LL COOL J Claims He’s “The Most Important Rapper That Ever Existed”

GOAT conversations are among the most important components of the lifeblood of hip-hop, and they trace back to one of the culture’s most impactful and pioneering careers. LL COOL J recently hopped on Apple Music’s Le Code to argue why he’s the most important rapper in the genre’s history, although his thoughts on the actual GOAT conversation may surprise you.

“I’ma say this humbly, but I really mean this,” he began. “I think one day people are going to wake up and realize that LL COOL J is the most important rapper that ever existed. I truly believe one day people are going to say that. […] They’re gonna say when it comes to Fubu, ‘Yo, this guy introduced the whole idea of putting clothing lines. Even before that, he did Troop.’ When it comes to endorsements, ‘Oh, this is the guy who did Kangol and made the Kangol popular before people even did that.’ When they talk about television, they gon’ say, ‘Oh, this is the guy who did incredible stuff on TV and at the same time was still making incredible records.’ It wasn’t just doing TV and using rap as a launch pad. When it comes to business… I could go on and on and on and on.”

Read More: LL COOL J Explains Why Lil Wayne Will “Have His Day” After Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl

LL COOL J Knows His Worth

However, LL COOL J made the distinction between the most important rapper of all time, which he identifies himself as, and “the GOAT” or greatest of all time, which he finds to be more subjective. “Because there’s still a kid that the 2Pac album is the most important album to them,” he argued. “There’s still a kid that thinks Snoop made the records that changed their life. There’s still a kid that loves Biggie or loves Nas for their music and they should and have the right to do that. Do I call myself GOAT on the record? Of course, yes. I will say a lot of things on a record. But outside of being on the mic as an MC, there are too many rappers who have done too many important things for me to try to claim that I’m the one.”

Overall, it’s a more nuanced point of view from THE FORCE lyricist than a headline might suggest. While you can make the argument as to who changed hip-hop the most from their inception to the establishment of their legend status, LL COOL J certainly makes a strong case for himself.

Read More: LL COOL J And Flavor Flav Weigh In On Diddy’s Arrest With Concern For His Children

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Kanye West Explains How Drake And JAY-Z Are “The Greatest Ever” In Different Ways

Kanye West labeled Drake and JAY-Z the two greatest rappers ever during an interview with Candace Owens from 2022 that resurfaced on Wednesday. In making his point, he suggested that the numbers indicate that Drake is the most successful ever, but there’s something to be said about the influence Jay had on the culture.

“Drake is the best rapper ever by the numbers. JAY-Z is the greatest rapper ever by the inspiration,” Ye remarked. Owens agreed with his take, adding: “He was smart. He was talking business but you either got it or you didn’t. He was telling you the code.”

Read More: Kanye West Tells Candace Owens That Beyonce Should Let Jay-Z Cheat

Kanye West & JAY-Z Perform At The MTV Video Music Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 28: Kanye West and Jay-Z perform on stage at The 28th Annual MTV Video Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on August 28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

As the clip circulated online, users on X (formerly Twitter) debated the idea. One wrote: “About Drake his right [shrug emoji] no one can deny his numbers but Lil Wayne is bigger than Jay Z in terms of inspiration.” Another countered: “Eminem is the greatest rapper by the numbers. The best is Lil Wayne. The most consistent commercial success goes to Drake.” One more brought up the praise Donald Trump recently gave to West, labeling him a “really nice guy,” but “complicated. “Kanye is selfless to put others before him, I think this is the good heart he got says by Trump,” they wrote. Other users referenced Drake’s recent feud with Kendrick Lamar.

Kanye West Compares Drake & JAY-Z

Speaking on his greatness wasn’t the only time West brought up his longtime collaborator JAY-Z during the interview. He also spoke about his relationship with Beyonce, remarking that she “needs to let him go get some p*ssy, seriously.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Kanye West as well as Drake and JAY-Z on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign’s Underwhelming “Vultures 2” First Week Sales Projections Arrive

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42 Dugg Defends Eminem’s Legacy In Detroit After Skilla Baby’s Controversial Take

42 Dugg has spoken out in defense of Eminem as being the greatest Detroit rapper of all time. He addressed Skilla Baby’s recent comments on the legendary rapper during an appearance on The Breakfast Club on Friday. Skilla had argued that Eminem isn’t the city’s “best rapper” while speaking with Keke Palmer on her podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.

“That’s probably how they feel,” Dugg said of his city. “The new kids don’t even know about him. How would they? You have to really be a music person to go back… I know. That’s always my card when somebody get to bringing up somebody from somewhere else, I’m like, ‘We got Eminem.’ I feel like he the GOAT.” From there, Dugg listed some of his favorite songs from the Detroit legend. He continued:  “[Eminem] made deep music. I go listen to ‘Toy Soliders’ or ‘Stan’ — those my favorite songs. So when it’s my turn to make real songs, I already damn near know how to channel it. ‘Cause I already know what I’m looking for: I’m looking for a ‘Stan’ type of song.”

Read More: Skilla Baby Doesn’t Believe Eminem Is The Best Rapper In Detroit

Eminem Performs In Detroit

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JUNE 06: Eminem performs at Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central” on June 06, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)

Skilla’s argument centered around the idea that no single rapper in Detroit is the best. Instead, he said the title moves from artist to artist depending on the time. “Numbers-wise, Eminem is the best Detroit rapper, but the gag is nobody would say that in Detroit. Everybody had a turn being Detroit’s favorite rapper,” he explained.

42 Dugg Speaks On Eminem’s Standing In Detroit

 
 
 
 
 
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Dugg appeared on The Breakfast Club to promote his debut album, 4eva Us Neva Them. Be on the lookout for further updates on 42 Dugg, Skilla Baby, and Eminem on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Eminem Scorches The Rap Game On Our New “Fire Emoji” Playlist Update: Stream

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Skilla Baby Doesn’t Believe Eminem Is The Best Rapper In Detroit

Skilla Baby shared a hot take regarding Eminem and the city of Detroit during an appearance on the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast. Speaking with the actress, Skilla argued that the legendary artist isn’t the best rapper out of his hometown. Instead, he says the title is constantly switching hands.

“Numbers wise, Eminem is the best Detroit rapper but the gag is nobody would say that in Detroit. Everybody had a turn being Detroit’s favorite rapper,” he said. “Sada Baby had a turn, Tee Grizzley had a turn, Babyface Ray had a turn, Veeze is one of Detroit’s best rappers, Baby Smoove. Everybody had their turn being the best in the city. What we lack is consistency. Nobody has consistently been Detroit’s favorite rapper.”

Read More: Big Sean Cites Being On Eminem’s “Tobey” As A “Full Circle” Moment

Eminem Performs “Live From Detroit: The Concert At Michigan Central”

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JUNE 06: Eminem performs at Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central” on June 06, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)

From there, Skilla added: “Numbers wise, it’s Eminem but nobody in Detroit is playing Eminem right now and I was an Eminem fan as a kid. I’m a fan of Eminem but do we consider him our best rapper? I don’t think Detroit does.” Afterward, he listed some other artists he forgot to mention as well. “No shade to anybody names I left off Detroit is full of great rappers and I can’t forget Kash Doll, Big Sean, and Dej [Loaf] of course,” he concluded. Check out Skilla’s full interview with Keke Palmer below.

Skilla Baby Speaks With Keke Palmer

Skilla’s controversial take comes as Eminem prepares for the release of his next album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). He dropped the project’s second single “Tobey,” featuring Big Sean and Babytron, earlier this week. The full album will be hitting streaming services on July 12. Be on the lookout for further updates on Eminem on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Skilla Baby To Host Firearm Buy Back Event In Detroit To Combat Gun Violence

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WATCH: Martin Lawrence and Will Smith Give Their Picks for Greatest Rappers of All-Time

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith Give Their Picks for Greatest Rappers of All-Time

The greatest rapper of all time is always a hot topic in Hip-Hop. Continuing their media run for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith pulled up on GOAT Talk and revealed who gets their vote.

“I would have to say Snoop Dogg for me,” Martin said. “Because Snoop’s always come through for me. He’s done my show and has always been excellent. And he’s a good friend of mine.”

Smith added, “I think that in terms of changing the game, Rakim. The combination of Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz in terms of me developing my love for hip-hop.”

You can hear it below.

The post WATCH: Martin Lawrence and Will Smith Give Their Picks for Greatest Rappers of All-Time first appeared on The Source.

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Drake Seemingly Shades Kendrick Lamar While Calling Himself A “GOAT” On IG, Ice Spice, Sexyy Red, & More Are Loving It

Drake returned to Instagram on Sunday to label himself a “goat” with a picture showing himself attending one of his son Adonis’ soccer games. The move comes after he deleted several posts promoting his diss tracks against Kendrick Lamar, including “Family Matters” and “The Heart Part 6.” In the caption of his new post, he wrote: “Goats don’t worry about one trick ponies.” In the comments section, several celebrities have popped up to praise the Toronto rapper including Ice Spice and Sexyy Red.

Fans joined in the praise as well. “This era of ‘The Boy’ gon be crazyyYyyYyyy,” one user wrote. Another joked: “Drake the type of rapper that hands out orange wedges at his son’s soccer game.” Others interpreted the caption as a diss aimed at Kendrick Lamar, whose he’s been feuding with for months.

Read More: Lil Yachty Claims Drake Rarely Listens To Music Outside Of The Studio

Drake Poses With Jayson Tatum

TORONTO, CANADA – NOVEMBER 17: Rapper Drake greets Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics after their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on November 17, 2023 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Kendrick Lamar kicked off the feud with Drake by dissing him on Metro Boomin and Future’s track, “Like That,” back in March. In the following months, the two traded diss track after diss track. Things have cooled off since Lamar released “Meet The Grahams” and “Like That” during the same weekend Drake dropped “Family Matters” and “The Heart Part 6.” TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith declared the beef over back in May. “This battle is over,” he wrote on social media at the time. “A win for the culture, while keeping it all on wax. Especially when these publications try to make it something else. We proved them wrong. That’s a victory within itself. On another note, it’s time to wrap up this TDE [20-year] anniversary compilation.”

Drake Shows Off On Instagram

 
 
 
 
 
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Check out the latest post on Instagram above. In addition to the post, Drake was also spotted out in Houston on Sunday. Find that clip as shared by DJ Akademiks above as well. Be on the lookout for further updates on Drake on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Boosie Badazz Thinks Drake’s Neighborhood’s Shooting Could’ve Been Much Worse

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Joe Budden Puts Kendrick Lamar In His Top 5 Of All Time, But There’s A Catch

Joe Budden says he’d put Kendrick Lamar in his list of the five best rappers of all time, but admits there’s several other names that could slot into the final spot. Speaking about the topic on his podcast, he explained that the top four spots are all locked in with 2Pac, JAY-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and Nas, but the fifth place is where things get malleable.

“If he ain’t 5, he’s 5B, 5C, 5D,” Budden began. “For me, it’s ‘Pac, Hov– in no order. I’m just naming them. ‘Pac, Hov, Biggie, Nas, and after that everything can get tricky. I’m gonna choose to put a Kendrick there. If I didn’t put Kendrick there, I’m putting 3k there. If I don’t put 3k there, I’m putting Wayne there. There’s 10 names that, they beat the rest of y’all and Kendrick is there. There’s 10 names that, I don’t give a f*ck what rapper y’all name, these 10 win. The MCs know it, the entertainers know it. Them 10 did what the f*ck they had to do.”

Read More: Joe Budden Reacts To Drake’s “The Heart Part 6,” Declares Kendrick Lamar The Winner As “Drake Sounds Exhausted”

Kendrick Lamar Accepts Grammy Award For Best Rap Album

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Kendrick Lamar accepts the Best Rap Album award for “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Budden has been speaking on Lamar quite a bit in recent months as the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers rapper has been feuding with Drake. He already declared Lamar the winner in that beef following the iconic weekend he dropped “Meet The Grahams” and “Not Like Us.”

Joe Budden Speaks On Kendrick Lamar’s Legacy

Check out Budden’s comments on his top five rappers of all time in the clip above. Be on the lookout for further updates on Joe Budden as well as Kendrick Lamar on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Joe Budden Accuses Drake Of Spreading Kendrick Lamar AI Tracks

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Lil Wayne’s Son Says Playboi Carti Has Reached His Dad’s Level: “He’s There”

Lil Wayne’s son, Lil Novi, says that Playboi Carti is the younger generation’s version of his father. Speaking about the topic of the greatest rappers of all time during an interview with Flophouse Atlanta, Novi placed Carti just below his dad and said that he’s reached his level. “Obviously, my dad but for me, I’d say like because Carti is like the Wayne now so yeah, Carti. If you really like think, he’s there, he’s reached that level. He’s done crazy numbers.”

When Kurrco shared a clip of the interview on Twitter, fans had mixed responses to the hot take. “I don’t think he knows how God tier of a rapper his dad is,” one user replied. Another argued: “Not even in the same stratosphere numbers wise. Wayne was big as Drake but cool with the kids like Carti. Whole different monster.” On another topic, others noted how similar Wayne and his son sound.

Read More: Lil Wayne’s Son Neal Previews Another Experimental Track, Fans Are Split

Playboi Carti Performs At Wireless Festival

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: (Editorial Use Only) Playboi Carti performs on the main stage during Day 2 of Wireless Festival 2022 at Crystal Palace Park on July 02, 2022, in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Following in his father’s footsteps, Novi has been pursuing a music career of his own at a young age. He previously landed a feature on his father’s No Ceilings 3 mixtape. More recently, he’s been previewing experimental music on his social media pages. Novi is one of four kids Wayne shares with four different mothers. His others include Reginae Carter with ex-wife Toya Johnson, Dwayne Carter III with Sarah Vivian, and Kameron Carter with Lauren London. Check out Novi’s recent comments below.

Lil Novi Labels Playboi Carti The Greatest Of The New Generation

As for Wayne, he recently made headlines for performing at Travis Kelce’s Kelce Jam 2024 event over the weekend. Be on the lookout for further updates on Lil Wayne and his son, as well as Playboi Carti on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Lil Wayne’s Son Previews Wild New Music On Instagram Live

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Toosii Hits Tory Lanez With Immense Praise, Sparks Fan Debate

Toosii labeled Tory Lanez one of the “most talented” artists of his time in a post on Twitter, Tuesday, prompting plenty of debate from fans. “Love or hate him Tory Lanez one of the most talented artist of this generation,” Toosii argued. Lanez has been a controversial figure since Megan Thee Stallion accused him of shooting her in the foot back in 2020.

“Tweet a picture of a table if you held at gunpoint rn,” one user responded to the take. Another remarked: “You still got time to delete this.” Others came to Lanez’s defense. “He is the MOST talented male artist of our generation‼ There isn’t anybody else like him,” one user wrote while also calling for his freedom.

Read More: Toosii Responds To Twitter User Questioning His Sexuality

Toosii Performs On Rod Wave’s “Nostalgia Tour”

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 12: Toosii performs during the Rod Wave Nostalgia Tour at Smoothie King Center on December 12, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

After Megan accused Lanes of shooting her, a court case ensued and a jury found him guilty of first-degree assault with a firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and having a concealed firearm in a vehicle. He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence. Toosii isn’t the only artist to speak on his talents as of late. While providing an update on his current legal status, Maino recently called him one of the best of his generation as well. “When he comes back out, he gon’ probably put another… he gon’ go crazy when he comes out. I already know,” he said during an interview with Action Entertainment. “You already know how Tory is. He gon’ go crazy with the music.” When someone off camera praised Lanez, Mario added: “He’s one of the greatest writers of our generation, as far as urban music… He’s a great storyteller. Tory is incredible. He’s fire.”

Toosii Speaks On Tory Lanez

Check out Toosii’s tweet regarding Tory Lanez’s legacy above. Be on the lookout for further updates on Toosii and Tory Lanez on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Tory Lanez Update: Mario Reveals How He Was Doing Last Time They Spoke

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Trippie Redd Thinks This Drake Diss Track Is The Greatest Of All Time

Trippie Redd and Machine Gun Kelly, the brains behind the recently released genre : sadboy project, were Complex‘s most recent guests for their GOAT Talk series, in which artists debate the best (and worst) contenders in particular categories. The topic of diss tracks came up, for which MGK suggested a pretty understandably biased answer: his “Rap Devil” diss track towards Eminem from back in 2018. On the other hand, Trippie invoked former collaborator Drake and his Meek Mill diss, 2015’s “Back To Back,” as his answer. As far as other revelations, the “Taking A Walk” creative named Young Thug as the greatest MC of all time, whereas Kelly gave Lil Wayne the title.

Furthermore, both sadboys have been involved in some publicly notable beef in the past, albeit for very different reasons and with very different results. Machine Gun Kelly battled Eminem in 2018, a feud which ended with Slim Shady’s “Killshot” diss track and no response from its target, who chose to publicly downplay it rather than clap back. Whether or not you agree with his assessment, at least he put an end to it instead of ignoring it until the hype died down. In Trippie Redd’s case, he and former collaborator 6ix9ine went at it online, but one of Tekashi’s former associates, Anthony “Harv” Ellison, claimed that it was all fake for staged publicity.

Read More: Trippie Redd Reveals He Once “Wrote A Rap To Drake” As A Kid

Trippie Redd & Machine Gun Kelly On GOAT Talk: Watch

The “GOAT Diss Song” conversation begins at around the 7:15-minute mark.

Another debatably staged development has been taking over a lot of discourse around genre : sadboy, in fact. Trippie Redd and Machine Gun Kelly recently clowned a producer who they fired from their collab project, who claimed that part of their rollout was to start beef with producers from their tape. Overall, it’s a very confusing and odd marketing decision either way, whether to lean into it or to seemingly validate the claims. Maybe this is just the evolution of rap beef these days: fighting over made-up fights and why the made-up fights are worse than the real fights over the blah, blah, blah… and so on.

Meanwhile, this all unfortunately falls under some mournful context given the passing of Trippie’s frequent collaborator Chris King. It’s a difficult time for his loved ones, and one that these debacles over genre : sadboy must not make any easier for the Ohio native in particular. We wish King’s loved ones and him the best in this trying time, and that they find light in their corners. For more news and the latest updates on Trippie Redd and Drake, log back into HNHH.

Read More: Trippie Redd Beefs With A Producer From His New Album, Producer Claims He Hates Machine Gun Kelly

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