LL Cool J – Source: Gareth Cattermole/MTV EMA / Getty
LL Cool J stated his case as the most important rapper ever, alleging he created the modern-day rappers’ way of life.
When you think about rappers in today’s music industry, you can see hints of those who came before them. Paying homage is an important aspect of hip-hop and conserves this special thing of ours. Despite homage, we will always have mixed opinions on who were the firsts and who was the most impactful or important.
Many of our legends are past debating and just happy to have been a part of the foundation, but not LL Cool J.
During a conversation on Apple Music’s Le Code, LL Cool J proclaimed he would go down as “the most important rapper ever.”
“I think that one day people are going to wake up and realize LL Cool J is the most important rapper that ever existed,” said LL Cool J. “I truly believe one day people will say that.”
The statement was made after questions about a possible biopic about LL’s life at some point in the future. The iconic rapper seemingly feels very confident it would happen due to the amount of stories to be told.
“They’re going to look and say, ‘Wow when it comes to the jewelry, this is the guy that introduced all the ice and the jewelry and the champagne,’” he explained. “They’re going to say when it comes to the love songs, they’re going to say, ‘This is the guy that introduced the love songs and all the love sh*t.’”
While the highly cocky remarks might cause many to laugh off his claim, it’s hard to name any other artist before him to dispute the statements. One thing no one can take from LL is that he was the first artist on Def Jam records.
“When it comes to the bad boy vibe, they’re going to realize that this is the guy who introduced all the bad boy vibes before it was done,” he continued. “When it comes to the G.O.A.T terminology, ‘This is the guy who came up with all the G.O.A.T stuff.’ They’re going to say when it comes to Def Jam … ‘Wow this is the first artist that was on Def Jam.’”
Even if you don’t agree with everything LL said, you can tell he feels he deserves more flowers than he’s currently getting. We won’t disagree with the feeling when you were one of the firsts, you’ll always want to be remembered, especially in the right way.
You can watch LL Cool J discuss his early career with Apple Music’s Le Code below.