#444 - LL Cool J

You know, Blutleg Cavs Show special guests, one of the greatest of all time.

In fact, the guy who the reason why.

We use the word ghats is because of this guy. Just dropped a new record that is insane too, man Ello, cool Jay, thank you for your time, brother.

Bootleg cav what's up, Betty? Happy to be in man, Yo.

You're the first rapper in my entire life that I ever met. I was fourteen in Arizona at a jewelry store. I had a triple Excel aver X jacket on Indiana Pacers Jermaine O'Neil Jersey, and I got a picture with you at a jewelry store in Arizona and it was like the best moment of my life up until you know, fourteen years old.

You know, so, yeah, that's crazy.

That's crazy, man. Well, you know it's funny that life comes full circle, right for sure. Man in the face with a pile something. You know, Hey, at least it worked out good vibes.

Hey, this new record is crazy, and I like it because, you know, I feel like this is when I've heard a new LU record was coming.

I was like, okay, the probably said, you know something for the ladies.

Now you came with some real hip hop shit like kicking off this this whole rollout. Man, explain to me just why you're going this direction right away? Obviously you're one of the greatest of all time. The beat is so crazy, it's so it's such a boomback beat. You got Ross and Fat Joe talking greasy on there, like like, why why are you coming this way right now?

Yo?

I was inspired by you know what I'm saying, like inspired by the vibe, like the whole idea, like listen, if you want to survive in this world. It's like, first of all, it all started like really just kind of during the pandemic.

I ran around with a mask on and you know, with a hoodie on.

And I was on the subway, and I was in the projects, and I was in all the places that you probably wouldn't think a quote unquote celebrity or artists would be. And I was by myself and I was moving around. I was incognito. I was anonymous in the disguise nobody really knew. Nobody knew me at all.

And what I.

Realizes that one of the things you forget about when you out here in this world even if you just someone with a good job, like just even if you're just an everyday working person with a really good.

Job, you forget what's going on in the world.

You forget about the danger that some people face on a day to day basis, You forget about some of the hardships.

You forget.

And one of the things I realize is that you know what, let me impart some of them tools, because part of surviving in this life.

You know, whether whether it's in the street, whether it's you.

Know, at some academy somewhere, whether it's you know, you're trying to pass the ball on whatever level you look at it, keeping your word and paying people back is a key to surviving in life.

It is a key.

It's called integrity. I'm not talking about moral judgment being perfect. I ain't say that, but keeping your word, meaning what you say, saying what you mean is important. And so that's what this song, why this song was so important to me. So when I wrote it, I said, you know, me and Tip were talking. I was like, you know what the sonics of this meant?

Man? It was just I think Ross and Joe would sound crazy on me.

Did Q Tip do the beat?

He q Tip executive produced my whole album.

Oh shit, yeah yeah yeah, So it's it's it's just this whole project. The force is I think innovative because like what I wanted to do, Like my thing is that we're in a genre and you grew up in it, so you know what I'm talking about. We're in a genre where we used to people having a certain amount of time, a certain type of run, and then they're done and they step away and that's it, and anything after that is mediocrity.

But there's one key point when they rocking on.

Top of the game, and then everything else is kind of andep I believe personally that's just because the genre is young.

Now, people say.

Fifty years of hip hop and certain generations, that sounds ancient, but if you say somebody transitioned at fifty, you would realize how.

Young it is for a genre.

So it's like, yo, you know what, let me lead by example, let me show people that just like when James Cameron puts out a new Avatar, when they put out a new Lord of the Rings, when a new ll COOJ album comes, it should be an event. It should be innovative, it should be groundbreaking. It should create a different type of energy. It should not be following. It should be special and unique and something that only I could do. And that was the that's the goal.

Yo, shout out to Joe Ann Ross on the record you have stolen the show as a feature artist quite a few times, obviously, Rampage EPMD. My favorite probably Serial Killers on the Blackout album with Methan Red. Whould somebody who you've gotten a guest verse from where you were like, damn, they might have got me on this one?

Well, you know, you know that's a very interesting Well it depends on I'm gonna tell you man, and this is the like, it really depends on the type of song it is. Right, If it's a song where I'm really trying to go there, I've never.

Felt that, You've never felt that way? No, that's fair now now.

Now if it's a song that's like more of a like a party thing and I'm like doing my thing. But then niggid, But yes, I felt that before, like I felt like like I loved, like I felt very comfortable in my verse. But I loved with Biggie and Busta did on Flavor in Your Ear the remix, Like I thought what they did was great. I felt good about mine too because it was so quirky, and yeah, I love what I did. It was quirky, shit, lookit, it was cool. But I loved what you know, Biggie

Be like like you just gonna blow me out the job.

I heard this one and I said, it felt like a like a hit in the throat to remind people like which I'm ll cool J, but you.

Know what it really like.

I think that happens more organically when you're trying to have fun as opposed to when you trying to hit people in the throat. I wasn't trying to do that. What I was trying to do is make some dope shit. What I was trying to do is put something together that people could feel, that they could vibe to, that was relatable, that came from the soul and came from the heart. Because all of my best music I wrote it from the heart. I didn't you know. I may

Hey, I want to talk about longevity because when we think of like hip hop longevity, there's nobody. There's not a person that has more longevity than you, like I can't you know, like shots of Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash, but they're not making music no more.

You know what I'm saying, And obviously rect in peace to jam Master J.

But the longevity, there is a whole other level of longevity that we're inside of when it comes to you and your career and the errors of your career.

And the tree that you you know.

Where it's acting or executive producing, the radio station, the festival. Now is who's an artist that you are just a fan of that's you know, of the newer generation that you can see kind of being around for years to come, like yourself.

Oh, man, I think it's a lot of them. I think that I think that Kendrick and can have a long run. I think Drake can have a really long run. And I think there's a lot of them. I think Future can have a long run. I think because he's a great writer. I think, you know, that really comes down to a lot of different things. Man, there's a lot of things that come into play with that. It's not just look, first of all, you gotta love it

Yeah, so you have to love.

It, and you're not always going to be on top, so the money's not always gonna be there. So you got to put up shots just because you like putting up shots, like you like, not.

True too well, you know that, I know what you're trying to say. And yes, you know, there's a certain amount of money. When you make a certain amount of money, you're good regardless. Like, so it doesn't really become about that per se. It's not about like a salary. But it's more about like if you get comfortable, you know what I'm saying, Like, it's about being creatively comfortable as a poet, to be willing.

To take some chances, take some risks, you know, you know, like.

And also there is the fear factor associated with art, right, like I could be like yo, I could have just been afraid to make new music just because I think the world changed, and just let that idea of the world changing intimidate me in the thinking that I have nothing to offer as an artist. But that's not true. That's something those of fabrications we create in our mind. You have taste. If you pay attention, you you have taste.

Like, so, we all have a point of view.

It's just you have to be confident enough and open enough to be vulnerable. Remember, like and sports is a good metaphor because that most people can relate to it.

The greatest athletes in the world are the most vulnerable.

Why because in order to take the game winning shot, you have to risk missing it and the whole world's.

Watching in order to in order for you know, to shoot.

That that that that that shot from the.

Tunnel, Like, yeah, you gotta know what comes with missing it.

Yet exactly so that as as an artist, when you're creating music and all that, it's the same idea. It's like, yo, you know what I'm saying. People could love it, people get you gotta love it, So you gotta have confidence in that so me, I just love what I did. I promised people I was doing an album for the culture. I told people you have I have two types of albums that I made. I make albums sometimes for me.

Is a celebrity.

They know it's a celebrity, but may not necessarily know him as a rapper. And so you have to get something that you could press play on that both of those audiences love, at least your version of what you believe they'll love.

You know what I mean?

Yo, So when I was a little kid, I scoured every Wharehouse in Phoenix, Arizona to find the deluxe edition of DMX's It's Dark.

And Hell Is Hot.

Now, why would I want to find the deluxe edition that came with an extra disc?

What song was? Do you remember the song that was on the extra disc? No, it was the Ripper strikes Back.

That's right. It was the Ripper strikes Back. Damn, that's right.

And the CD looked just like DMX's album. And so I had, like, bro, when I tell you like that, I know that entire song by heart, Like, uh, obviously you've been a part of legendary hip hop battles. I just got to know, just from a fans perspective, what do you think about this? You mentioned Kendrick and Drake earlier. You just you know, I mean, I think it's good for hip hop. What are your thoughts.

About thought it was great for hip hop? I thought it was great. Yeah, I thought it was great for hip hop. I thought it was the right thing. I thought they both did well. They held their own I thought Kendrick one, but I thought that Drake by no means did he embarrass himself or have anything to hold his hand.

He showed up, he showed up.

He definitely showed up. He did his thing.

He showed up, and I think his fans can feel comfortable with that, and I think Kendrick fans and they probably got to cross over. Both of them are fans that loved them both.

And I thought it was great for hip hop.

And the key to that stuff is as long as it doesn't distract you from your ultimate goal, it's a wonderful thing to participate in.

I love it, man, I love it.

Yeah, it was dope to see you think cannabis too on was it the Hall of Fame speech you had, oh yeah, one.

Years ago, because like listen man, like it's about the art, like this stuff is. You know, this is no different from you know Lebron and Steph. It's no different from you know, Jordan when he was coming in and Magic was going out, or you know whoever you want.

Edwards and Luca. We just saw no difference.

The court.

Yes, you're on the court, so you're on the record. It's cool after that, it's not personal.

You know, I love you.

It's all good, but it's and it's fun. So I think it was great for hip hop.

Like, talk to me about, uh, you are obviously in some legendary movies, a part of some legendary soundtracks as well. I was just talking to my boy because I just had a conversation with Demizza Damien Young from Power on six and he was talking about, uh, the first time he heard Zoom because.

Yeah, Bullwarp soundtrack.

Yeah, and the Bull orb soundtrack was crazy, right. But obviously Heart had like a.

Shark's fin and and uh, you know, any Deep Blue was crazy in your opinion, what is the best movie that is a just over the years that you were in?

Wow?

Me, yeah, that you were that you were in because you were in some heat man, like my personal favorites, Any given Sunday.

I was about to say, probably the one that aged the best would be any Given Sunday, and probably Into Deep.

Into Deep was five. Also how to Rob on the soundtrack How to.

Rob fifty Cents first joint, Yeah, well first song, right, yeah, yeah, hundred percent.

How to Rob was on there. I think Nas was on that soundtrack. There was a few people on there. It was dope. It was dope.

Okay, So this album what made you know? Because obviously Q tip is a legend, uh, you know, one of the greats ever, just in terms of just I mean, I got Tribe as the top three group all time. I think he's one of the best producers to ever live what they made. You guys come together and decide to do this together.

Man, I had a man, you know, it's it's really just kind of funny as so I had a dream about five Dog, you know what I'm saying. And I was at the time, I was working on the studio in Drake. With Drake, we got like thirty forty songs. I was working on, me and him, but it.

Was literally Doctor Dre Yeah, Doctor drechalantly like, yeah, yeah, me and Doctor Dre got thirty forty songs I never ever hear ever, but you know, yeah, but I.

Felt like I didn't feel like my pen was living up to the quality of his music. I felt like the music was better than the songs I was writing. So I decided to take a little bit of a break. And he had other projects so it didn't affect him, you know, And I was kind of just like pulled back just a little bit and started thinking about my writing and thinking about like how I wanted to approach this thing. And then you know, Fife Dog came to

And I was like yeah.

But then he looked at me with like a like a little smirk like maybe they're not so dope.

And I was like hmm.

And when I woke up that next day was it stayed on my mind and I said, you know.

What, something just told me to call Q Tip.

I said, cause I five, I can't talk to Fife direct, so let me call the Tip And I called Tip up and I'm like, yo, Tip Man, I said, yo, I wanna do an album?

Well, he said, well what you want to do?

I said, Man, I want to do the blackest hot Sauce Chicken wing Flower in the paper Bag season their joint in the world. So it's hip hop, I said, straight up. He said, what's up, big bro, say, let's next thing.

We did? We win the studio and here we are. Man.

You know what I'm saying, And it just was like it was inspiring. And it's not that it's excluding anybody. I just wanted to be focused, you know what I'm saying, and really make something some dope shit. And we got in the studio and it just man, we just clicked. We just clicked in the studio. Man, we just started working. And you know, I mean, look, even.

Saturday Night Special, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Bro. Like, I'm telling you.

How many songs are on the album if you don't mind me asking, I'm.

Not gonna reveal it yet.

But it's it's but it's but but I'm gonna come back to you. We'll talk again as I'm rolling this thing out. We will talk again.

In person, hopefully because we're in LA.

We're all both of them, come in person.

Last thing, l if you're the goat, my bock goat. By the way, Uh, actually you signed that album when I met you. I have a man at my house still framed.

That's hilarious.

I had to rip the cardboard because it was a cardboard CD. It wasn't like a jewel case, so I can frame it. But if you're the goat, who's your goat?

In hip hop?

Hip hop?

Yeah, Like, obviously, if you're the greatest of all time, who's the greatest of all times?

Goat? Who?

If it's not you in your opinion, who's the goat?

I understand exactly what you're saying.

So, so here's the thing, Like, here's the thing about you know, I just want to like kind of qualify it.

See a lot of people, and I like, I mean a lot of people have different criteria for that.

Right, most of the time it ends up being something about wordplaying street records like that's usually where it ultimately lies because most of the guys, who most of the people that vote and think about that are a lot of males and guys, and they think about it that way, right. You know, I was raised in hip hop before all that, even before that, right, I mean I became a fan

Is like the greatest hip hop group.

They're unbelievable and groundbreaking, and you have to in order to put it in the context. You like, when you look at these artists, Right, you don't compare.

A model T to a.

F thirteen, F eighteen or F whatever, you know, F thirty five whatever. You know what I'm saying. You don't compare a model T Ford. I mean, I'm sorry. You don't compare the Right Brothers what they built to a jet fighter. You look at what where the Right Brothers came from.

The same way about basketball, Like we go back to the basketball comparison. It's like you can't compare Will to embiid like exactly.

Jow out exactly. So my point I say that to say.

This because remember everybody that came after everybody had the luxury of being influenced by the people that you're comparing them to. So ultimately, you know, it's like compound interest on ideas and philosophy and approach. Right, If I have this person has one perst in form, he gets the benefit of learning from one.

It's like the youngest sibling.

The youngest sibling learns from all the older siblings. The older sibling only learns from the parents, and if they're brilliant, then maybe they can.

Learn from the younger siblings.

But only there's very few people that a lot of their minds to be flexible enough to learn from those who come after them.

I'm actually like that, but it's not but it's rare so to me.

Man, Like when I look at Mellie mel, I look at you know, the fear of Graandma that's the flash of the Furious Five.

And I look at the Treachers three, and I look at run DMC.

Those are great acts, man, Those are like because they've made something out of nothing.

What about the person who came after you that you're like, Yeah.

I'm a fan of too many of the name man.

I mean like Big Daddy Kane is like my favorite rapper, Daddy, Big Daddy Kane is.

Unbelievable to me. I mean it's like, you know, he's amazing to me.

I love Rock Kim. I think Rock Kim is amazing. I love I love EM. I think Em is amazing. I think Cougi Rapp is amazing. I love Prodigy. Prodigy from Mob Deep is one of my favorite rappers. You know what I'm saying, Like crazy love love Prodigy I love Pharaoh Manch You know.

What I'm saying. Yes, you know what I'm saying. I mean Cube n w A, I love n w A. You know what I'm saying. I think.

I think Snoop has one of the Snoop can say anything and make it sound great.

His flow is unbelievable.

He can say andy goddamn thing and it would sound amazing, Like I love him like so Rick, Like there's.

So many that I can name nas you know, his.

His story, the vivid pictures that he paints with his story, Like there's so many artists that I think are top tien.

You know what I'm saying.

The Goat thing for me was like a manifestation of me looking at the reason I came up with that term, since I was looking at Muhammad Ali being the greatest of all Time, and I was looking at a street ball player named Earl La Manigo and ear La Manigol they used to call him got So I took greatest of all Time and go and turned it into Goat Greatest of all Time, made the acronym, and then named the album.

I had no idea that it would turn into.

Like, yeah, it would become part of like the fabric of society and all that. I was just thinking it was cool. But and that was just how I looked at myself. But I wasn't necessarily, you know, excluding every other act. I still have my favorite acts that I love and the people that I love hearing in music Chuck d He has one of the most amazing voices in the world. I mean, if you never witnessed a DMX show like, I mean.

You know, yeah, yeah, multiple times.

I mean literally, man, stage it's crazy.

So, I mean, it's just so many great acts. Biggie, I was in the studio in Biggie Row Who Shot You? I watched them write it.

I watched the video with Biggie when you row who Shot You? That story for when we sit down do that.

I want to dive into that, but I know you are limited time. Man. I listened with any idea in the albums coming out.

It's coming out in the fall. The album's coming out in the fall, and it's called The Force. And uh, I'll send you guys a track listen. We'll sit down, we'll talk about the track listening. We're talking about the features. You know, I'll be having some listening parties I'll have one here in l A.

I'll make sure they invite you. You come. You can hear it. It's gonna be fun somehow.

You you haven't aged a day, So when you send over the track listening, send over whatever you're eating and drinking.

Well man got the magic elixa