LL Cool J separated himself from the pack in 2000 when he declared himself Hip Hop’s G.O.A.T. His album that year was titled G.O.A.T. featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time. Since then, several artists have identified themselves as rap’s reigning king, and even more debates can be seen online as fans debate who is really the illest emcee of them all.

But THE FORCE lyricist isn’t sweating the rankings with over 30 years in the game; in fact, he’s secure in knowing that he is “the most important rapper that ever existed.” In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Le Code, he reiterated, “I truly believe that one day people are going to say that,” which spurred the viral declaration about his influence on global genre. He backed up the bravado by saying he was a trailblazer in introducing diamonds, champagne, bad boy vibes, love songs and more to the genre.

As the first artist signed to Def Jam Recordings, LL has a musical legacy cemented in stone and in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Still, the “Mama Said Knock You Out” rapper is not bothered by those who may not recognize him as being among the G.O.A.T.s. “This is art and art is subjective, it’s not like sports,” he said. “I don’t really trip off that because I know that it’s about opinions, because what makes somebody the GOAT in music is when their music affects a person’s life a certain way. That’s the reality. That’s really what they are talking about.”

The entertainer further explained, “They’ll try to make it about talent, they’ll try to make it about skills, they may try to make it about complexity in the lyrics, they may try to make it about storytelling, all these different ideas. But ultimately what it really boils down to is this person’s music affected me in this way, and that’s why I love them.” And that he is “totally comfortable with people loving other artists, thinking other artists are the G.O.A.T. … it’s all good. What I am glad [about] though, is that I coined a term that became synonymous with excellence worldwide.”

As for his G.O.A.T., LL shared that it’s not a single artist but Run DMC who had the greatest influence on his own career. Get into to more of his gems in the full interview below.