With the Grammys going down this weekend, many hip-hop artists are prepping for the show and gathering together which makes for great interview opportunities. LL Cool J, who is hosting the Grammys, and two MMG rappers, Wale and Meek Mill, were all together for an interview backstage at the Grammys with Jenny Boom Boom.
The rappers spoke on where they share common ground, which happens to be when it comes to haters. Every rapper who has seen success is bound to have a hater or two, or many more if they're on Twitter. While chatting with each other, Meek Mill vented about Twitter haters in particular, and how he doesn't let them get to him.
"You know the crazy part about Twitter, you read a bunch of people's comments, they tell you what they don't like about your music, and some people tend to start listening to them, for a day it got to me, like should I listen to them? Then in my head, I'm like, I didn't get hear listening to nobody's comments," Meek continued, "And sometimes people be listening to them and they change their whole format of music they making, and people don't love them for the new stuff they making no more. I like to stick to what I know best, and never let them trick me outta my value and my style and the things that got me here."
Veteran rapper LL Cool J has had to deal with his fair share of haters over his long career, however, he agrees that with social media those critics trying to bring you down are in hyperdrive. "At the end of the day, it's always gunna be hurtful when people are stinging you and putting hot coals in your soul," Cool J said of haters, "Beause you create art, you create music from the heart, and when people try to ram it and step on it, it doesn't feel good. But you know what, at the same time it doesn't feel good, it's also good motivation."
The Grammy host is prepping his upcoming album, Authentic, which marks his return to the game. LL Cool J revealed the challenges he faces as a rapper hailing from an earlier era. As he points out to Meek, his second LP came out in 1987-- the year Meek was born. "For me, it's like now, the challenge for me is, wow, here I am in this position where I wanna make music for your mother, and for your aunts and all of these people, and I wanna make great music, and can I create music that people care about, and that's gunna be interesting and that people are gunna wanna hear, when you're the only guy that been here for three decades?" LL asked. What do you guys think?
Listen to the audio of Wale, Meek Mill and LL Cool J below.