suggestion of my publicist [Tamar Juda], and that’s the one thing I told my teammates when I got here. Our strategy is to win, win, win and that’s the way to stay out of the boardroom,” he says. “But for the women, they don’t know each other, we’re all working 14-hour days so when you put some pressure on the pipes that motherfucka will burst. People in general will get on your nerves if you don’t take your time to know what they’re about.”

Not only that, but Jon admits that, while we still haven’t seen the last of him on the show (the season finale is in two weeks and rumors have it he stays for at least two more episodes), he had a secret partnership with one of his cast members (probably either musicians Meatloaf or John Rich, who are still on the show with him) although he wouldn’t reveal who, but adds that the alliance is exposed at the end.

“Me and one of the guys, as the season goes further, you’ll see something not expected,” he says. “Me and someone from the cast gamed someone from the beginning. We didn’t tell anyone. Me and that person now are in the works to put a business together based on some of the stuff we did on the show.”

Some critics have expressed surprise to seeing the dreaded, sunglass-wearing artist on the series this long, but Jon isn’t offended by the lack of confidence. Instead, he says he is equally as shocked at his performance.

“A lot of people thought I was going to be gone the first or second week, but I stepped up and showed and proved,” he says. “I learned that I can do more than I actually thought I could do. You think you’ve pushed yourself to the limit, but you’re being put in situations on the show in which you just have to figure out quickly how to survive. I thought doing albums was hard, but executing these tasks under time restraints, mental stress and all the other factors was a whole other beast.”

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Lil Jon says while his setting as a music producer has helped him learn how to deal with egos and different personalities in the past, he’d never dealt with someone as troubled as former cast member Gary Busey, which was a learning experience as well.

“I never dealt with anyone like that but I had to learn how to,” Jon says. “People asked how I kept my cool. I just dealt with him straight up and I took my time to talk to him. It taught me how to deal with someone that’s crazier than the average."

Another thing Jon says he discovered on the show is a newfound respect for Mr. Trump, his empire, his family and workers. “Going in I think I had a certain expectation of him – I don’t even think he knew who I was,” he says. “But, he gained respect for me and vice versa. He told me that I did well on the show and that they respected how well I did.”

What’s more, is this recent respect has given him another perspective on the idea of Trump running for political office. When asked about his thoughts on the real estate mogul targeting the presidency, Jon said, “While I don’t know his personal life, I got a good vibe and energy. The only thing I would suggest is that he should start as governor first. I mean, Obama is going through hell and he has experience in politics. Imagine if you don’t have any background in it? That’s gonna be nuts.”

What’s next for Lil Jon? He is currently DJing at a residency in Las Vegas nightclub Surrender every month. He’s also on the road three to four times a week Djing at local clubs. “My djing is exploding again,” he says.

Jon also adds while he isn’t a fan of reality television, for the right role and following the success of Celebrity Apprentice, he might consider doing TV again.

“I hate reality shows. I despise them,” he says. “My wife watches them – 'The Real Housewives,' 'Khloe and Lamar' – all of them. But I didn’t feel 'Celebrity Apprentice' was a reality show. That shit was real. It was real reactions and we had something to really do. Those other shows are people’s lives. On ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ we had a job to do and if not, someone’s ass was going home. I would absolutely do it again.”

Yeeeaaah!

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