Eminem has made no secret of his respect for LL Cool J. In fact, Shady previously shouted out the legendary rapper on the thirtieth anniversary of "Mama Said Knock You Out." "It's another way to say that LL has been such an innovator," explained Em, speaking on the timeless tune. "Because for a song like that to be a hit, he was so raw on that song, that something like that could become a hit just changed the whole game."
Now, Em has once again taken a moment to speak on LL, offering some interesting insight into their relationship. Complex reports on a recent section from Paramount+ series Behind The Music, during which Em opened up about one of his chains -- gifted to him by none other than Ladies Love Cool James himself.
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"Since I was a little kid I always wanted a chain,” Em explains, speaking on LL Cool J's iconic gold chain worn in the "I'm Bad" video. “I was recording with Rick Rubin and I was like, ‘Yo, can you ask LL where he got his chains from?’ So he had these made and sent them to me.” After Eminem appeared in his notorious anti-Trump BET freestyle rocking a similar chain, many fans actually speculated that LL had something to do with it. Evidently, such theories were correct.
“I’m like, ‘Yo, I wanted that," continues Em, referring to LL Cool J's swagger and confidence. "That is what made me actually want to rap."
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Clearly, the respect goes both ways -- though the pair of elite lyricists never collaborated on wax, LL Cool J made sure to gift Em a rare Rock The Bells jacket early in 2020. Em also once spoke of what must have been an interesting listening session, revealing that he actually previewed his 2009 album Relapse to LL Cool J in his car. What LL thought of "Insane," we'll never know.
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