LL Cool J Reflects On Canibus Beef: "I Think It Was More My Fault"

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Portrait Of LL Cool J
Portrait of American rapper (and later actor) LL Cool J (born James Smith), New York, 1988. (Photo by Rita Barros/Getty Images)
LL Cool J says he was wrong for beefing with Canibus.

LL Cool J has admitted that his beef with Canibus was his own fault. He reflected on his feud during a recent episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. Despite their beef reaching its height back in the 1990s, the two only made amends in 2014.

“With him, I think it was more my fault because I could have addressed him a little differently,” LL said of Canibus. “He wanted to get a tattoo like mine. I could have said, ‘Good luck with that,’ but I didn’t understand that path at that time. I wasn’t there yet mentally so I was like, ‘The fuck you mean you gonna get something like me?’ That shit sounded crazy to me at that time.”

LL Cool J At The iHeartRadio Music Awards

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) LL Cool J performs onstage during the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 27, 2023. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

From there, he explained that he was too young for his brain to be fully developed. He continued: “My brain was not developed, I was not developed like that…Now I understand it was a compliment, he was just showing love and, you know, admiration. That’s why I don’t go at him now or try to hurt these dudes. I’m not gonna play that.”

LL Cool J and Canibus began feuding back in the 1990s, trading several diss tracks and subliminal shots. It started with the release of LL Cool J's "4, 3, 2, 1," on which Canibus is featured. Canibus had initially wanted to rap, "L, is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that," referencing LL's tattoo, but the rapper took offense. LL then added in his verse, "The symbol on my arm is off limits to challengers / You hold the rusty sword, I swing the Excalibur." They eventually squashed the beef on stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the"Christmas In Brooklyn" event.

LL Cool J On "Million Dollaz Worth of Game"

LL's interview on Million Dollaz Worth of Game comes ahead of the release of his highly-anticipated 14th studio album, which will be produced entirely by Q-Tip. He also debuted a new single from the project, “The Force,” on Rock The Bells Radio last week.

[Via]

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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