LL COOL J is in DC for one of the final stops of his legendary F.O.R.C.E. tour, as well as to celebrate the release of his new book Streets Win. In an interview with Fox 5 Washington DC, the Hip-Hop icon detailed his passion for elevating timeless Hip-Hop, and how that informs so much of his perspective.

"For me the thing that's fun and is exciting is the idea of showing people that you can have a long and storied career and you can take it to another level and you can continue to be great," he said, detailing how he now feels about his infamous line "don't call it a comeback" from 1990's "Mama Said Knock You Out." "I look at artists like Mick Jagger, I look at Paul McCartney, I look at Bruce Springsteen, Bono, I look at people that continue to elevate their careers, and I just know that for Hip-Hop, this is a new thing. This whole thing of us being able to continue and it's not just about, 'Do I have a song on the charts this week?' It's bigger than that. And that, to me, is inspiration for the world."

As aforementioned, LL is also celebrating the release of his coffee table book, LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness. He's signing books at DC's MahoganyBooks before his F.O.R.C.E. tour show at Capital One Arena.

In addition to his new book and tour, LL is set to perform at A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop, which will air this December on CBS amd Paramount+. He'll also executive produce the star-studded tribute to Hip-Hop alongside Questlove, Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, Fatima Robinson, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay.

Check out his interview below.