LL Cool J breaks down his plan to end ageism in hip-hop

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As a long-time hip hop fan who’s seen my fair share of trends come and go, I can confidently say that LL Cool J‘s latest album, “The FORCE,” is a breath of fresh air. At 56, he’s proving that age is just a number when it comes to delivering top-notch rhymes and beats.

In music genres such as rock and jazz, veteran artists are frequently given opportunities to flourish; however, this is not typically the case for hip-hop acts due to ageism. LL Cool J aims to challenge this trend. In a conversation with Billboard, he spoke about his new album titled “The FORCE“, which was produced by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip. He expressed his intentions to motivate older rappers to persevere.

If you haven’t caught wind of it yet, “The FORCE” features a 56-year-old Cool J still spitting top-notch rhymes at a fast pace, maintaining the same fierce hunger he had back in the ’80s.

When I mentioned to others, ‘I’d like to create an album that resonates culturally amidst all these younger artists,’ they seemed bewildered, as if I had nine heads,” he explained. “They reacted to me as though I was a multi-headed monster – a hydra! – staring at me in disbelief, not out of malice but simply questioning how it could be done.

cool J subsequently mentioned Roger Bannister, a British athlete who became the first to run a mile in under four minutes, as an example of how one individual can bring about an enduring change.

It wasn’t believed possible to break it until Roger Bannister achieved it, sparking a wave of others doing the same. Similarly, when ‘The FORCE’ achieves success, it will inspire others to believe they can replicate it, ultimately prolonging the lifespan of hip-hop in general.

If no one takes on tasks like organizing events such as Rock the Bells and festivals, or demonstrates that artists without recent releases in the marketplace can remain significant, and doesn’t prove to you that an artist who has been away for a while can produce a new record and still be relevant – then these things will never come to pass. He further emphasized this point.

Cool J’s latest album is following in the footsteps of other established rappers who have recently released well-regarded music, such as Pete Rock and Common’s album titled “The Auditorium Vol. 1” and Eminem’s LP “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)“. Moreover, the most popular rap song of 2024 thus far might be “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, and he is currently 37 years old.

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2024-09-16 23:23