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LL Cool J

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Say what you want about LL Cool J, but the man is a living legend in this rap game and even at the young age of 56, the Hip-Hop triple OG still has enough in the tank to show these youngn’s how to put on a show and how to properly train in the gym.

At last night’s MTV Video Music Awards, Ladies Love Cool James took to the stage at the UBS Arena and took everyone on a trip through memory lane (well, us older heads anyway) as he not only performed a number of his hit songs including “Headsprung,” and “Mama Said Knock You Out,” but also brought out Public Enemy to help get things extra turnt up with “Bring The Noise.”

While we would’ve loved it if he went further into his songs like “Round The Way Girl” or performed “Hey Lover” or “I Shot Ya,” the man still put on quite the performance in his silver pants and matching bucket as went into a few songs from his illustrious catalogue. You don’t last damn near 40 years in the Hip-Hop game by being wack or mediocre.
Check out LL Cool J rip the stage below and let us know if you’ve heard his new album The FORCE and give us your thoughts in the comments section.
https://twitter.com/vmas/status/1834071322508357665

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LL COOL J is a first-ballot Hip-Hop Hall of Famer and his career is far from over with the impending release of The FORCE album in September of this year. In a recent interview, the GOAT himself reacted to Hip-Hop Wired‘s Rap Battles That Shifted Hip-Hop Culture cover story and also revealed his favorite battles of all time.

LL COOL J, 54, sat down with the Hip-Hop Wired team and gave his thoughts on our recent cover story detailing the historic beefs and back-and-forths that have transformed the very landscape of the culture. The Queens native, clearly a historian of Hip-Hop and four decades in, shared his reaction to the Rap Battles That Shifted Hip-Hop Culture featuring cover art by the legendary André LeRoy “A.L. Dre” Davis while adding his thoughts on Hip-Hop’s greatest battles.

“I think that they’re all different,” LL began. “Battles pre-Internet and post-Internet, the world is gonna know more about them. I enjoyed the Nas and Jay [JAY-Z] battle on one level, but obviously, you didn’t have so much of that social media amplification.”
Continuing his observation, LL added, “The one thing I would say about the Kendrick [Lamar] and Drake battle was that it got the benefit of all of social media. It was layered beyond the music in the music in a different. Similar way to 50 [Cent] and Ja [Rule] except there is a little more social media [now] than even as it was back then.”
LL was then asked about his favorite battles of all time. Naturally, the battle-tested LL COOL J named himself and all the battles that he emerged victorious in. Can’t argue with that.
Check out the exclusive Hip-Hop Wired and LL COOL J clip below. LL’s The FORCE album drops on September 6, 2024.
Additional reporting by Weso. 


Photo: Getty

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LL COOL J is back in album mode and hitting the press circuit as he preps for the release of his 14th full-length project, The FORCE. In a new interview with media personality Charlamagne Tha God, LL COOL J discusses his legacy along with his brief beef with JAY-Z and more in their chat.
LL COOL J, 56, was the first guest for Charlamagne Tha God’s new series, Out Of Context, and the pair launched into an easygoing conversation that centers on LL’s status as a GOAT of the culture with the celebrated rapper showing massive amounts of humility throughout.

At the start of the interview, LL challenges the idea of what legacy means in Hip-Hop culture, reminding viewers that at the very least, this is an art form open for interpretation and you can’t worry about the perception from the fans. LL is also aware that releasing music in the age of the Internet is different from his beginnings in 1985 when he was still a teenager.
Around the 50-minute mark, Charlamagne Tha God raised the point of how battling in Hip-Hop has taken a new turn with LL making mention of the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef while adding that in these types of contests, you can’t take it personally.
However, Charlamagne inquired about a long-running rumor that LL and JAY-Z battled in a parking lot in the 1990s with Sauce Money, then affiliated with Roc-A-Fella Records, attempting to challenge the Queens rapper as well. LL explains that JAY-Z also began rapping but shared that he ran out of rhymes but it didn’t appear that he was deeply affected by the moment.
Check out the full interview below with Charlamagne Tha God and LL COOL J.
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Photo: Julia Beverly / Getty

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LL COOL J doesn’t need to prove himself as a rapper as he’s cemented in the annals of Hip-Hop history as one of the culture’s living legends. However, a spark still exists within the Queens star, and his new track “Saturday Night Special” featuring Fat Joe and Rick Ross proves that his comeback promises were not a fluke.
LL COOL J has been teasing his upcoming 14th studio album, The FORCE ((Frequencies of Real Creative Energy), with fellow Queens native Q-Tip executive producing the project.
Produced by Q-Tip, who also shows up on the hook, “Saturday Night Special” displays LL COOL J giving a grim warning about a tough street cat that you shouldn’t cross. Sounding invigorated, LL doesn’t appear to have lost any of the fire that he displayed over the 1980s and 1990s and finds an interesting pocket atop the A Tribe Called Quest legend’s airy production.
Rick Ross takes over for the second verse, sounding comfortable over the soulful boom-bap, and Fat Joe, no stranger to this type of bop, added his flair. Even better, all three MCs stick to the same common theme and each verse has its standout moments among them.
LL’s return to music was a long time coming as it has been over a decade since he’s lost put out a project. Fans were curious to know how LL would sound over Q-Tip’s production and the results are seemingly pleasing even to the most hardened online critics. Of course, there are your requisite detractors but that’s to be expected in the “keyboard kourage” era.
For now, check out the video for “Saturday Night Special” below and keep scrolling to see reactions from X, formerly Twitter.
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Photo: Getty

6. Can’t win ’em all.

10. This facts.

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A tribute to So So Def Records and Marley Marl receiving an achievement award were among the major highlights of the 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards, which aired on Tuesday, October 10.

The 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards aired on Tuesday night and it was full of top-notch moments honoring the best of the culture. The event, which took place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center In Atlanta on October 3 saw DJ Marley Marl honored with a lifetime achievement award along with So So Def taking the stage to celebrate their 30th anniversary and DJ Drama doing a “Gangsta Grillz” set.

Hip-Hop icons Rakim and LL Cool J took the stage and performed in a tribute to the legendary Marley Marl, backed by Technician the DJ and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Rakim would perform his iconic hit “Eric B. For President”., and LL Cool J would do a medley of his hits like  “Around The Way Girl” and “Jingling Baby”
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Marley Marl spoke to the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation as he accepted the I Am Hip Hop Award from Timbaland and Swizz Beats onstage after a video montage of tributes from Eminem among others. “This started out as a dream at 41-17 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Queensbridge,” he began. He would go on to mention all of those who helped him start his career, launched as he teamed up with the late Mr. Magic to helm the first Hip-Hop radio show on WBLS in New York.
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DJ Drama invigorated the crowd with his “Gangsta Grizz” set which featured some of rap’s most notable MCs, beginning with Fabolous. T.I. joined him onstage to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his album,  Trap Muzik followed up by Jeezy.

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Jermaine Dupri thrilled the crowd by performing as the event paid homage to So So Def for its 30th Anniversary. The energy went up another level as Ludacris took the stage to perform “Welcome To Atlanta”, followed by Ludacris, Lil Jon, Nelly, Bonecrusher, Chingy, Tyrese, Bow Wow, Dem Franchise Boyz, and Da Brat.

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LL Cool J stopped by Sway’s Universe and delivered a freestyle sure to further add to his iconic musical resume.
On Wednesday (Aug. 2), the Hip-Hop legend dropped in for an interview with Sway Calloway on his SiriusXM show ahead of the highly anticipated Rock The Bells festival, which will be held at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York this weekend. After a lively half-hour discussion, Sway asked LL Cool J to freestyle. “I don’t know if it can happen now, but man, I never had you bust a verse on my show,” he said. The veteran MC agreed to the delight of Sway and the crew.

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“There was smoke when the mother’s water broke,” he began. “The doc saw the horns/ Oh my God, it’s a GOAT/ The nurse cut the cord, got shocked with a million volts/ Almost dropped him on the floor, but the baby started to float.” LL Cool J continued: “The whole world’s raving for the baby, the bell tolls/ A crowd gathered ’round, throwing punches and elbows/ Then his mama arose, and recited a poem/ Todd’s a Hip-Hop God, f**k rock ‘n’ roll.”
Earlier in the interview, LL also spoke about the impact of The F.O.R.C.E. Tour and also took time to shoot down a persistent urban rap legend that claimed The Notorious B.I.G. subliminally dissed him on “Who Shot Ya?” with the lines “Old school, new school need to learn though.” The theory was advanced by journalist Bonsu Thompson.
“I need him to stick to his day job, and if that is his day job, he might wanna reassess that shit,”, LL Cool J joked. “I got love for him, I’m just teasing. No, that’s not true. I’m in the studio when Biggie wrote ‘Who Shot Ya?’ Like, I was literally in the studio when he made the song. I was literally, physically in the studio with Notorious B.I.G. when he wrote ‘Who Shot Ya?’
He added: I said, ‘Biggie, why you smoke so much weed when you write these joints?’ He said, ‘It makes me feel like I’m in the track,’ and we just started laughing. He was doing what rappers do: ‘Old school, new school.’ He’s saying whoever want it, can get it. That’s regular … Now it’s about selling swag, and that’s okay, I’m not judging but I’m just saying, that’s 100% false.”

Check out the entire interview below.
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The Rock The Bells Festival this year is getting more jam-packed with Hip-Hop’s greatest, as Run DMC and The Roots are now added to the lineup.

On Monday (July 17th), the festival announced the addition of the iconic group from Hollis, Queens, and the dynamic Hip-Hop band out of Philadelphia to the lineup. The Roots will back up LL Cool J and DJ Z-Trip during his set, akin to how they collaborated at the Grammy Awards earlier this year.

For Run DMC, their inclusion on the lineup brings them back to their home borough in celebration of the culture through the festival founded by fellow borough native LL Cool J. They also will be headliners at the “Hip Hop 50” concert event at Yankee Stadium on August 11th, considered to be their final show. The stellar lineup also features Rakim, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, De La Soul, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Redman & Method Man, Roxanne Shante’, Big Daddy Kane, Cold Crush Brothers, MC She Rock, Salt-N-Pepa and other special guests.
The news comes on the heels of Brooklyn’s own Boot Camp Clik announcing a partnership with Rock The Bells, led off by the group’s new single and video “Wotcha Call Strength”. It’s the first release by the collective in 16 years, done in honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. There will also be an exclusive merch drop at the festival, and Boot Camp Clik will also be on the lineup of performers at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on August 5th.
“In honor and celebration of Hip Hop 50, we felt that the BCC’s catalog of work, contributions, and legacy needed to be recognized properly,” Duck Down Records CEO Drew “Dru-Ha” Friedman said in a statement. “It’s too easy to sit back and say the Hip Hop community should verify you and painstaking to go out and have to remind people with words, so we felt there was no better way to make a statement than to drop a new record with all the original members (RIP to Sean Price).”

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LL Cool J and Rock The Bells are setting forth on the high seas with the first-ever Afrocruise, which will sail in 2024.
The Hip-Hop icon and his Rock The Bells platform are teaming up with AfroFuture, a firm dedicated to highlighting the best of African culture through live performances and festivals to launch the inaugural Afrocruise. AfroFuture, formerly known as AfroChella, will also be partnering with AfroVerse for this maiden excursion. The voyage will set sail from Miami, Florida to Nassau in the Bahamas on the Norwegian Pearl. The Afrocruise is dedicated to all things African and its diaspora and will be presented by music cruise leader and festival lead Sixthman.

The musical lineup is stocked with some of the best artists of the diaspora beginning with Adunkele Gold. Other artists include Ayra Starr, Black Sherif, The Compozers, Juls, Mayorkun, Naira Marley, Spinall, Teni, Uncle Waffles, and Zinoleesky. Other Afrobeats and amapiano artists will be added to the lineup in the near future. In addition, the totally immersive event will have other engaging activities such as a suya BBQ on the pool deck, DJ sets, and basketball and FIFA video game tournaments. There will also be parties hosted by Afrobeats & Brunch, London’s Days Like This, Positive Vibes Only (PVO), RNB HouseParty, and NYC’s No Wahala podcast with Tune Day + Bawo.
Those booking their passage on the Afrocruise will also have the opportunity to indulge in a shore excursion in Nassau, as well as partake in the numerous amenities that the Norwegian Pearl has to offer such as the Pearl Club Casino, Mandara Spa, Body Waves Fitness Center, Sports Court and the many bars and dining options onboard. The Afrocruise will set sail from Miami on March 29th, 2024 through April 1st, 2024. Those interested can book their tickets at theafrocruise.com. 

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A new documentary series hosted by LL Cool J and Ice T follows them on the hunt for the most sought-after items in Hip-Hop culture.

The two rap icons and television stars are the hosts of Hip Hop Treasures, a new documentary series that will air on A&E. The premise of the series will follow the pair along with museum curators and field experts as they track down memorabilia from the glory days of the culture such as the jersey The Notorious B.I.G. wore in the “Juicy” video to DMX’s Aaliyah car to the clocks that Flavor Flav of Public Enemy wore. Items procured during the episodes will be sent to the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which boasts the largest collection of Hip-Hop memorabilia in the world.

Major stars of the culture will be present in each episode, which include DMC, CeeLo Green, Fat Joe, Master P, Soulja Boy, Naughty by Nature’s Treach as well as Coolio in his final on-screen appearance before his death last year. Hip Hop Treasures will also feature tributes to Biz Markie, DMX, and The Notorious B.I.G. The field experts assisting the two will be Cipha Sounds and veteran MC and actress Yo-Yo, and Paradise Gray and Pete Nice will be representing the Universal Hip Hop Museum which is currently being constructed and will open next year. Hip Hop Treasures is slated to premiere on Saturday, August 12th at 10 P.M. ET, coinciding with the weekend celebrating the official 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.
Hip Hop Treasures is produced by Pulse Films and Rock The Bells, with Erica Hanson, Tracey Baker-Simmons, Andrena Hale, Mira King, Elaine Frontain Bryant, Shelly Tatro, and Jonathan Partridge on board as executive producers for Pulse Films and A&E Networks. Paradise Gray and Pete Nice are also executive producers of the series.
Check out the trailer for Hip Hop Treasures below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-QFdx_UuNg

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While LL Cool J’s Rap legacy is undisputable he doesn’t get enough credit for his sense of humor. He recently discussed not getting an invite to the Roc Nation Brunch and it is pure comedy.

As spotted on Complex the Hollis, Queens native paid a visit to Big Boys Neighborhood to discuss the launch of his F.O.R.C.E. Live tour. During the near hour conversation he discussed a variety of topics including his Rock The Bells brand, his beef with Ice-T and more. To close out their sit down Big Boy asked Cool James to play ‘For Real For Real For False For False’, a game where he confirms or denies a story.

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Here he was asked if it is true he once laughed at Jay-Z trying rap back in high school. “I love everybody. I don’t have no problems with none of these guys, man. If I laughed, okay, so what” he said. “Laugh at me. How many people have you laughed at or snapped on in the lunch room? Come on, B. Give your man a pass on that nonsense, man. This is ridiculous. I don’t even remember it.” He then went to take hilarity even further when he added “I laughed at you so now I can’t have no brunch? I can’t have no finger food?”
Jokes aside LL Cool J also revealed that his former hype man E-Love is the silhouette in the iconic Public Enemy logo. You can see the “Hey Lover” discuss the Jay-Z interaction starting at the 43 minute mark below.
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Photo: Rock The Bells