Fans of pioneering Hip Hop icon LL Cool J were less than pleased after Vulture writer Pete Tosiello penned what was described in the headline as an honest evaluation of the 50-year-old legend’s entire career.
Published Monday (December 17) and framed as a response to Uncle L’s 5th Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame snub, the article set out to give a devil’s advocate look at why he may not as deserving of the honor as everyone thinks.
Describing Mr. Smith as a “vaguely handsome, vaguely likable translator of hip-hop for the American Top 40 audience,” the writer made some of his most subversive comments in the intro, before breaking down his catalog.
“LL Cool J, the icon, is a malleable meathead, a purveyor of stone-cold old-school classics, novelty hits, and spoken-word melodrama,” he writes. “With LL, what you see is what you get, and a lot of the time that’s a musclebound B-list action star making duckfaces at the camera.”
However, Hip Hop Twitter was quick to pan the piece’s comments about his depth and — most curiously — physical appearance.
Aside from being the first Hip Hop artist to receive Kennedy Center Honors — a commemoration of lifetime contributions to American culture — LL Cool J has largely transcended the genre and became a widely recognizable pop-culture figure.
The two-time Grammy Award-winner and NAACP Image Award winner has racked up a respectable resume outside of just his music over the past three decades. Unfortunately, the grandeur of his career is largely glossed over entirely.
You can read the full Vulture editorial, here.
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Vulture is glorified clickbait trash. They do this time and time again. Like a lot of rappers these days they simply stir the pot in an attempt to stay relevant, get clicks, etc. Its a trashy TMZ/National Enquirer-style outlet trying to disguise itself as reputable journalism.
I remember a few months back they took comedian Norm MacDonalds quotes, from a DIFFERENT INTERVIEW he did with a different publication about Roseanne Barr and Louis CK, and flipped that shit to sound like he was in full support of them and didn’t give a shit about their victims, which wasn’t the case at all. They just twisted his words, and damn near destroyed his career, just to cut a profit.
FUCK Vulture.
Shout outs to Norm Mcdonald
That article was straight trash and I hope the writer has gotten his fair share of reviews for writing that crap.
When is the Crush Groove play on Boardway ? It could be bigger than play Hamilton ! Song of the Day Fat Boys ( Can You Feel It ) – Movie of the Day ( Disorderlies )
Man I loved the Disorderlies when I was a kid. B-b-ba-ba-baby you’re a rich man….
How come black people always reply to everything with a fuckin “react” pic / gif? That’s the dumbest shit i ever seen. Only black people do that too.. Every fuckin comment is a fuckin react pic with Tyra banks, Wendy Williams etc some dumb black idiot.
lmao wow you’re mad, mad. imma need you to take that stick out ya ass and relax. its just light hearted fun for laughs.
If LL can’t be on the hall of Fame, then no rapper should be
It’s called VULTURE… Pretty much sums shit up.
I’m a professional producer of hip-hop songs
In case you’re unaware my beats are always strong
I’ll exterminate your crew if I don’t like you
with one rhyme I subdue my adversaries are through
For those that don’t know this is from LL’s first album. The 2nd verse from the song you’ll rock.
Nah, they aren’t getting my click. Can tell it’s trash already.
LL was the first rapper to go platinum or gold in three different decades (80’s, 90’s, 2000’s). His contemporaries from the 80’s are all in (Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA, Beastie Boys), so I don’t know what the fuck else they’re looking for.
I liked Pac 100x more than LL, but LL should have been in the HoF before Pac.
Once again we have a misinformed young rag head writer who doesn’t qualify to put ink against the greatest hip-hop artist of all time, LL Cool J’s career speaks for itself, so unprofessional of this writer to take a personal clap at L this guy should be in the unemployment line