LL Cool J: The Greatest of All Time

LL Cool J: The Greatest of All Time
The legendary rapper's Def Jam legacy prevails with his latest effort
By Kenya N. Byrd

Before Hollywood got hip to the lucrative cross-generational appeal of hip-hop's microphone fiends, LL Cool J immortalized his name ("Ladies Love Cool James") in the 1985 cult classic Krush Groove. The moment that the Kangol-clad Queens-bred MC gave his sonic command to "Box!" because he couldn't live without his "Radio," we too became his musical co-dependents—hooked on his pulsating beats and lyrical aggression. Whether LL dropped 16 bars of romance with the sentimental ode "I Need Love" or flexed his muscle with "Mama Said Knock You Out," the fellas and ladies welcomed his musical dichotomy.

Fast forward 23 years, 13 albums and more than 20 films later and we're still rocking with the G.O.A.T. His final musical offering from Def Jam, Exit 13, is a return to his lyricist roots of organic rhythm and rhymes. Essence.com rubbed elbows with the legendary rapper to talk about regaining his street cred, why he'll never compete with The Greatest or go under the knife.

Essence.com: Hats off to your illustrious career which spans for nearly a quarter of a century. What is the significance of the title, Exit 13, your latest and final project with Def Jam?

LL Cool J: Well, it’s my 13th and final record to fulfill my Def Jam contract. I started with the label with a 10-record deal and then again with a three-record deal and this is the third of that deal. But I plan to maintain my relationship with the label because they have my whole catalog and there are still many things left to be done. It's like Michael Jackson and Motown, Def Jam and I will forever be tied at the hip. It feels good and is an incredible blessing and pretty amazing to still be relevant in this business.

Essence.com: How do you think your new project measures up to your last?

L.L.C.J: Honestly, the last few records I made could have been better and I suppose they were okay for the amount of time I spent on it. But I believe had I taken a little more time, the material would have been more exciting.

Essence.com: Did you receive criticism that your last album was dull or that your street cred had been revoked?

L.L.C.J.: (Laughs) Yeah, there was some criticism that I abandoned a lot of the harder stuff that I did early on in my career like "Rock The Bells," "I'm Bad" and "The G.O.A.T." I want hip-hop fans to know that this album is not going to be a bunch of formulaic love songs where I'm trying to serenade the ladies. I'm going in on this album. It’s going to have depth, range as well as musical and topical diversity.

Essence.com: So were you feeling a bit romantic like, I'm in the mood for love...?

L.L.C.J.: (Laughs and sings) ...Simply because you're near me... At that time, that's where I was mentally so those are the kind of songs I made. Again, this time I reconnected with my roots. I was in the barbershop a lot and just in the mix. I made the type of record that I’m a fan of.

Essence.com: So did you suffer from writer's block during the creative process?

L.L.C.J.: I spent a lot of time rewriting songs until I felt great about them because my fans need to see that I'm the real deal. You can either make an album that is pure abstract and speaks indirectly of others experiences or you can create from a direct point of view where you're experiencing things firsthand and that's what I did. I wanted to give everyone a sample of my lyrical ability by painting the picture.

Essence.com: Is your passion for music as strong as it was in 1985 with the release of 'Radio'?

L.L.C.J.: I love it so much, but there have been times that my energy wasn't as intense. Working with 50 Cent really motivated me. He made me hungry just spending time and watching him in the studio come up with ideas for choruses. It really motivated me to start writing from the heart again and just freed my creative flow.

Essence.com: Do you think you'll ever retire the mic to produce?

L.L.C.J.: I have a music distribution website at boomdizzle.com. It’s a place where artists can take their careers to the next level, live this life and navigate through their music career. I have no desire to hog all of the spotlight. With that being said, I don’t see any reason to stop doing what I do because I’m comfortable with music as long as I love it no matter what age I am.

For more of the interview head over to essence.com
http://www.essence.com/essence/themix/entertainment/0,16109,1812509,00.html?xid=060908-EssenceNews-LLCoolJImage