LL Cool J on Reactions to Wanting to Record a New Album

LL Cool J opened up about the reaction he received when he announced plans to record a new album. In an interview with Variety published on 13^th September, the iconic rapper, whose real name is James Todd Smith, discussed the responses to his decision to create The FORCE, which dropped on 6^th September. This marks his first studio album in 11 years.

“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,” Smith told the publication.

Image Courtesy: Rolling Stone

“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?’”

At 56, LL Cool J pushed forward with the project, primarily produced by Q-Tip of ‘A Tribe Called Quest’. Smith believes that creating an album at this stage in his career would challenge the ageism often seen in hip-hop.

“It’s like breaking the four-minute mile,” he says. “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’re [seeing] people believing that they can make it happen, and it’s gonna extend the life of hip-hop in general.”

He adds that “if somebody doesn’t do it” to show how “a guy who’s been out for a long time can make a new record and be relevant”, then “it never happens”.

Last month, Smith previewed the track ‘Murdergram Deux’ from The FORCE, featuring his first-ever collaboration with Eminem. Q-Tip told Variety that it was a surreal experience to be in the studio with a rapper, he and Eminem admired as kids.

--Silviya.Y