MTV Newsroom » LL Cool J

Janet Jackson's Tour Takes Another Hit As LL Quits Rocking Wit' Her

Gil Kaufman — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:30:57 +0000

If you think the tension is thick this week when Senator John McCain has lunch with his gone-rogue running mate Sarah Palin, can you imagine the eggshells people are walking on backstage at the Rock Witchu Tour? Thankfully, this time Janet Jackson's health isn't the problem. But she got some bad news on Monday when opening act LL Cool J's people announced that Uncle L was dropping out due to "scheduling conflicts." Hmm ...

Travis Barker, DJ AM Talk About Performing With LL Cool J In Post-VMA Interview

Jocelyn Vena — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:27:44 +0000

When we heard the news over the weekend about Travis Barker and DJ AM's plane crash, we couldn't help but think of the last time we caught up with them, fresh from their stint as the house band at the Video Music Awards.

The duo showed everyone a good time, with some help from LL Cool J, the Ting Tings and Katy Perry, but it was the guys themselves who really seemed to have the most fun. When John Norris caught up with them at the VMA afterparty, Travis told him, "Oh my gosh, it was so fun!" They also talked about just how cool it was to collaborate with those artists and to have the opportunity to be the soundtrack for the awards show.

The guys were particularly stoked to work with LL Cool J ("I saw him in '87. I was freaking out!" AM gushed), thrilled with the results of their Ting Tings collaboration and blown away by Lil Wayne. In the end, though, AM joked, "I'm just happy I didn't mess up."

See how the guys were feeling after their big night below.

LL Cool J: The De Niro Of Hip-Hop

Tim Kash — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:16:02 +0000

First, I wanted to say thanks to all of you for your comments on the interview with LL. I appreciate it. Like I said, that was just a snippet of the conversation, and I'll have the best bits of the interview coming soon.

Second, I thought you guys might like to see this as well. A couple of days after I sat down for that interview with LL, I went over to Chung King Studios to pay him a visit, where LL kindly agreed to preview us some of his brand new material for the first time ever. The shoot went great and the tracks were hot! We sat down for about an hour as LL played us some of the album track-by-track and broke down the story behind the music.

After the shoot was wrapped, we sat down to eat (healthy of course! chicken and vegetables all the way!) but there was still time for one last hit of the record button. There's no doubt that LL is an intelligent and very articulate individual. How else could someone survive 24 years in the game and still be on top? So when LL said that he occupied the same space in hip-hop that Robert De Niro did in movies, I had to get him to explain.

My boy Rahman shot this on his mobile phone as LL and I chopped it up…

LL Cool J Talks About His New Album, Issues With Jay-Z

Tim Kash — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:23:12 +0000

At the end of last week I got a phone call from LL Cool J and his manager, the lovely Claudine, telling me that he was spending his Friday night down at New York's legendary Chung King Studios laying down the final touches to his latest album, Exit 13 — and would I like to come down with a camera crew for an exclusive first listen?

We jumped at the chance — after all, this was an opportunity to witness history in the making.

Back in 1984, the teenage LL Cool J played an incredible role in the birth and foundation of Def Jam Records, founded by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Almost immediately after being signed, LL provided the now-legendary label with its first-ever hit, "I Need a Beat," and soon after the monumental Radio album, which spawned hits like "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Rock the Bells" that lofted the LP to platinum status. You could even argue that without LL and the success of his first record, we might not have the Def Jam that we know and love:A label that's given us classics from Slick Rick, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, EMPD, Onyx, Method Man, DMX, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and, later this year, the Def Jam debut from Nas.

What sometimes gets lost in the recent drama is just what LL has achieved since 1984. How many rappers (or any musicians) have consistently released albums every two years for more than 20 years? When Nas and Jay released their debut albums (in 1994 and 1996, respectively), LL was already a superstar with several hits, a handful of movies and bundles of awards already under his belt. Sure, even LL will admit that he's had his misses but you can't deny his classics like "Mama Said Knock You Out," "Hey Lover," "Doin' It," "I Need Love," "The Boomin' System," "I Shot Ya" and "Round the Way Girl," to name just a few.

Some 23 years after his debut, Exit 13 marks the end of that era: LL has been vocal about his unhappiness with Def Jam and particularly label head Jay-Z in recent years, and he's said this will be his last album for the label. LL addressed the situation for us in these video clips ...

As his last album with the label he has called home for so much of his life, and with the G-Unit general 50 Cent at the helm as executive producer, I was excited to see what artistic place this situation had brought LL to. The songs were still raw and unmastered but LL played them for us anyway. The whole Exit 13 album has been structured in a way that it tells a story from beginning to end. And from the tracks we heard, it's fair to say that LL hasn't been afraid of using young, upcoming and relatively unknown producers to provide him with the beats. Lyrically and flow-wise you can definitely sense 50's influence on the album. Don't get me wrong: LL is by no means rapping like 50, but 50 has definitely brought out a grittier and more aggressive side to LL's rapping. In fact, LL himself said, "50 brought my ear closer to the streets. This is my most honest record ever." And that's exactly what 50 intended to do: When he first called LL to discuss the idea of executive producing the album, 50 said, "Let's bring the old LL back. My LL!"

Ladies and gentlemen, LL is back, as you'll hear for yourself when Exit 13 comes out early next year — and look for much more from our interview with LL, coming soon.