Lil Jon Slams Dread Incident Ref 'Shouldn't Have Been an A**hole'

The wrestling ref who's threatening a lawsuit over the viral dreadlock-cutting incident is "blatantly racist" and has NO CASE ... so says Lil Jon ... who tells TMZ Sports the guy's claims are ridiculous.

High schooler Andrew Johnson -- who is black -- was forced to either cut his dreadlocks or forfeit during a December 2018 match. The story made international news .... and the ref was accused of being racist.

As we previously reported ... the ref, Alan Maloney, is claiming he's been defamed in the coverage following this ... and he's demanding $100,000 in damages.

Enter Lil Jon -- who has famously shown off his dreads throughout his career -- and he explains why Maloney's actions were…