LL Cool J

Hip-Hop Diss Tracks That Are Better Than Songs They Respond To

by
These clapbacks are better than the songs they responded to. Continue reading…

Rap Report Card From the 1990s Grades Jay-Z, DMX and More

by
How’d your favorite rapper score on the rap report card? Continue reading…

LL Cool J Tested Positive For Covid-19 And Canceled His New Year’s Eve Performance

by
LL Cool J
Getty Image

The recent surge of Covid-19 cases in America due to the Omicron variant has led to a string of cancellations and adjustments. First, Saturday Night Live canceled Charli XCX’s scheduled appearance, and then The Strokes canceled their New Year’s Eve performance, followed quickly by The Flaming Lips postponing their shows. Although those three were just precautions, another New Year’s Eve cancelation from rap legend LL Cool J is due to the artist testing positive for the virus.

Deadline reported that LL Cool J will no longer perform at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest and shared a statement from the rapper, who had an optimistic outlook, despite his current status. “I know it’s disappointing to the millions of fans but my test came back positive for COVID, which means I’ll no longer be able to perform as scheduled at NYRE,” he said in a statement. “We were ready and I was really looking forward to ringing in 2022 in my hometown in a special way, but for now I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. The best is yet to come!”

LL was schedule for a pre-midnight set in Times Square, but that will have to wait until another year.

LL Cool J Honored With Statue In Hometown

by

LL-Cool-J-Reflects-On-His-Career-in-'Behind-The-Music-Revamp

LL Cool J is embodying legendary material as he celebrates getting his own bust in his hometown. LL Cool J is being honored in his hometown of Queens with his own statue which has been placed in Corona Park.  Sculpted by Sherwin Banfield, the bust features a replica of the famous boombox LL Cool J […]

Will Smith Is Contemplating A Possible ‘Verzuz’ Matchup With LL Cool J, Who He Says ‘Is Going To Body Me’

by

Although Will Smith is probably better known for his film work than his music these days, his decades-long legacy as one of rap’s foremost pioneers will likely always be too important to ignore. With the Verzuz series paying homage to and highlighting many of the stars of yesteryear, XM Radio host Sway Calloway checked in with the former Fresh Prince on Sway In The Morning to find out whether he had any designs on signing up for a battle.

Surprisingly, Will said that he had been contemplating an appearance — and had even already chosen a potential competitor in LL Cool J — but that he’s been too busy writing and promoting his upcoming book to lock down a date. However, despite both rappers’ 20-plus years of hits, Will maintained that he believed “L is going to body me” in a one-to-hit battle, despite being able to draw upon cultural cornerstones like “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” “Summertime,” “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” and “Men In Black.”

However, there was one situation where co-host Heather B could foresee a Will Smith victory. “What’s dope about Will though, Will and L was out when the era when it was the DJ and the rapper,” she noted. “Everybody had their DJ so don’t let [DJ Jazzy] Jeff on the turn tables.” Will agreed, “That’s my secret weapon right there.”

Watch Will Smith discuss a potential Verzuz matchup with the Sway In The Morning crew above.

Barack Obama And Dave Chappelle Inducted Jay-Z Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

by
jay-z-tfeat.jpg
Getty Image

Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night, becoming one of the few solo rappers who has received the honor so far. LL Cool J and Tina Turner were other notable additions to the hall this year, though early nominations indicate other rappers and R&B legends might be added soon, too.

For Jay’s induction, hip-hop magnates like Eminem, Pharrell, Beyonce and Rihanna, and many more were all part of a tribute video acknowledging the vast impact of his words and rhymes on culture at large, and Black culture in particular. Appearances just kept pouring in, with cameos from LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Blue Ivy, John Legend, Questlove, P. Diddy and so many others. With induction speeches from both former President Barack Obama and comedian Dave Chappelle, it’s hard to understate the breadth of Jay’s influence.

Here’s some clips from the tribute video:

Barack Obama’s induction speech included references to how much Jay’s music has helped him personally over the years, and praised the way he’s brought up so many other people along with him. “I’ve turned to Jay Z’s words at different points in my life, whether I was brushing dirt off my shoulder on the campaign trail,” Obama said. “Or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery. Today Jay-Z is one of the most renowned artists in history and an embodiment of the American dream, a dream he has helped make real for other young people like him.”

And Dave Chappelle let the Rock Hall know that even though they’re honoring Jay, he’s still “ours,” referring to the Black community:

For his acceptance speech, Jay talked about the impact of hip-hop and the “heroes” in it:

And actually took to Twitter himself to thank everyone who was involved:

Hopefully full-length copies of these speeches and tributes will be available soon, for now enjoy the social media clips above.

LL Cool J Will Present Tyler The Creator With A New Award At The 2021 BET Hip-Hop Awards

by
Getty Image

At this year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards airing October 5 at 9 pm ET, LL Cool J will be presenting Tyler The Creator with a new award named after LL’s most impactful hit. The Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award will recognize the growth and widespread effect Tyler has had over the past decade of rap music, representing a way for the older generation of hip-hop pioneers to recognize their successors — and maybe inform viewers on a little bit more hip-hop history.

Meanwhile, the awards themselves were actually filmed this week on Thursday, September 30, giving LL a chance to address the occasion via a statement from BET. “I am proud to honor Tyler, The Creator, with the first-ever Rock The Bells cultural influence award, which celebrates an artist who continues to break down the conventional boundaries of hip hop culture,” he said.

In addition, Tyler is nominated for four awards including, Hip Hop Album of the Year for his album Call Me If You Get Lost, Artist of the Year, Best Live Performer, and Producer of the Year. The honor follows Tyler’s mind-(and everything else)blowing performance of album single “Lumberjack” at the BET Awards earlier this year. Tyler said of the experience, “I was so hype to perform at the BET Awards. I don’t think people understand, dude. Having Durk and Lil Baby and Styles P just tell me how good the performance was meant a lot. I just never felt like my style of music would ever have been, not even appreciated, but allowed on there. And because of that, I would mock it. It was like a defense mechanism because I felt like I wasn’t accepted by that audience. But when they asked me this year, man, I was enthralled. I was so happy.”

Watch the BET Hip-Hop Awards on 10/5 on BET.