LL Cool J Honors Hip-Hop With Bars At iHeartRadio Awards

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The New York legend spit some of the genre's history, along with displaying why he's still a formidable lyricist and cultural icon.

One of hip-hop's most revered and influential figures just honored the genre yet again on the year of its 50th anniversary. LL Cool J shared a tribute to the rap world during the iHeartRadio Music Awards with some impactful and impressive bars. Moreover, the New York MC honored the art form that made him at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday (March 28). Furthermore, his content revolved around the power of the art form and that of his own career in an engagingly braggadocious set of lines. While it's not the same clarity with which people talk about the genre, his metaphors, evocative imagery, and powerful phrasing shows what hip-hop can achieve more fully than a simple anecdote can.

"I just want to keep it real simple, alright?” he expressed to the crowd. “I want you to imagine what I’m saying," and then proceeded to let the mic talk. "A crowd gathered ’round, throwing punches and elbows. Then his mama arose, and recited a poem. That’s a Hip Hop God, not rock’n’roll. She put the baby in the whip- that’s a car. There was a solar eclipse, then a spirit came down, wrote his name in hieroglyphs."

LL Cool J Drops Bars In The Name Of Hip-Hop

"Break beats played, he had a speaker for a crib," the Rock The Bells mogul continued. "She screamed ‘Jack the Rip!’ and ignited his gifts. To the parents, he’s a legend, to the children a myth. Here’s ya firsthand experience with Mr. Smith, alias Mr. ‘Killing-Every-Rapper-In-His-Radius.' Ciphers like a stadium, bars is vibranium." After all that barrage, he even managed to throw a Black Panther reference in. As expected, the crowd erupted into excited and passionate cheers.

However, as he closed out his stage time, he told the audience, "A new record is coming!" Moreover, excitement for LL's next album revolves not just around his legacy, but the people he brought into the fold. For example, he remarked his excitement surrounding his work with fellow rap legend Q-Tip on his next project. Given the perfect storm of the genre's historical 50-year milestone, this will be emblematic of a lot of hip-hop greatness. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for the latest news and updates on LL Cool J and hip-hop history.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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