For the people reading this, I assumed that you would agree with me, that this was a big deal. But maybe not; You might not know how much of a big deal LL Cool J is. I’m sure most people would know who he is, or at the very least would recognize him when you see him.
Then again, he walked past me and I didn’t know who he was. I don’t think anyone recognized him at first. The scene was backstage at the Jazz in the Gardens Fest sitting on a golf cart. This big-ass dude was walking, minding his business. No entourage, jewelry, or accessories you would associate with a Hip Hop superstar.
Then my buddy tapped me and calmly said that’s LL Cool J. I looked and sure enough, it was LL Cool J. She said, go talk to him! I said I’m not going to chase after him. Even though I wanted to, my pride kicked in and I didn’t want to look like an overgrown groupie.
Then she said, people are stopping him, let’s walk down there. I agreed. You might can hear the excitement and nervousness in my voice, but my initial greeting went like this
I have learned not to walk up to people with a camera in their faces and start recording. That’s why I asked for permission before I asked him a question. I wanted to know if he agreed that most of the Hip Hop superstars that came after him copied his formula.
He modestly disagreed that artists were deliberately copying him. Then I clarified the statement by asking if he agreed that he was the blueprint, i.e., Hip Hop’s first superstar. Check out his response below.
I’m starting to think of myself as an on-the-go reporter. Similar to TMZ catching up with celebrities at the airport or Starbucks. I usually need to rationalize or defend my short interviews because I want more. I would love to sit down with one of the G.O.A.T.S of Hip Hop and talk with him for about an hour.
Until then, this will have to make do. I want to finalize and show the magnitude of this brief encounter, I have to compare it to meeting and talking to Drake 10 to 15 years from now. What I mean, LL in my opinion was the first Hip Hop artist to have girls go crazy over him. He was the first Hip Hop artist to make records for women. Something that has become almost necessary for Hip Hop artists to catapult from being a star to a superstar.
He was the first to break into the mainstream, forcing pop stations to play Hip Hop music. He was the first to walk around on TV with his shirt off. I think that emphasized another need for Hip Hop superstars, to stay in shape.
I can go on and on about the significance of LL Cool J. I will advise you to research on your own. I’m sure when you are done, you will realize, that I not only interviewed one of the greatest artists of all time. I got a chance to talk with the blueprint.