LL Cool J Fixes Up Red Audi From "Bad" Cover & Donates To HOF

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The red Audi that was featured on the cover of LL Cool J's 1987 album "Bad" was donated to the Hall Of Fame after the rapper restored the vehicle.

It was a massive weekend at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, especially for hip-hop. Two living legends, Jay-Z and LL Cool J were formally inducted into HOF this weekend where they received massive praise from the legends that came before them and those that they influenced along the way. For LL, it was a huge moment that was commemorated with the help of Dr. Dre and Eminem before the latter helped the Radio rapper perform his hit record, "Rock The Bells." 

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According to TMZ, LL Cool J reciprocated the love he received at the HOF right back with a special, heartfelt donation. LL Cool J reportedly donated the red Audi that was featured on the Bad cover to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame after it was fully restored.


The 1987 Audi 5000 was restored by Will Castro of Unique Rides in NYC who explained that the rap legend approached him during the pandemic to fix up the ride. He explained that the car was in a bad place when Cool J brought it in but Castro made it work. As described by the publication, the car was restored with "new bodywork, a fresh paint job, installing a custom 2-tone black leather interior with red piping, a full stereo system with Blaupunkt cassette deck (truly old school), amps and subs, red lighting, putting in OG BBS wheels and a full engine rebuild."

Overall, it was a $35K job to bring the old car back to life but there's the sentimental value behind the car. LL Cool J purchased the Audi as one of his first major purchases following his deal with Def Jam. Since the late 80s, the rapper kept the vehicle at his grandmother's home in New York until he finally decided to get it souped-up. 

Swipe below for a better look at the car. 



About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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