Club Shay Shay - LL COOL J Part 1

Episode Date: July 31, 2024

In this exciting new episode of Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe is joined by the legendary hip-hop artist and TV & movie star, LL COOL J. The conversation dives deep into LL COOL J's groundbreaking career and the evolution of hip-hop. Renowned for his pioneering contributions to the genre, LL COOL J reflects on his incredible journey from Queens, New York, to becoming a global icon. LL COOL J delves into his creative process, discussing his collaborations with other artists and how he has navigated the ever-evolving music industry. He addresses the myths and rumors surrounding ghostwriters and emphasizes his dedication to authenticity and lyrical prowess. The conversation explores the competitive nature of the rap game, with LL COOL J expressing his readiness to prove his skills in any lyrical showdown. The episode segues into LL COOL J's enduring influence, from his early days with Def Jam to his lasting impact on today’s music scene. LL COOL J shares his perspectives on hip-hop greats like Tupac, Nas, Jay-Z, Public Enemy,  and Slick Rick, and reflects on the current dynamics between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. He discusses how these rivalries have evolved with the internet's role in shaping the narrative. With candid stories and personal reflections, LL COOL J reveals the significance of his tattoos, the respect he’s earned over decades, and his thoughts on the shifting landscape of hip-hop. He opens up about his infamous beef with Canibus, sharing insights into the competitive spirit that has fueled his career. LL COOL J also shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his collaborations with 50 Cent and his time in the studio with the iconic Biggie Smalls. He discusses the meaning behind coining the term G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) and how he manages the pressures of seeking outside validation. A highlight of this episode is LL COOL J’s revelation of his secret to staying relevant for over 50 years in hip-hop, offering strategies for maintaining innovation while staying true to his roots. As he discusses his latest album, The Force, LL COOL J emphasizes his commitment to making music and pursuing his passions, no matter his age. Tune in for an unforgettable conversation with one of hip-hop’s greatest pioneers, as LL COOL J brings his signature charisma and wisdom to Club Shay Shay, providing a unique perspective on what it takes to remain a formidable force in the ever-changing world of music and entertainment.  #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, just a thought. Rap about something other than the P.

Just a thought. How many different ways you going to tell me about that P, baby? Yeah, I get it. Hey, by the way, I believe you. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. All my life, been grinding all my life. Sacrifice, hustle, pay the price. Want a slice, got the roll of dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life.

All my life, been grinding all my life. Sacrifice, hustle, pay the price. Want a slice, got the roll of dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding dice, that's why, all my life, I've been grinding all my life. Hello, welcome to another episode of Club Shea Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharpen, the guy that's stopping by for conversation and a drink today. This has been three years in the making. He's one of the most successful rap artists of all time. He's the first rapper to amass 10 consecutive platinum-selling albums. He's the youngest recipient and the first rap artist to ever receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall

of Fame. He has a star on the legendary Walk of Fame, a Grammy Award winner, an Emmy Award winner, an NAACP Image Award winner, a multi-talented actor, producer, performer, TV personality, musician, entertainer, entrepreneur. A powerhouse in the entertainment industry. A New York Times best-selling author. A music mogul. An avid philanthropist. An all-around hit maker.

Razor-sharp wordsmith. One of the pioneers of hip-hop. A father. A husband. We're going to talk about that also. A cultural icon. The first rock star of rap. The rap's longest running superstar almost 40

years in the game a living legend the one the only ll cool j bro i need y'all i need that i need i need that in my long clock in the morning you know i mean is that an inspiration what is bro we've got to toast this, bro. 40 years in the game, everything that you've done, and you still have the urge, the desire to spring up out of bed. And we were talking off camera earlier, like, bro, I'm so excited to hit this world stage again because it's been a while since you had a world,

you had a domestic tour, but you said, man, I'm ready to do this world thing again. Yeah, man, to go around the world showing what i do man get the music out there have some fun you know i'm saying i'm glad to be here too by the way bro let's let's talk this is my this is my own cognac uh yeah shape vsop brought to all your success not only in the past but in the future you know i don't drink like that that's that's good that's gonna be it for me that's all that's all we need. Yeah, yeah. I'll be army crawling to an after party inside this city.

This ain't even my where. I don't even know how you got me to drink that shit. I don't even drink like this. Is this water? This water. Oh, good God. We drink. Yo, it's good though, Shan.

But you going to tell us how you made all the hits. Now we got that in you. You going to tell us how you made all the hits. Now we got that in you. You're going to tell us how you made all the hits. Got him. Just having fun. Loving what you do. It's just like you with sports. Right.

You know, when you fall in love with it, and if you have the spiritual and psychological and physical gifts or that inclination to do it, you go for right i'm saying and i really love hip-hop bro five years in the i mean five decades the 80s the 90s the 2000s the 2010s here we are the 2020s when you go back and look at it in the 80s you had rock the bells i'm bad going back to cali cali i need love 90s mama said knock you doing it, lounging, Hey Love, Around the Way Girl, 2000, Head Sprung, Love You Better, Paradise. Bro, what's LL's favorite era of music that he's created?

I mean, yo, the new music I'm coming out with is crazy. I really love it, man. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's hard for people because, see, as an artist, it's different from the commercial considerations. You know what I'm saying? Right. People he has an artist is different from the commercial considerations

I'm saying right people have experienced a lot all of those songs you talking about the new music a lot of them haven't experienced It I like the new music though. Huh? It's crazy. How much are of the new stuff? Are we gonna get the old la la? I don't think you ever get a True artist is always gonna move the needle forward you know i'm saying you got to evolve man like you know james cameron does a new movie you know you know even if it's a sequel it's going to be a new version it's going to be new technology it's the avatar is different than titanic there you go it's a new approach right you know i mean so like i mean these records are

crazy you know i'm saying like the joint i got with Saweetie, you know, it's, you know, called Proclivities. Right. I mean, you know, it has, it's, it's new. Shit is new. It's new, Shan. Let me ask you this. L, you're one of the pioneers of this. And you've seen from the infancyancy of it nobody thought it would be what

it became whoever thought yeah yeah exactly so you at you were at the very beginning the grassroots of this thing and you see where it is now yeah was it easier then to become what you became or is it easier now two different two different things um the barriers to entry were greater than okay see hip-hop when i first started would be like the nfl or the nba today in the sense that you have to go through a certain process go be vetted it is a lot that goes into you actually making it to that level okay to getting a recording contract right now hip-hop is pretty much democratized which there are some good things about that, but it is different in the sense that it's like the whole audience can play now.

Okay. Everybody can bounce the ball. Everybody can play quarterback. Right. Anybody can be a wide receiver or attempt. Right. So that changes the standards and the way things work. That being said, it's just completely different before it was harder to get in but it

was less noise once you got in right now you can get in like this but it's so much noise you got to really be you know you got to be you got to really be him or be heard right to actually get right heard you know what i mean so like me being able to cut through now like we cracking a different type of code you know i'm saying like you know my first joint dropped in 84 so for us to be having this conversation and for it to be like that's legit like it's 40 no it is legit music like to have this conversation 40 years later is another level you know i'm saying so i don't you know what i mean we haven't had a rapper that have stood the test of time like LL We've seen it when other John R&B we see it in the movies. We rock and roll

Yeah, we see it a lot but not the rap game not to the level in which you've done it Yeah, what do you think are some of the keys to your success? keys, um First of all, you gotta love it and um you can't be so full of yourself that you can't hear nobody else talking you know what i'm saying yeah see see some people they they operate in that space of they stay too cute for everything you know what i'm saying but you can't learn nothing that way um and then you gotta humble yourself like one of the things i did like straight up i went back and studied how to rhyme again it's like going back in the gym and working on your jump shot going back and you know back on the field working on your footwork you know no

you know don't step back right off you know you just you know it's like so i had to i really focus on just improving and getting better at what i do you know what i'm saying so it's like so i had i really focus on just improving and getting better at what i do you know i'm saying so it's like that's the main thing you know what i mean um is loving it and being creative and then also i mean you ain't gonna be able to connect with people that you can't relate to right so all that running around with the great poupon asterisk what do they call ascot yeah asterisk with an asterisk asterisk ascot with the ascot around your neck and a goddamn long cigarette holder like a like a fucking 1940 like all that you got to be able to connect with the people at least for me right you know i'm saying i love connecting with the people and being

a real you know dude and i also love the challenge, right? Because it's like there are two audiences for LL when it comes to my music. There's a Don't Call It A Comeback audience and there's a Oh, He Raps audience. And those two audiences are separate, but they're coming closer and closer together now because of the new music. So that's, you know. You said that you had to learn how to rhyme again was it because not that you forgot but because you had done so many other things in between when you originally started because you had a tv you had a sitcom we're gonna get into that

you did movies we'll get into that you had a team you got a tv series we'll get into that so it was because you were doing so many other things, did you lose the cadence? What did LL lose that caused him to have to go back to the lab? You don't have to lose anything to want to gain something. Oh, okay. Okay. You know what I'm saying? You don't have to, like, nothing has, you know, the desire to get better doesn't have to come with, you know, loss or failure.

It just comes with an aggressive spirit that champion spirit you want to go get it you know i'm saying and i know that the game has evolved i respect the artists out there that are out there now i respect the way people process the music and the way people approach it and i you know i don't want to try to pick up where i left off i want to do i want to give them a new version because you know when you if you know if you're going to coin a turn like the goat like I coined that term dear if you're going to coin that term that the whole world is using now and you really consider yourself that then you have to be able to deliver on call at any time when it comes to making these mute making this music and making these songs and so

that was what it was you know i'm saying so it's not that i was losing anything it's just like yo this is an opportunity for me to show people what's possible we're not used to artists going away 10 15 years no and re-emerging with and being hot we're used to, oh, he's famous now, but the music's mediocre. Oh, he's a celebrity now. Yeah, I heard it once. We're used to that. We're not used to, yo, I can't wait to hear this fourth album. Yo, this Saturday Night Special with Joy.

Yo, this passion. Yo, these joints. I want to hear the rest of the, you know, we're not used to that level of anticipation from mature artists in hip-hop so that to me was another challenge i took that as an opportunity it's kind of like braun playing in his 21st year right or 22nd you know i mean it's like that kind of a thing right you know what i mean yes yeah as you did other things and i don't want to use the term that you got but you kind of like set rap rap went to the back burner and now acting tv shows other things was prioritized how much in your own time away from the cameras away from the stage did you were you in the studio

were you still honing that craft because in order if you don't use something you lose something so you've got to practice even if it's not in front of an audience. 100%. You've got to keep that knife sharp. Yeah, I've been in the studio for a thousand years. I mean, I'm always messing around in the studio. I have countless albums that haven't been released. So I'm always tinkering around with something.

Okay. I've been tinkering around with stuff for years. But the question is, am I ready to put something out? Is this something that I feel meets the standard of me saying, stamping it and saying, yo, this is my new thing. Let's go with this. Right. Because I do two different types of albums. And people who really know my career know this.

I do culturally impactful albums. And then I do really weird kind of to the side albums that don't make a lot of sense to most people. But they get me off artistically right right so it depends on the mood i'm in the last time i did an album was one of those weird kind of small kind of experimental albums where i'm doing all these weird stuff and i i love it right this album cultural impact out so it's been you know it's been but it's been probably 20 30 years since i did one of those because i because of that long space in between with the show you do realize when you take this long off don't call it a comeback

you suppose that i've been here for years no i've been here for decades okay yeah yeah it's more than years so you you know the anticipation you know who you are you know what you represent you have the longest standing yeah there were guys that did it before you but they're not doing it currently and they didn't do it as long because if you go back and look at it now if you really look at it in its totality even the greats yeah you might have had a six year maybe a decade run yeah not a two oh not a three yeah four you've had a four decade run yeah so a two oh not a three not a four you've had a four decade run yeah five so you know what the expectations are yeah yeah yeah yeah no question no question and i love that i live for that like i love yo raise the bar i love it i can't get enough of that man the more you you

know the bigger the challenge the more i I enjoy it. The greater the accomplished, the greater the expectation that comes along. Good. Good. Good. Great. Good. Turn the mic on. Turn the mic on.

You can see it. Do a bear sit in the woods and wipe his ass with a rabbit? Your man ready, B. Yo, that's what I do. I love it, man. Look, let me explain something to you, man. I can't get enough of that, man. That's everything I love, baby. I hear the do. I love it man. Look let me explain something to you man. I can't get enough of that man That's everything I love baby. I hear the passion. I see the excitement that you're exuding. Let me tell you something

Shannon, I'm like I'm the dude on your team That's like yo we down by a touchdown with Two minutes. Yeah, let's get minutes yeah let's get it let's get it i'm you know i'm at halftime like i love all the challenge i want all the smoke oh they don't think he could win the super i need to get that super bowl like you don't even understand man that shit turns me the fuck on bro like i want to go get it like i'm very very very you know when people see me so funny they

see these interviews the way i do it he's aggressive yo i'm very aggressive yes when it comes to going after my dreams like animals savage shit you i've always admired people that have accomplished so much and they go about it like they've accomplished nothing i look at arrested soul kobe i look at lebron i look at jordan i look at some of the greats tom brady oh yeah i'm looking at some of the denzel sam you look at them i'm listening to you you've got five almost five decades in this and the way you talk is like man i can't wait this is my first album i can't wait to release this i can't wait for people to hear me because you do realize now there's a large part uh populace that only knows ll the celeb they don't know ll the music the rapper and that's what i love about

it that's the opportunity that's the opportunity to convert yo let me tell you something like i was on my instagram um follow me by the way stop bull you something. It was on my Instagram. Follow me, by the way. Stop bullshitting. It was on my Instagram. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news,

previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here. Just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic,

and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast of NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every

day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This lady, a teacher, she had played my first single,

Saturday Night Special, with Rick Ross and Fat Joe. She played it for some kids. Right. And when they heard my part, the kids said to her, oh, wow, man, he would have been a great rapper

if he wasn't an actor. You know what I'm saying? I love that shit. That's what gets me up, bro. Because you know what that is? That shows you that you have the skill, you have the ability, you have the wherewithal, you have the tools. Now it's just a matter of making them aware. I love that, man.

I love that. Like, I love the idea of being able to. Look, think about it this way. Here we are. I started in 84 here's 2024 we're talking about me breaking new ground in music just right put it in perspective this is like when i think about kobe when i think about um yeah yo y'all can't believe it right you just can't believe it right you you can't believe it but that's your people ll yeah yeah

yo we're busy, Shannon. We got a lot of shit going on, bro. I believe it. I believe it. We got a lot of shit going on. Nah, nah. It's just like you think about Kobe, you think about Jordan, you think about Tom who, you know, wearing my Giants out and all that.

That's a whole other thing, respectfully. But I remember seeing Tom when he was the first bowl and we was in a cafeteria or something around the festivity i said yo y'all gonna win you know i was just seeing what he's just we're gonna kick their ass you know he was you know but you know yeah but anyway you know i'd have a lesson you know but he was on it so yeah um you know no that's an amazing feeling man man. I love it, B. Let me ask you this. It's very interesting.

Because you've been at the game for so long, you've had so much success, not only in the rap game, but in other avenues. How many of these young guys come up and ask your opinion or get your advice on certain things? I mean, every now and then man but you know are you surprised more don't l you do realize you bet you got 84 that's 40 yo i'm gonna be real with you man and i and i i don't know i'm i might have been guilty of it too man i mean when you young and you get a couple of dollars you think you know every guy

what you gonna tell me i know everything my shit hot i'm rocking i got money in my pocket you can't tell me nothing yeah my grandpa used to say boy money don't buy sense though you ain't you ain't lying especially common sense you know i might buy some incense right you know i mean but you were the first that i can recall rapper that actually sung to women yeah i mean there's an answer to that too why because obviously you was having success doing it and everybody was having success doing it away what made you because did you feel you was taking a risk or chance at the time getting away from what everybody had known ll to be and what everybody else had were already doing? Well, the answer is, first of all.

The risk didn't matter to me. OK. Because I do what I'm inspired to do. OK. And, you know, like, you know, like as a kid, I would laugh at peer pressure to a certain it shouldn't mean it meant nothing to me you know you know like so i did it because it was from the heart right and i did it because you know i like girls i want to rap to them it was pretty simple it was pretty basic like it wasn't really even that deep of a now mind you did

i get some resistance from certain label people and certain producers and certain yeah a little bit of that right i should get my mouth watering b i'm so not used to alcohol i feel like i feel like i'm fucking around him you know what i mean but it got you high but see now now we getting we getting the real ll because he hype now now you get the real regardless you know super juicy get the real man get the real regardless no You know, super juicy, get the real, man. Get the real regardless. No, but yeah, I just was inspired. I was inspired, Shan.

Did you, because, let me ask you a question. What did the rap, the hip-hop community say? Because that was the first. Oh, yeah. That you spoke directly to them. Yeah, yeah. They, a lot of them weren't too happy, Shan. They weren't too happy.

Were they upset because you did it first, or were they upset that they couldn't do it? I think they was upset that they was sitting in their car and their girl looking really excited. Damn, my shit. That's what I think. That's what I think. She was, you know what I mean? She was with it. She got them little shorts on, that baby oil on them legs,

that LL shit playing, homie sitting there tight as a drum. I mean, that's nasty, dude. It's got to feel nasty. You know what I mean? But let me ask you a question. How was it like, because the hate, it came, but how were you able to stay so focused? Because, man, he making that old kid, he making that stuff.

No, it wasn't because it wasn't kidding. I know it wasn't, but that's what what I mean about you. You know what I It come with the territory man, I was hanging out with guys that You know Well, you know hustling every day and doing all kind of getting smooth on them. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah hit me with the little hot little hot little hot LA yo so nah I just I didn't even I ain't even entertaining Shane really nah because I mean I would talk about in the records a little bit but like when you're super excited man you got that jewelry hanging man and them cars and you're moving around man you ain't the fat chain you know

the fat chair with the cane on the corner he tight he upset like it don't it's like you know it just i didn't even get i didn't feel that um i just never felt that kind of pressure from that does that make sense yeah where do you get where did you get inspiration from did you all did you always know what you wanted to be was there anything ll wanted to be? Was there anything LL wanted to be outside of? Did you want to play sports? Yeah, of course. I wanted to be a football player. You know what I'm saying?

That was like a huge dream of mine to be a football player. Well, hell, you're still in shape right now. Yeah, right. Give him a run on the field and run off. Yeah, I can run on the field. Hey! You've, I can run on the field. Hey, all right. Get your ass back.

A running back? You know, that was the dream back then. You know what I'm saying? Like, I loved football, and I loved boxing. You know what I'm saying? I never wanted to be, I never saw myself being a boxer, but I was always in love with boxing, and I wanted to play football.

Like, that was the two sports, you know what I'm saying? But I did all kinds of sports growing up. I did gymnastics, wrestling wrestling judo got karate each one wing chunk i mean i was just like an athletic that was my thing you know what i'm saying well obviously new york is the birthplace of hip-hop who inspired ll man all the early all the early mcs even before vinyl from treacherous three from the cold crush from you know fantastic romantic fre vinyl from treacherous three from the cold crush from you know fantastic romantic freaks from then a little later from fearless four obviously um grandmaster flash and the furious five um you know crash crew um soul sonic force um you know zulu you know all of that uh and then there was all kinds of artists in between there like you know there was

you know there was Eddie Chiba's tapes floating around and you know this tape floating around and it was um it was the most amazing time in the world for me man it's like you know I felt like as a young black man walking around in my neighborhood you feel invisible right your friends die nobody cares you know what i'm saying this was like the first time like that i heard people sounding so empowered and so strong it was like magical for me you know what i'm saying like it was magical b was magical man did you know the first time that you started like i don't know where you in your bedroom you were in your basement and you like you heard somebody doing you like i think i can do that 100 as a

matter of fact i know i can do that well you know what the thing is about about when you really want to be successful you know that it's not really about i can do that it's about the step toward through that magical doorway you know what i'm talking about yeah when you're imagining it you're seeing it in your mind and then at your as a little kid you start like remember I started I became a fan of hip hop and became as soon as it was born I was eight years old as like in then 9 10 11 at 12 years old I started writing 11 or 12 you know like i've been doing this like literally my whole life right for real this ain't no oh i started 10 years ago even that this ain't even

20 years ago this is like from eight years old to 50 years ago yo you know i mean well not quite we about to say amen jll we are we are are. Close. No, I'm older than you. What you got me by a year or two? I'm 56. Well, I'm 56. So we the same age. Well, we the same age. That's what I'm saying.

Okay. Congratulations. Hey. You trying to hold it off. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.

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Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.. I'm a Hey, we closer to 60, but we look good, though. I feel good.

My bones still hot. You know what I mean? All of them. That's to see you drink a lot of milk when you was growing up. Something like that. You're one of the few, I think, now, back then, you might have been your largest audience, and correct me if I'm wrong,

you had the females from the jump. I don't know if it was the lick, lip, lick, lip, a lick, lip, licking. I don't know if it was the Kangol, the swag. Whatever you do, don't do no rap records, bro. No, whatever you do. No, I'm glad I had Flo. L, I had Flo, L. I had Flo. No, do, don't do no rap records, bro. Whatever you do. I'm going to have flow. I have flow.

Flow on that 40-yard dash. You have some flow, all right? Knocking heads off. You're going to take their necks off. You know that rap shit. I mean, your bass especially, it's expanded, obviously, but the women loved you from the jump.

You tried to do that, too. That's why you did that. Yeah. Yeah, that's why. That was the goal. Yeah, of course. Man, listen, man, I had both audiences, man. You know, it's just, you know, hey, man, if they was choosing, they was choosing, bro.

Like, you know, don't blame, you know, don't blame the player. Women buy records. Yo, blame the game. No, no, no. Because they try to, see, guys are funny. That's like a little tactic, yo, like dudes use on me. I had both fans, bro. Both fans.

Let me ask you a question. Like, when it rocked the bell's head, both fans. I'm bad head, both fans. I'm bad at both fans. Do you care if they buying records? Yeah, I want them all to buy them. Exactly. I want them all to buy them. So if 70...

Oh, I love the women, but there wasn't no 70. It wasn't like that. No, I know there wasn't no 70, but I'm just saying. You know what I mean? Dudes love 4-3-2-1 and love I Shot You and love Ill Bomb and love Mama Said Knock You Out. It wasn't the women saying no, Mama Said Knock You Out. It was the guys.

I know, I know, I know. Going back to Cali. But you know, it's just kind of like, know you know dude dude's always trying to undermine a dude a guy walks into the girls are looking at him you know it's just like you know he ain't all that yeah you know you know he's not a man's man yeah you know something like right now it was both audiences, man. But I'll tell you this. I'll keep it real with you.

I never like, at least early on, most of the time with the taking the shirt off and all that, that was about just taking your shirt off because you were a little kid. Right. That morphed into something else. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm talking about. You go, like, growing up, kids are running around in the, you know, you're 16, 17, you got a shirt on. Yeah, for sure.

It ain't like, shirt off, like, you know. But we mainly did that if we had the park playing ball and they, you know, they out there watching. Yeah, but it ain't like, baby, how drizzy. With the goddamn shirt going off and shit. Like, it wasn't like, you know. Okay. It was just like, whatever. You know what I mean? Right.

But, nah, man, I love both audiences, man. Like, that's why this album is so, I think, balanced in that regard. You know what I'm saying? Like, I wanted to make sure that my male audience dudes, like, it ain't about, like, it's about the art. You know what I'm saying? Like, I made the, you know, yeah, it's warm in this month. Well, hey, turn this off. Yeah, no, I mean, it's all good, but I just. No, I'm, you know, I'm.'s warm in this month. Well, hey, it's turn it off Yeah, no, I mean it's all good, but I just know I'm gonna go. Yeah. I'm yeah in a minute like you

You ain't gonna have no wrinkles Some I yeah Yeah, I know No, no, I'm good. Okay. Okay. Yeah Let me ask you question. Hmm. Do you write or do you freestyle? All right, I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. Yeah. Let me ask you a question. Do you write or do you freestyle? I write. I write my songs.

I don't know what... Have you ever had a ghostwriter? No. No. I've collaborated with people on choruses. Right. Collaborated with people on different things. But all of these songs that I'm thinking of... That's you.

Come on, bro bro I don't even know where people like like that's a very interesting thing cuz I heard this in I don't know what the paradise did they say a 50 roll for you and he sent wrote the chorus bro but you heard that too right of course I heard it okay he wrote the chorus if you not we've been through this before. Acting like the elves can't bag him no more. He ain't write that shit. That's you.

Of course. Like people be tripping. But you know, that's a big compliment for me. Yeah. When you get to the point where you're so, you've been doing it so long and you're so prolific that they look like somebody else shot the basketball. LeBron didn't shoot that shit. That was fucking KD basketball lebron didn't shoot that shit that was fucking kd yeah kd really shot that shit or that was yo yo yo steph shot that shit like that's how because you've been in the game so long and why is ghostwriting frowned upon so much well

because as an mc you're supposed to write your stuff together okay you know what i mean you are you know it's different like if you get in the studio let's say you're working with an artist like and we write a song together and i'm collaborating with somebody on something that would be different from somebody writing my rhymes writing my verses writing out my lyrics because then you're not a real mc you know it would be like somebody it's different it's like being a pop act wow it's like a pop act. It's very different collaborating with somebody and sitting there like, and y'all coming up with lines together. That's one way of doing it. And you can do that and play around with some songs and mess around.

But when it comes to doing Mama Said Knock You Out. But the outsource, but the outsource, hey, I need you to come up with something for you, boy. Nah, bro. Nah, it don't work. It don't work, B. It's ridiculous. And it's funny to me because like, people just be wanting to, like, you know, like, do I gotta write some shit

right now? Like, do I have to literally sit here right now and write a rhyme for people to, like, what we need to do? Do you feel people, like, when people say LL has a ghost ride over their face, I don't hear that a lot. No do? Do you feel people like... When people say LL has a ghost rider, they accuse you. I don't hear that a lot. No, but do you feel they try to shortchange you and undermine you?

I mean, they gotta. They gotta. You gotta do something. Why they just can't go and give you the credit that you deserve? I mean, Shannon, it's like seeing a dude who's in shape. I use no steroids. It's easier to say that. It's easier to say, oh, he, you know...

Because I'm doing what you won't do, like going to the gym, eating like I'm supposed to. Yo, dog, like, I remember when I first lost weight, when I did my, you know, physical transformation back in 2000, came out with Love You Better. Dudes was running around talking like, I got a rib removed. The fuck is you talking about, bro? Like, I got a ghost rib. You know, like, motherfucker's like, you got you got the ghost the ghost writer go with the ghost rib Wow, you know and you know why they say this because they see a scar over here Shannon

Come on appendix taken out, bro. Wow You know that yeah that actually do do that. Yes. I know that might seem like an amazing unbelievable Announcement to people but people get their appendix taken for sure my father said i got a rib removed so i collaborate with somebody on a song oh he got close right now dudes it's crazy because of some of the heavy hitters you have on this album you think we're gonna hear some of some whispers of he don't no no no i mean after this they will because you just put it out in the ether and that's you know it probably was five comments that'll be 500 but whatever i mean at

the end of the day listen man you know anybody who you know if you feel that way then you know there's a you know there's a lot of ways to find out you know i mean so you know if they want to go there and and we really want to fake like if you think that i've been rapping since eight years old using ghostwriters like you know if y'all really that's how you try to get wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast nfl daily with greg rosenthal days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes.

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Hold on. You really trying? Well, the verses can't prove none of that. What I'm saying is. Oh, you talking about just write battle. I'm saying like however you want to do it. Like, we can write, you know, we can go baton for baton. You know, like, if y'all want to sit, we can go M for M.

If y'all want to sit somewhere and write something, we can do that. And let's just see how it go. Like, that's my challenge. So you can talk, they can talk all that bullshit they want. Yo, bring the pen and the pad. Turn the cameras on. Turn the beat on. Let's sit in the studio together.

Never cut the camera. Leave it on. How long are we getting? It don't matter. It don't even matter. I bring somebody in the studio. We're going to get the cameras rolling. We got a beat.

We got one hour. You're goddamn right. I'm going to whoop their ass. We got a beat. We got one hour. You goddamn right. I'm going to whoop their ass. What? I'm going to whoop their ass, B. Y'all heard it, man. Y'all heard it, man. Yo, Shannon. Yo, Shannon. All right.

Hey, listen, man. Yo, Shannon. I'm trying to tell you, man. Listen to your man. Listen to your man. Listen, listen. I mean,, I'm trying to tell you, man. Listen to your man. Listen to your man. Listen, listen. I mean, I know everybody want to come up with all these fantasies and these tall tales about different shit, but there's a reason why the guy who started Def Jam is sitting right here right now. There's a reason, Shannon.

This ain't, this isn't, like, there's a reason why the guy who was the first artist on Def Jam, T-Low Rock, It's Yours. Right. It was a song. It was on the Streetwise Party Time label. It was Def Jam Productions. I bought that record. I made a demo and sent it in to Rick.

Ad Rock and the Beastie Boys heard it and sent it. There's a reason why I'm still here. And I'm not being cocky. This ain't about no cocky, rocky shit, because I don't do that. That's how you get your head handed to you. I'm just saying there's a reason why I'm still here you know i mean you can't manufacture this shannon not for this is not now you can't manufacture this bro not that long this is not what it is so but my thing is instead of you guys want they want to comment people want to question you want to

question what i am then you know you want to lace up and you want to race hussein you want to yeah who's saying you want to race dion you live for and champ you know you want to lace up and you want to race Hussein? You want to race Hussein? You want to race Dion? You want to lift Martin Champ? You know what I'm saying? You believe you lift Martin Champ? All I'm basically saying is, man, like, I'm ready to, if we want, anybody want to write rhymes and we want to sit there and see what that is, we could do it. And we could just settle it. How about, I think, one of the first diss records that I actually heard was you and Kool Moe D going back and forth.

Right. Did y'all, did you, was that the official first disc that you know it was not who was the first it was many of them but i mean really oh but you could but y'all made it but y'all made it popular at that point but there was the cold crush versus the fantastic romantic there was modi when he went at busy b which was like really one of well cold crush crushing fantastic romantic were always kind of a great back and forth thing busy b versus modi was like super popular at that time you know i'm saying like that battle between them two was crazy that everybody loved that what what called what called you and modi to go at it i mean same type of shit you told me right now. All this old bullshit. Ghost right this, that. Fucking girls. All this old shit.

Same shit you told me. The same bullshit. You know why? Because this is what they want to hear. Y'all want to hear that bullshit. They love it, man. I can't get away from this shit. All I want to do is make an album. Did you start or he start?

You know I ain't start that shit, Shad. I ain't start this shit this time. Who started this shit? I just sat down. I was just asking about a ghostwriter. You got a ghostwriter? I'm just... I don't think I'm asking any questions that you haven't been asked.

Especially now, because they're like, but damn, L, 40 years. Yeah, but that's asking like, Wemby, you know, you got lifts in your shoes. You know, it's just like, you know, come on, bro. Like seven for a dog. You ask a seven footer if you got lifts in his shoes. Right. So, but, you know, you grew up in New York. They battle rap. And I mean, like because I saw I saw the was it a documentary I think a document of hip-hop and they had all these like you said uh uh Grandmaster Flash you had Melly and you had the Un-Cold Crush you have different groups and they just meet up somewhere and battle battle battle is

that how you grew up is that what you like following that you like have you did you ever battle oh yeah, yeah, of course. So that's, so in order, in order, so that's how you really cut your teeth. I cut my teeth battling, rhyming in public, rhyming in ciphers, indirect battling just by rhyming with people. I did it the real way. I did everything in hip-hop is a MC you could write me like You know me like the whole thing. I did it battling. I did it

rhyming in ciphers I did it Being in groups, you know, I DJ'd I started off DJ before I even you know, I was DJ and I you know, like It's breakdancing one shit, but I was breakdancing. Yeah, you know, that's in the Olympics now. Yeah, you know, I was DJing and I, you know, like breakdancing wasn't shit, but I was breakdancing. You know, that's in the Olympics now. Yeah, I know. I know. It's a good thing it ain't me. It's a good thing it ain't me in that joint. You know what I mean? But no, breakdancing,

graffiti. Right. I did it, like, I'm really, like, the embodiment of all that, like, hip-hop, man. Like, I really, really have lived this shit for real. On every level, champ. Not playing best ball, DraftKings. You're missing out.

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get one bonus entry 20 entry fee required reward expires at contest lock on 9524 see terms at draftkings.com slash dfs this tattoo yeah the mic on my arm what how did you i mean because it's always interesting when people say the what was the inspiration behind the tattoo and why they got the tattoo. Why did you decide to get a mic? Man, this thing took me around the world, Shannon. This thing took me around the world. You know what I'm saying? And it's always on.

The switch is on. Took me around the world. It is a game changer. Let my voice be heard. You know, writing and saying the things that are important to me Getting it out there in the world and then on the other side. I got respect Even though it looks like a tribal to say yes back because you got to give it to get it Okay, you know to me and it's just like but this mic man. I mean it was a game-changer, you know, like I

mean, I mean just Just what we did with Def Jam Just think about how the world would be different If I didn't send my tape into Def Jam Look I just want to I find it I find

No L Because it relates to this microphone Cannabis heard You heard his voice His verse And he said Yo L Is that a mic on your arm

Let me borrow that Yeah You didn't take that You didn't take another compliment? Not at that time. I was an egomaniac. But I thought you said you wasn't an egomaniac. No, I said I'm not an egomaniac right now.

I ain't never tell you. I also said to you when I was younger, I wasn't listening to nothing nobody had to say. Did I not tell you that, Teddy? You did. You did. You know, with your bad prosecuting ass. Yo, yo, cannabis. Cannabis. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it.

You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it.

You need it. You need it. Cannabis. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it.

You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. Cannabis.

You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it.

You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it.

You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it. You need it.

You need it. You need it. You need it. You need get a tattoo just like yours and i was like you gotta get your own but that's how it was right you know i'm saying it was like uh i felt like somebody's trying to wear my boxing trunks or something right or you're gonna walk in the locker room and the dude got your cleats on that's how it felt to me okay so when he told you i mean so you didn't look at the side of respect you're like hold on bro stop biting my sky get your own i was immature yeah i was immature i wasn't involved savage man savagery man animal man it wasn't his fault it wasn't his fault i mean you know he just ran into a you know a maniac you know he ran into a guy that's so intense that he could start hip-hop at eight eight at eight years old and being his 50s still doing it it's a lot of intensity right

you got to understand that that comes with a lot of intensity yeah like you know when so you know i just back then in my mind it was just like don't even come near anything that's mine so you feel like anybody that they were like they were coming they were coming at a any level man like don't come near nothing that i claim to be mine. I'm defending it like a... Yeah, but you claiming everything. You can't claim everything.

Everything. Everything. And her. Like, everything. Everything. Foul. You know what I mean? You see her trailer, Denzel.

I don't know what his character is in the new Gladiator. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, whatever that was, I didn't see it yet. But I'm just saying everything beat i want it all man savagery man saw it off shirt saw it out shirt off i'm running in the village i want it all i want everything so when you have these when you have these bad you had this this with uh kumo dean you had this with cannabis when it was all said and done you bump into him i love him i love you now

oh i love you it's only on the field right it's on the court i don't you know ain't no issue we don't take anything we don't take anything off them because they do that now no but so you keep it on the wax you keep it on the mic put it on the wax you gotta because you know look man like one thing about me yeah we on the like i talk about the challenge is the studio rhyme and let's do it you got questions let's let's let's answer them but when it comes to like treating people as human beings and treating men as men and women as women and treating people with respect i do that right you got to give it to get it i don't play them games right like i don't do the the cocky rapper hollywood tough guy shit you know, Shannon, as you know,

and especially in football because the damn kicker, he's tough. Everybody think they tough in football. Everybody tough. Oh, people are going to find out just how tough you are now.

Exactly. That's my point. So you don't put yourself in that position. You don't go in the locker room with your chest poked out trying to be the baddest dude in the locker room

because you're going to get knocked out quietly by a teammate and nobody going to talk about it and then everybody going to be good right so don't do that right so i learned so i wouldn't i would never try to go up against these dudes in person or press them or be a you know you know what i mean i don't need to keep it on wax just keep it on wax on vinyl and that's what i did but that being said when it comes to that vinyl like I'm very I was you know extremely you know and to a certain extent I still am like you know I just you know I would have to make you know it would just have to be somebody that's worth my time but

other than that you know like you know you know leave me alone when I come to look at Jay-z and Nas 50 and jaru had there's tupac big and now kendrick and drake yeah if you had if i'm you know what i'm gonna put you in there i don't know who your who your favorite this is it was a modi uh cannabis but if you had to rank one through one through five the greatest rap this you can't do it that way i know what you want but the reason let me explain to you why explain it to me because context is everything okay it's like there's no way to measure when kareem was playing on magic and bird were playing versus let's say lebron now right or steph

they can't measure it okay two different errors not only is it two different errors but the internet the context of the internet it saturates everything right so yeah you know like the internet makes everything 10 times you get a narrative you know what i mean i'm targeting your house i'm rearranging your furniture right i got you know i'm you know it's too much so it's different that being said i think they were all great for different reasons and i think all of the people that you mentioned are supremely talented. Now, some had good days, some had off days, but that's sports. That's entertainment. That's art. It happens. But all of those dudes are talented.

Like, listen, I'm not like I got respect for those guys, man, like all of them. Like, I'm not I'm not funny style like that. And, you know'm saying? In terms of, I don't know. It depends, you know? Because a lot of people don't even realize because they don't think if it happened before the Internet, it didn't happen. So now the Internet, everything, oh, the Internet, oh, that's the greatest player we've ever seen. He's the greatest footballer. And half of them was born before the Internet. So I guess you ain't never happened. I say, bro, stop this.

It's like dudes don't know that yo, it's like dog You know your mom's was having sex before the internet You don't believe me You hear you don't believe me. You don't believe your mama was having sex before the internet Do you believe this is good for it? Is this good for them? I think it's great. I think it's great in the sense of Reaching people now though though you know look dude does it cause the records when you got a hot record you know people they get into it quick and they they rock they play that joint they not like us yo they play them joints i love that joint they they played them joints like you know like it's it's not like back

in the days where the radio would kind of manage your consumption yeah you know even the tv shows you have a tv show now like people gonna listen to that joint they're gonna watch your whole season in an hour right you know this is you know yeah when you know it's a new season i just made that shit last week but no i think it's great man i i'm you know just is what it just different but but if it gets to a situation like okay kendrick and drake and then rick ross goes to canada and then you see that situation happen like it does if we just gonna keep it on wax no you gotta keep i'm all i'm all for that first of all ross is my man yeah. Yeah that you know saying that's my dog. Um, I Have respect for all of them guys. I don't think that there's any reason to go beyond

Like we have to keep things in their perspective man. Lives are too important All of the people that you named have lives that are valuable, right? You know I'm saying I like that 50 went through something that was very traumatic in his life He realizes the importance of his life. That's why he lives it fearlessly All of these men that you mentioned and there's women out there to their lives mean something and they deserve to be able to live You know and make their music and have a battle have a friendly battle have an insult contest have some fun But don't take it beyond that right you shouldn't have to lose your life in order to you know have some fun and have a have a fun battle because that's all it

really is because none of this shit is that serious right you know at the end of the day you know if you got a remote control food on the table ac and heat you gooch right and your lights is on you know i mean so it's not that serious to take you know somebody like yeah we don't need to attack when I see you you got it my man got it you know but a lot of that is also the youthful vibe like you know you know we used to have fights outside movie theaters and you know you know little things yeah a little dust up yeah yeah you know things happen you know yeah you might be young in the Navy and getting a little ball fight, doing one, give a dude a little touch-up.

It happens. But it shouldn't be like, you know what I mean? Not for this. Right. This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted, and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back

to Club Che Che profile and I'll see you there. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.