LL Cool J Says He Has Unreleased Music With Michael Jackson, Hopes to Change Hip-Hop's Ageism Problem
The 56-year-old rapper and actor dropped his first album in over a decade earlier this month.
After returning with his first full-length album in over a decade, LL Cool J has suggested that he wants to change hip-hop's attitude when it comes to age.
In an interview with Variety, “When I told people, ‘Yo, I wanna do a culturally relevant album’ in the midst of all these [younger artists], people looked at me like I had nine heads,” LL Cool J said, referring to the commonly held belief that hip-hop is a young man's game. “They looked at me like I was a hydra—a hydra! —looking at me crazy like that, not because of any ill will, but just ‘How can you do that?’”
Produced almost entirely by Q-Tip, The Force is his first album since he dropped Authentic in 2013, which he later suggested could be his last full-length as he chose to focus on acting for a while, a decision he later walked back on. Even though he was treated like he was "crazy" when he said he wanted to make a "relevant" record, he persisted because he wants to prove that it was possible.
“It’s like breaking the four-minute mile,” he continued. “Nobody thought it could be broken until Roger Bannister did it, and then a lot of people started breaking it. Now you’ll see, when [The Force] has success, you’ll see people believing that they can make it happen, and it’s gonna extend the life of hip-hop in general. But if somebody doesn’t do it, if I don’t do Rock the Bells and [other] festivals and show that guys without records in the marketplace still can be relevant, and then if I don’t tell you that a guy who’s been out for a long time can make a new record and be relevant—if nobody does it, it never happens.”
It's no secret that hip-hop as a genre is dominated by younger artists, although there are a number of successful acts out there that have continued to be popular into their late 40s. Still, LL Cool J is a veteran of rap by now. His debut studio album, Radio, was released in 1985.
LL Cool J and Eminem Recreate Golden Era Hip-Hop Moments in "Murdergram Deux" Video
LL Cool J Says He 'Missed the Mark Crazy' With Brad Paisley Collaboration “Accidental Racist”
LL Cool J Comes to Joe Budden's Defense After Yung Miami Roasts "Pump It Up" Gold Plaque
Elsewhere in the interview, he said that he has a full album of unreleased material with Dr. Dre, but he also said that he worked on music with the late Michael Jackson that has never seen the light of day.
"Me and Michael Jackson went to the studio man," he shared, noting that he also sampled the popstar on the title track of The Force. "Mike showed a lot of love to me in general, and definitely to hip-hop. Let's be clear: For me, he's the king. I'm a Michael Jackson fan, B. His talent speaks for itself."