E-mail a friendLL Cool J
airdate August 20, 2008
Before segueing to acting, Grammy-winning hip-hop vet LL Cool J helped bring rap from the underground to the mainstream. However, he never forgot his roots. The Queens, NY native escaped an abusive upbringing and his own bullying attitude by falling in love with rap. By age 11, he was writing lyrics and, at 17, got his musical break. He's since had several platinum-selling albums and acting credits that include the sitcom In the House and the films Charlie's Angels and Rollerball. "Exit 13" is his new CD.
Rap artist shares why he doesn't begrudge new artists their version of hip-hop even though he is one of the pioneer. (3:18)
Full Interview. (12:33)
LL Cool J
Tavis: Pleased to welcome LL Cool J back to this program. On September 9th you can pick up a copy of his latest CD, which just happens to be his last disc for the Def Jam label. The disc is called "Exit 13" and features the single "Baby." Here now, some of the video for "Baby."
[Clip]
Tavis: So in the past, I've had to ask you why you would name a certain disc what you named it, a certain CD. I figured this one out. (Laughter)
LL Cool J: Yeah, it's my 13th record.
Tavis: And you're exiting the building.
LL Cool J: Well, it's the last under my contractual obligation, so going forward I'm sure we'll have some sort of dealings because I own my catalogue and they administer it and everything. So you never know what can happen in the future, but right now it's an exit from that contract.
Tavis: It's quite an amazing story, though. There's a part of your story that we've talked about before that's always fascinated me, which is that you have found a way - everybody has ups and downs in their careers, but you have found a way to stay relevant as a rap artist for 13 records now, and there are a whole lot of cats I could name - I ain't going to do it, (laughter) but there's a long list of folks who had one or two hits, one or two CDs, and the hip-hop game changes so fast, to stay relevant for as many years as you have is a pretty amazing feat, number one.
But what I want to get to, though, is what's more amazing now, which is that you have done 13 records, all with the same label.
LL Cool J: Yeah. Yeah, we just started, so it was great. Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin and myself, we started Def Jam back in 1984. Lyor came in later and ran the company and we grew the company over the years, I as an artist and them as businessmen. It just ended up being something that dreams are made of. It just ended up being the biggest rap label in the history of hip-hop, and the most important label.
And that's not only because of me as an artist, but because of all of the people that were involved, you know what I'm saying? It was like the dream team - Russell Simmons, who ended up being the biggest entrepreneur in hip-hop, Rick Rubin, who became one of the most fantastic producers in music, period, and myself, who became one of the most consistent rap artists.
Tavis: I hear that distinction you made when you guys first got started - you called them businessmen; you called yourself an artist. Over the years you've moved from artist - from just being an artist; ain't nothing wrong with that - you got some business instincts as well. What did you learn from these guys over the years?
LL Cool J: Well, coming into the game early, obviously all I wanted to do was hear myself on the radio. Over the years, as things progressed, I realized that it was show business - the word show is that long, and the word business is that long. But I still didn't allow that to put a damper on my love for what I do. What I learned is that you just have to dream the painting and paint the dream, and you can't limit yourself.
And you have to understand that dreams don't have deadlines, and you can't be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone. And I continue to do that, and it has definitely benefitted me, you know what I'm saying? So I went from just doing music to doing television to movies.
Tavis: Movies and everything else.
LL Cool J: But then also, like my new venture I did with Sears. I have an affordable clothing line; it's for the whole family. Like this is one of the pieces right here, for the whole family, that'll be in Sears September 7th. But it's a business venture as well - it's not just like an artist putting his name on clothing. I'm also a real owner in the business.
I have a digital distribution network called Boomdizzle.com for aspiring artists. I'm not just a figurehead; I'm involved with the business as well. But I'm still proud of being an artist. I'm not trying to market myself as a businessman. I'm just passionate about creating.
Tavis: Why is that the case for you? And I ask that because there are a number of people who we could talk about who started out as artists as well, but they get to a point where I get the sense, at least, as a consumer, that they're pushing me on X, Y, or Z more than they are interested in me trying to buy their records anymore. It didn't start that way, but there's a shift along the way.
Here you are now, this deep into your career, and you're just now talking about a clothing line. You're just now talking about Boomdizzle or whatever. Why for you the focus on the artistry for as long as you have been focused on it, and now you come around to the business side of stuff?
LL Cool J: Well, you know what? First let me say this - I had a clothing line in the '80s with TROOP. I'm one of the owners of a clothing line called FUBU, which did very well during the mid-'90s. But it's pretty basic - I just love being an artist, and I've always wanted to be an artist. And I don't think that Mick Jagger is wanting for anything because he's not known as - he's not Richard Branson, you know what I'm saying? (Laughter)
Like, Mick Jagger not being Richard Branson doesn't make Mick less credible. Madonna not being Martha Stewart doesn't make Madonna less credible. So LL Cool J not being Russell Simmons, my goal is not to pretend to be a businessman. Either you are or you aren't. Me putting on an ascot and walking around channeling my inner businessman is not going to get anything done, because everybody's going to see through it - it's transparent.
The bottom line is do good business, make great products that people can appreciate, improve the quality of people's lives through what you contribute to their lives, artistically or whatever product it may be, and go from there.
Tavis: All right, so set the business aside. The one thing that you have done unapologetically and rather aggressively is the acting thing that you referenced earlier.
LL Cool J: Oh, yeah.
Tavis: TV, film. How has that, at various points, times, stages, compromised the music or the focus on the music?
LL Cool J: I've been very successful and even my albums that my core audience supported that the masses perceived to be a failure did pretty well, but it's true - doing all the movies, doing the TV, I didn't make - I didn't focus on the records as intensely as I should have, and I think that - like this new record I have coming out is going to shock a lot of people, and I expect it, god willing, to be huge because I put so much energy in it.
For two years I turned down 10, 12 movies - seven or eight movies but then three, four month, just really focusing on this record, because I don't want to let the public and the people who have supported me all these years down. So it's the law of concentration - you have to concentrate.
Tavis: Tell me how "Exit 13" delivers. Let's talk about the project itself.
LL Cool J: It has incredible diversity, it goes from as new and as trendy and as simplistic as my first single, "Baby," all the way over to a really conscious song just talking about the political environment right now with "Mr. President," featuring Wyclef, all the way back to a rock remix of "Baby" with Richie Sambora, all the way back to a song that I've done with Marley Marl called "You Better Watch This," which just, like, it's like "Mama Said Knock You Out" with "Rock the Bells" and "I'm Bad" combined. It's crazy. The album is crazy. I love it.
Tavis: How do you know at this point in 2008 when you put out a record called "Exit 13" that you have the right sound, that you have the right stuff on it for this particular era, for this music-buying public? How do you know that - where do you go internally, what do you listen to? How do you know that this is the right project for this time for the consumer?
LL Cool J: It's two things - one, you can't be relevant to the people unless they and their tastes are relevant to you. So you have to still be a fan. I love the music. Second part - humbly I say this; I helped build the culture, so I know what's hot. You know what I'm saying? And it's like beyond that, I'm not smart enough to try to act like I have all the answers. I just think it's a blessing. Like my song "Baby," it's doing phenomenal now, and it's just starting, you know what I'm saying? I just go with the gut, man. It's just like you ever hear a basketball player say, "I knew the ball was going in when it left my hands?"
Tavis: Yeah.
LL Cool J: Yo, swish. (Laughter) Swish.
Tavis: You can't explain that; it's just a feeling, yeah.
LL Cool J: Yeah, it's just a feeling. I just love what I do, man. I just love it. It's so wonderful.
Tavis: Are you saying to me that you still love the music - that is, hip-hop as it's structured and sold these days - or you still love making music? Those are two different things. You could love making it and hate the way the game is sounding these days.
LL Cool J: Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I love the creative process. I'm funny, though - see, you have a lot of people, especially people that are 30-plus, who kind of feel like the new music that they're hearing today lacks the substance or what have you. But I'm not judgmental, you know what I'm saying? Because I remember walking into clubs and R&B acts who shall forever remain unnamed wouldn't even speak to me because they thought this culture I was involved in wasn't worthy.
So it's like the new kids, what they're doing today, you've got to let people be who they are. You don't go to a 90-year-old and ask them how to take apart and put together an iPod unless they're the person that built the company, you understand what I'm saying? We got to look at people for what they do. Like if somebody was raised in the South and loved club music their whole life and they were some of the biggest fans of the music, they make music that makes them feel good. So I don't judge it.
Tavis: I hear your point about not judging. It's possible, though, that to your point of humility earlier, when you've helped build the culture, if you see somebody demonizing it, damning it, downing it, destroying it -
LL Cool J: Yeah, but they're not -
Tavis: I'm not saying they are, I'm just asking -
LL Cool J: Yeah, but that - you know what? You've got to let people do what they do, man. I don't like everything, but I haven't liked everything since I started. (Laughter) It was some garbage in '92. There was some trash dropping in '87. There was a couple of guys putting some garbage out in '94 - terrible year, a lot of garbage came out. (Laughter) Yo, think about it - they put 100,000 albums out a year; most of it's garbage, whether it's hip-hop or not. There's a couple of country songs out there that's terrible. Believe it - you can find one.
Tavis: Point well taken. (Laughs) I digress on my question because my time is up anyway. The new CD from LL Cool J is called "Exit 13."
LL Cool J: "Exit 13."
Tavis: It is the last on this journey he's been on with Def Jam, a company he helped build. But I also suspect this ain't really it for you, either, record-wise.
LL Cool J: No.
Tavis: This ain't it.
LL Cool J: No, no, no, no, no. Oh, definitely not. Oh, definitely not. (Laughter) I got a lot of more; I got a lot of more.
Tavis: I got money on this, to see how long you can do this.
LL Cool J: Please. Put your money on L, baby. (Laughter) It's a good bet.
Tavis: Bet on Black.
LL Cool J: Oh, I promise you.
Tavis: That's our show for tonight. Catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Access our radio podcast through our website at PBS.org, and I'll see you back here next time on PBS. Good night from L.A., thanks for watching, and as always, keep the faith.
LL Cool J: Keep the faith.
Back to August 20, 2008