LL Cool J is standing 10 toes down on his Mt. Rushmore list of Def Jam artists. He sent the internet into full-blown debate mode in late July when he appeared on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast and named himself, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and Slick Rick.
Even then, he braced for the backlash. His list notably left off some of the label’s chart-toppers like Rihanna, Ludacris, and DMX, whom fans argued were deserving of being immortalized in stone. On Friday (Sept. 6) the Queens rapper remained unmoved by the social banter as he explained his reasoning for leaving off the 2000s superstars.
“They were mad because they don’t understand. They want me to talk about skin and lips and hair, but they want me to ignore the bones,” LL told “The Breakfast Club,” when asked about his reaction to the litany of comments the podcast clip sparked.
Further hitting back at the numerous suggested amendments to his Mt. Rushmore, he continued to state, “I gave them the bones of the label. They wanna talk to me about cosmetics. But guess what? I don’t care how you look — you can get 14 BBLs, 35 lip injections —but if you don’t have no bones, you gon’ be a pile of flesh over there on the floor.”
The veteran emcee continued to emphasize that he named himself, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and Slick Rick because they were the foundation of Def Jam. “I didn’t say they were the most famous. I didn’t say they sold the most records. I didn’t say any of that. But you wouldn’t have any of that if you didn’t have these people. That was my point,” he added.
LL became Def Jam Recordings’ first signed artist in 1984. His debut project, Radio, featuring the lead single “I Need a Beat,” hit record store shelves in 1985. Beastie Boys joined the label in 1985, with Slick Rick and Public Enemy following suit in 1986. The multi-hyphenate entertainer remained with the label for two decades, releasing several albums — seven of which earned RIAA platinum certifications — as well as racking up nine Recording Academy nominations and two Grammy wins before he left his musical home in 2008.
His new LP, The FORCE, which LL dropped off on Friday, marks his homecoming. Def Jam chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun praised the rapper’s impact not just for the label but Hip Hop at large in an interview for Music Week. He tells the outlet, “The saying around here is that LL is the ‘D’ in Def Jam. He sparked the success. He’s the reason why other iconic original artists like the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy felt comfortable signing. He was the example, not just for Def Jam, but the whole genre.”
Balogun would go on to note that LL’s first studio album in over a decade “defies age and time.” The 14-song track list includes notable features from Eminem, Nas, Busta Rhymes, as well as Rick Ross and Fat Joe on the single “Saturday Night Special,” to name a few.