On his new album, LL COOL J continues to push the genre forward
that has become the stuff of internet legend: “If I hear one more terrible rap record I’m gonna have to do it to these meatballs.” The message, while hilarious in format, painted a picture of an artist who was hungry for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the hip-hop industry. Again.
LL COOL J is familiar with making his presence known—it’s not an exaggeration to say that he is still a commanding figure in hip-hop nearly four decades after his debut, 1985’s. His face, voice, and physique are instantly recognizable for even the most casual of rap fans. That’s partially because of his acting career, which has been capped off by a successful run on the popular TV crime procedural.
Born James Todd Smith in 1968, just five years before hip-hop’s apocryphal birthday, LL COOL J was destined to be immersed in the genre. His home state of New York, the birthplace of hip-hop, all but solidified his future. His early albums are revolutionary: the aforementionedThese projects presented an articulate MC who was focused on building the incredibly crucial foundation of a budding art form.
LL COOL J grapples with the multifaceted aspects of the Black experience here and elsewhere, like on the ambling “Black Code Suite.” Over a dusty groove of a beat, the rapper references NBA player Kyrie Irving, W. E. B. Du Bois, Harriet Tubman, and Diana Ross in a potent, if not slightly misguided, verse that points out the different ways of being Black. LL COOL J also tag-teams with Busta Rhymes on “Huey In The Chair,” a song inspired by the late Black and human rights activist Huey P. Newton.
Never one to forget his roots, LL COOL J incorporates his playboy persona that has been on display since his first hip-hop ballad, 1987’s “I Need Love.” With “Proclivities,” featuring Saweetie, LL harkens back to the style of rhymes that have made him into a household name. Even though Saweetie hadn’t yet been born when LL released “Jingling Baby” in 1989, she interpolates the song and offers her feminine take, straddling the line between innocent flirtation and outright sexual desires.
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