The inimitable LL Cool J burst onto the Hip Hop scene with his 1985 debut album Radio. His aggressive rhyme style on songs such as the “Rock The Bells” sat side-by-side with more confessional love songs such as “I Want You” and “Dear Yvette.”
Later on, the 1987 single “I Need Love” — taken from his sophomore album Bigger and Deffer — found Mr. Ladies Love Cool James delivering a bonafide love ballad, a bold move at the time considering gangsta rap was just starting to explode out of the West Coast (although it wasn’t technically called “gangsta rap” until N.W.A came out with Straight Outta Compton in 1988).
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During a Skype interview with Complex last month, LL reminded Hip Hop fans he made it possible for men to rap about their feelings — including the Drakes and Jadakisses of the world.
“I’m very grateful, very thankful and I’m glad that it created a genre,” he said. “I’m glad that now, years later, a Fabolous can go out and do his thing and still be very well-respected as a lyricist. Jadakiss can do his love song and still be well-respected as a lyricist.
“I put that love [and] female [based] vibe in there that gives dudes, like, you know, these guys a lane. People compare me to Drake all the time, but we’re very different artists because I have a lot of hard records and I’m very diverse. But in that aspect of my career, it paved the way for guys like that … who I’m happy for. I like a lot of his music too.”
Elsewhere in the interview, LL talked about the advice Michael Jackson once gave him, meeting 50 Cent pre-fame and more.
Check out the full conversation below.
Rage of the Beige
Definitely
Everyone has got a certain weakness in mind boy you’re luv just happens too be mine.
LL is the king of rap. he could release ONE album and destroy Drakes whole silly discography.
drop some music mr. smith!!
I drop ya down in boiling acid, Ya melt like plastic, elastic is drastic.
– I Shot Ya
That’s true, except LL was also from the hood. There were niggas coming at LL (Ice-T, Cool Moe Dee), but LL came back at them. But absolutely NOONE was ready to fight LL. I don’t think they’re too worried about Drake. This is just a small fact, but everything else is very true. But I’d also say Heavy D would’ve been the Drake of yesterday
So we just going to act like nate dogg never sing and rap. That’s who drake is more like especially when with other artist.
Nate Dogg is in my top 5 musician list. No way can Drake be in that lane. Nate put me on another level of G status, weed smoke, and hatin bitches.
Drake is way too much of a soft cookie for serious comparisons to a G like Nate Dogg
Uncle L is a legend. He made love songs that sound like hardcore these days. Respect.
Nah, LL, Drake got a lot of singy songy style from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Forget about the actual song’s content. But the singing, melody & harmony is what Bone made famous on a broad scale.
And Krizz Kaliko does it better than Drake
Bro LL was before all of that , he was the first to rap for ladies with rnb flavored hooks , he was the first to be loved by women but still have his respect from hardcore dudes
Nothing but respect for the OG James Todd Smith, but paving the way for Drake is nothing to be wanting credit for. The quality of the hip hop scene is inversely proportional to the popularity of Drake.
Drake’s biggest influence is probably his dad, Mr Graham himself preformed with Prince, MorrisDay, Lenny Kravis, Drakes musical experiences are beyond the circumscribed hiphop legends he is always Shouting out Mac Dre and other Local artist I’m from New Orleans and groups like UNLV, DJ JUBILEE, where just as big as LL Cool J, much respect to the mainstream legends tho but that only works if your narrow minded
FOH If anybody paved the way for Drake, it was Lauryn Hill!!! When he first got put on by L’il Wayne, the nigga said that he, “wanted to be the male Lauryn Hill”.