LL COOL J has been the GOAT of the game for decades — and in a recent interview, he shared what one of his largest income generators has been.
In a preview clip for his upcoming interview with Million Dollaz Worth of Game — which will premiere later tonight (May 7) — the “Headsprung” rapper shared that owning his masters, and subsequently licensing out his own songs, has proven to be one of the most lucrative propositions he’d ever made.
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“Yeah, I own my masters,” he told the podcast. “I got my catalog back just before 2000. And, you know, it just worked out well. So now, if you hear an LL COOL J song in a movie, or if you hear my song in a commercial, I’ve licensed that song.”
He continued: “But that’s a blessing, you know? There but for the grace of God, you know what I’m saying? It just worked out. I got a lot of bites at the apple. And I was born to do what I’m doing. I’m not a dude that’s just doing Hip Hop because I’m doing it. You know? I was born to do it.”
LL COOL J knows that he was “born to do it” when it comes to Hip Hop, and he believes that being sampled by both Rick Ross and The Notorious B.I.G. proves that his legacy is cemented.
During a wide-ranging interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood on Tuesday (May 2), the legendary rapper expressed how he felt when he first heard Biggie’s 1997 track “Going Back to Cali,” which was a play on LL’s 1988 cult-classic of the same name. He also mentioned Rozay’s “I’m Bad” flip on his 2006 debut Port of Miami.
“I love it,” the “Mama Said Knock You Out” rapper said of Biggie’s Life After Death cut. “I used to play it all the time. I loved it. Going going, back back, to Cali. I love it. He name-dropped me. I mean, Rick Ross did ‘I’m Bad’ over on one of his albums early on, that’s part of it.”
He continued: “Look, being used as source material is the stamp of you being a true artist. When other artists use you as source material. You know what I’m saying? When they use you for inspiration, that’s showing that you’ve really touched the world.
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“And the beauty of it is, is when you really know it’s deep is when other people don’t even know that they’ve utilized you for source material. So I can sit there and watch a kid listening to ‘Going Back to Cali’ by Biggie and just sit there and say to myself, ‘Wow, I did that.’
“That’s an incredible feeling because there’s something beautiful about the fact that you inspired another artist and they’re touching fans with utilizing you as inspiration.”
