| Subject: L.L. COOL J INTERVIEW |
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JumpinJack AJ
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Date Posted: 21:50:25 10/21/02 Mon
Here is an interview from LL Cool J from CDnow. It's really good and talks about profanity near the end. Some lil' paragraphs in here are repeated parts from what is in the article, on the website it's a bolded part but it'll just look like a repeat in this post, so ignore the reapeated parts. ENJOY!!
LL Cool J: Perfect 10
CDNOW catches up with the legendary LL Cool J to celebrate the release of his 10th album.
By Tom Pryor
CDNOW Senior Editor, Hip-Hop
Few careers in hip-hop can rival that of LL Cool J. Big Daddy Kane may have the same loverman image and old-school credentials; KRS-One may have a similar track record as a battle MC; Will Smith may be able to boast the same Hollywood success with both sitcom and movie stardom; and more than a few '80s hip-hop hitmakers staged comebacks in recent years -- but nobody besides LL has done it all.
Now LL returns with 10, his 10th album for Def Jam; fulfilling the contract a cocky 16-year-old from Queens named James Todd Smith signed back in 1984 -- a lifetime ago in hip-hop years. The album is a relaxed, confident return to form for LL after the public snubbed his bellicose 2000 release, The G.O.A.T.. On 10, he's joined by a choice selection of old friends, including Puffy, Dru Hill, and Amerie, as well as newcomers Candace Love and Marc Dorsey. He's also joined by some of the best producers in the business -- including the Neptunes, who helped propel the album's first single, "Love U Better," into heavy airplay on urban radio.
So, with his first hit on the charts since 1997's "Phenomenon," a very relaxed LL Cool J recently sat down with CDNOW to talk about his new album, his new-found free agency, and what it's like to have a children's book under his belt.
CDNOW: So, 10 albums? What's it like to have lasted in the game so long?
LL Cool J: It feels great man. It's a definite blessing. It seems like yesterday when I was first starting out and got signed to a 10-album deal with Def Jam. I remember walking down the street all proud of myself after I signed, braggin' to my friends all those years ago. Back then they were like, "How you gonna do 10 albums?" -- and I'll be honest; I didn't even know myself. But here we are, 18 years later, and the last one is signed, sealed, and delivered.
Any secret to your longevity?
I don't know, man. It's just the grace of God. It's like how do you become Warren Buffett or Derek Jeter? Lightning just strikes, and you're it. But I'm glad it was me [laughs]. But I love the music. It still matters to me. I still get a tremendous thrill when somebody pops in my CD or hears my song on the radio and goes: [nodding head] "Yeah!"
Did you ever worry, over those 18 years, that maybe you wouldn't make it?
Oh no. Oh no. The great wall of China was built one brick at a time -- it might have taken a few generations and a couple of different families, but it got done. That's life -- do one thing at a time. It's like I may not have known how I was gonna do it, but I never had any doubt that I would do it.
You've spent your entire career on one label, which is rare in the hip-hop game. How does it feel to be a free agent?
I won't lie -- it feels great [laughs]. But understand that, the way my contract was written, I wasn't going anywhere -- so that's more to Def Jam's credit than my own [laughs]. But don't think I was taken advantage of, or anything like that. My association with Def Jam has been good to me. I'm very thankful, and when I look back, I wouldn't have it any other way. So even though I'm a free agent now, I still feel loyalty. Hopefully me and Def Jam can get together and think up something for the future.
"This is just me doing what I do best: talking to the ladies, havin' fun, makin' feel-good records -- all of that. After September 11th, nobody wants to hear all that negativity anymore -- at least I don't."
Let's talk about the record a little bit. The single is already blowin' up on radio, and you've got four more tracks from the Neptunes waiting in the wings. You must've hit it off with Chad [Hugo] and Pharrell [Williams] …
We actually worked together for my last record, but that track never came out, for various reasons. This was the time to do it, and it turned out to be something that was just off the chains.
I went down to Virginia just to do one track, and we just hit it off so well that we ended up doing like four or five tracks together -- whatever it was. We just hit it off and had a great time, and here we are. I also did a lot with the Trackmasters on this record, and it's just amazing what a difference the right mix can make. I gotta bow down to people who know what they're doing behind the board, because they can be the difference between you getting a hit and you falling off. No matter how much hard work you do, if the mix is corny, the fans are gonna hold you responsible.
You've got very few guests on this one -- why is that?
That's right -- only Puffy, Dru Hill, and Amerie. I've also got some other, not-yet-known people on the record -- Mark Dorsey, Candance Love -- but those are the only people on the record that are out right now; artists that you'd know. I just wanted to have fun this time, just work with the people I was feelin' personally. Like me and Puffy, we go way back. We go back to "Flava in Ya Ear" -- that was the first single on Bad Boy. So in some ways, this was just a friends and family thing.
This album definitely seems a lot more laid back than your last one …
Yeah, definitely. This is just me doing what I do best: talking to the ladies, havin' fun, makin' feel-good records -- all of that. After September 11th, nobody wants to hear all that negativity anymore -- at least I don't. I don't wanna hear a record that makes me feel worse. I wanted to lose all the drama, all the negativity, all the profanity. There's no profanity on this record at all. You can play this record anywhere -- on the radio, for your kids -- you can play it for your grandmother if you want. But it's not soft or corny, either – you can play it for the streets, too. There's definitely something for everybody. It's authentic, and you can enjoy it.
You also tend to catch a lot of criticism when you come out battling -- like on The G.O.A.T. -- do you think fans prefer you to be a loverman rather than a battle MC?
Yeah, probably [laughs]. I mean, it is what it is. Sometimes you make records, and they're not received the way you want them to be. Ce'st la vie. Back to the drawing board.
But if ladies prefer me to be a loverman or a pinup or whatever, that's fine. I proved my battle credentials a long time ago. It's a lot more fun to be a ladies' man anyway [laughs].
What inspired you to make the album profanity-free? Is this something you feel strongly about?
Well, if you remember, I did the same thing on Mama Said Knock You Out, but what really got me thinking was the Hip-Hop Summit about a year and a half ago. A lot of artists went down there, and we talked about how we were gonna clean things up and set a positive example. So when the time came, I wanted to show that I wasn't just talking, that I was gonna go ahead and do something. I wanted to prove that hip-hop artists keep their promises. Also, I felt that this was the final chapter of one era of my career, and I should end it with class. I wanted to go out taking the high road.
"I felt that this was the final chapter of one era of my career, and I should end it with class. I wanted to go out taking the high road."
You also worked on a children's book recently. Are you reforming like Snoop?
[Laughs] Well, nobody's asked me to do Sesame Street yet, but it would definitely be an honor.
The book was someone else's idea -- it was part of a series with Doug Fresh and some other people involved. But when I was approached about it, I liked the idea, because it gave me a chance to say something positive to 9-, 10-, and 11-year-olds. I wanted to get at the kids who are a little too young for rap. I wanted these kids to get meaningful messages at an age when they could do some good. Some people might think that's a corny idea, but I'm strong enough as an artist that I can do what's right and not just what's popular.
Your own kids are getting old enough to appreciate your music now. What's that like?
Well, my son is 12, so I've had kids almost my whole career. But now that they're getting to where they can understand the words, it's a whole different thing. It's really cool. They appreciate it, and they support me, but I never force the music on them. I let them do their own thing.
But I gotta tell you, it feels good when I see my kids nodding their heads and saying, "That's Daddy's joint." [laughs]
Related Artists:
Run-DMC
Big Daddy Kane
EPMD
Will Smith
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