17 YEARS & STILL ROCKIN' BELLS by Don Sill. Don't
call it a comeback, he's been here for years.. Yeah,
that's right, LL Cool J is back and Bigger & Deffer
than ever with "Ten" his latest studio album and as
he says, "It's a real, flavorful, smooth, party joint."
05/07/2002
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LL Cool J; whose 17-year career brought us such hip-hop
classics as- "I Can't Live Without My Radio," "I Need
a Beat," "Rock the Bells," "I Need Love," "Goin' Back
to Cali," "Around the Way Girl" and "Momma Said Knock
You Out;" has been a staple of rap music since it's
very beginnings. Unlike most rappers who in the 70's
& 80's pioneered the whole industry, Cool J's music
has managed to stay fresh, hip and timeless year after
year and album after album, the secret he says, is to
keep up without trying to keep up. "I'm not trying to
keep up.. It's like playing basketball; I'm playing
my game, man. I'm not tryin' to wear a headband the
way the new guy wears his headband, (Laughs) I'm just
playing the game just like anything else." Explains
the rap legend, "It's like when you do the best at what
you do you pay attention and when you love what you
do it remains fresh and it remains current cus' you're
doing it from the heart. You know what I'm sayin'?"
 Cool
J always rhymed from the heart and in his early days
it was that passion that made him stand out from the
rest. He first earned his bones on the now famous Farmers
Boulevard in Queens where he would rhyme on the corner
and battle other emcees. His unique in-your-face brand
of rappin' by would soon be discovered by Def Jam Records
and in 1984 they signed him and dropped his first album,
"Radio." Cool J- "That first break was incredible..
My proudest moment in my whole career was probably hearing
my record playing on the radio for the very first time.
Back in like 84' standing up on Farmers Boulevard and
hearing my record playing in the game room on the radio
and I was just looking out at the street with the moonlight
beating on the street and just thinking to myself, 'Yeah,
I like this, this is what I wanna do..' (Laughs)"
Now, nearly 2 decades later, LL Cool J has been doing
everything he ever wanted to do. Aside from music, Cool
J also has a hit television series, "In The House" that
is now going to syndication and he also appeared on
the silver screen starring in a long string of movies
including 'Any Given Sunday' with Al Pacino and the
upcoming 'Mind Hunters' with Val Kilmer & Christian
Slater. "It's definitely been a blessing and an amazing
thing and I'm just really thankful that things are going
the way they're going and that I'm being received the
way I'm being received and that people are just so supportive,"
Explains the hip-hop pioneer. "I just try and do the
best I can with everything I get involved with, whether
it's the music, films or whatever- I just try and take
it to the highest level possible."
LL Cool J has succeeded at just about everything he
ever wanted and climbed his ass of to get to the highest
level. His career has lasted thorough the fads, fashions
and trends of the past 17 years. He has long surpassed
the career life span of most rappers and has watched
hundreds of emcees come and go while he remained ahead
of the game earning top notch status at the top of the
hip-hop hierarchy. LL Cool J has gone from street notoriety
to a household name and never once changed who he was
and what he set out to do, he kept it real and love
him or hate him you have to respect that. Looking back
at his career Cool J says, "I never thought that things
would get to the point that they are, but deep inside
my heart I just always wanted to be the best I could
be and just really work hard at it.. I just had so much
love for it that I'm just doin' it and just trying'
to take it all the way."
His new album and possibly his last record on the Def
Jam label, is a monumental milestone for Cool J because
it is his 10th album and represents his growth as both
an artist and as a man. "My new album, I just feel so
good about it, it's so much better than my last record,
I can't even tell you," Says the rap ICON. "It's just
a better record to me, in terms as an artist and as
a fan. It's just a much better record and I just feel
really good about it. I don't feel like I have to out
do anybody because nobody can be LL Cool J and LL Cool
J can't be anybody else musically and I feel comfortable
with what I'm doing."
Look for "Ten" in stores this September.
Also check out LL Cool J's web site at: WWW.LLCOOLJ.COM
Don Sill for Crud Magazine© 2002
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| 04/02 1 Giant Leap - My Culture
04/02 Elfpower Interview - Andrew Rieger - Creatures
04/02 Frou Frou Interview - Guy Sigsworth/Imogen Heap
04/02 Gomez Interview - Ian Ball
04/02 Idlewild - Live - London Astoria
04/02 K's Choice Interview
04/02 Leaves - Live - Camden Dingwall
04/02 Longwave Interview - Exit
04/02 Lucy Mongrel Interview
04/02 Oasis - The Hindu Times
04/02 Phantom Planet - Interview
04/02 Unwritten Law - Interview
04/02 VUE - Coordinates Interview
05/02 BRMC - LIve - Kentish Town, London
05/02 Breeders - Title K
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05/02 Moco - Live - London Monarch
05/02 Need New Body - Interview
05/02 The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Live - Soundhause, Northampton
05/02 The Bellrays - Meet The Bellrays
06/02 Fleadh Festival - Finsbury Park
06/02 Frou Frou Coordinates Interview
06/02 Incubus - Interview - Mark Einziger
06/02 North Mississippi Allstars - Interview
06/02 Papa Roach - She Loves Me Not
06/02 Proud Mary - Live - Northampton, Soundhaus
06/02 Pulp - Live - Sherwood Pines, Edwinstowe
06/02 Reindeer section - You Are My Joy
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06/02 Soinc Youth - Interview
06/02 The Burn - The Smiling Face
06/02 The Coral - Live - Roadmender, Northampton
06/02 The LIbertines - Live - The Social, Nottingham
06/02 The Vines, Sheffield Leadmill
06/02 Trik Turner - Interview
06/02 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Live, Soundhaus, Northampton
07/02 12 Stones Interview
07/02 Arolo -Interview
07/02 Buy To Let Doncaster - Anti Social Behaviour
07/02 Cassius - Interview
07/02 Farrah - Interview
07/02 Glassjaw - Interview
07/02 Neil Michael Haggerty - Interview
07/02 Hoobastank - Running Away
07/02 Leaves - Interview
07/02 LL Cool Jay Interview
07/02 Oasis - Live - Finsbury Park, London
07/02 Polyphonic Spree - Live - Camden Monarch
07/02 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
07/02 Super Furry Animals - Interview
07/02 The Beatings - Live - Metro Club London
07/02 The Bellrays + The D4 - Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street London
January 2001
July - August 2001
September - October 2001
November - December 2001
January - March 2002
April - July 2002
August - December 2002 | |
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