LL COOL J was 16 years old when he released his debut single "I Need A Beat". This release was not only the debut of a new artist, it was the launch of a new independent rap label, Def Jam Recordings, which would soon dominate the landscape, becoming the home of some of Hip-Hop's most legendary acts.

After purchasing T La Rock and Jazzy Jay's 1984 game changer, "It's Yours", LL mailed his demo tape to the address on the back of the record, ultimately securing his record deal, and taking Def Jam from a production company to an actual record label. It was that tenacity that has kept LL COOL J at the forefront of popular culture for four decades.

LL has released more than a dozen full length albums and appeared in several dozen movies and television shows. He's the first rap artist to perform at a Presidential inauguration (Bill Clinton's in 1993), and he is also the first to be awarded the Kennedy Center Honor, the nations highest cultural honor.

While many of his contemporaries exited the industry by the 1990's, LL COOL J headlined his first arena tour in 30 years just last year. His multi media company Rock The Bells includes experiences such as the uber popular Rock The Bells Festival, and Rock The Bells Cruise. His Rock The Bells radio station on SiriusXM (channel 43) remains the home for classic Hip-Hop. On June 14, "Saturday Night Special", the lead single from his long waited project, The FORCE is being released.

LL COOL J is still very much a force to reckon with in Hip-Hop, and across several mediums. Rock The Bells caught up with the man who coined the pop culture acronym G.O.A.T. to discuss his evolution as a man, MC, and entertainer.

Legacy

"I don't think about my legacy, I'm still creating it," LL says when asked how he feels about where he lands in the various, popular "GOAT" conversations that appear off and online. "I'll use Lebron as an example, simply because of his longevity. If you asked him in basketball years, in year 15 what did he think about his legacy, he had a lot of basketball to play in year 15, when a lotta guys were walkin' away from the game.

I don't really concern myself with legacy conversations, that's gonna be more about the impact that your work had on specific fans. Ultimately your music has to do the talking, there's nothing you can really say about that. I'm more excited about showing what's possible."

The Early Years

LL COOL J entered the game when the "big word" style of rap was really flourishing. MC's like Kool Moe Dee, Special K, and T La Rock sent both aspiring and established MC's alike searching for thesauruses to increase their vocabularies. LL's early records such as "I Need A Beat", "Dangerous", and "You'll Rock" showcased this technique. LL says that he was a nerd growing up, but he also had a foot in the streets.

"In school I was two people," he explained. "I hung with the jocks that played sports, but I liked to hang with the nerds for the conversation. I wasn't interested in what the jocks were talkin', because it was all a bunch of bullshit. I wanted to hear what the nerds were talking about because they were actually the cooler people. Being cool has to do with what you think about. Not being cool in social relationships, but informative, interesting, intriguing conversations. I always gravitated towards that.

LL says that he grew up in a household where knowledge and information was plentiful. "I grew up in a house full of books," he explains. "I would read everything from the dictionary and the Encyclopedia Britannica to the World Book Of Knowledge. I'd be on the toilet reading the toothpaste tube man! I always liked to read, I've always been inquisitive in that respect."

LL also points to his household dynamic as a reason for him being inquisitive as a youth. "My mother had me fairly young," he shares. "We were in the house with my grandparents, so when I was 8,9 and 10 years old, I was around people who were 50 and 60, and those were the kinds of conversations that I became interested in. Everything was just like another level for me."

I'm a nerd first, but not the kind of nerd with glasses that trips over banana peels, more about wanting to learn, and being interested in some shit. I'm interested in shit, I just dont wanna talk about it in a boring way, because that would make me crazy." According to LL, he was able to balance his interest in knowledge and learning with the streets. "At the same time I hung out with every hustler in the world, and every street dude. I ran up the block with two pistols on me, it was a very odd, oxymoronic thing."

LL The Producer

Since his demo recordings LL has had a hands on role in the production of his music. "I was making a lot of these beats," he says of various songs in his catalog. "I made the 'I'm The Type Of Guy' beat, and 'Eat 'Em Up L, Chill'. The bassline on the 'Jinglin' Baby' remix that Marley did, I put that baseline on there. 'The Breakthrough' on Bigger And Deffer, I did the beat and the scratches, I made that whole record myself with nobody in the studio at all.

L says that he also picked the loop for "Mr Goodbar" from his fourth album, Mama Said Knock You Out. "I could take you through my whole career, I've been very involved my whole career," he reveals. "As far as arrangement, I've been hugely involved, even humming the beat for 'Rock The Bells' to Rick [Rubin].

The thing is, I'm collaborative, and I don't care about who gets the credit, it was always about making a great song. You can't play in the NBA this long, at this level and not know what's on the clipboard."

Rock The Bells

As far as the production on "Rock The Bells", from 1985's Radio, LL confirms that the song was originally supposed to contain "Take Me To Mardis Gras", the foundational Hip-Hop breakbeat by Bob James. "I never got a chance to put it in because of [Run-DMC's] 'Peter Piper'. I told Rick what I wanted on the beat, but Jam Master Jay ran with [Mardis Gras] with Rick, but we're from the same neighborhood, what could I say? But that was the whole point of 'Rock The Bells', if not, why would I say that as the hook?"

LL explains the reason for the alternate version of "Rock The Bells". "Rick was very open minded, he said not to worry about it, that's why I did the original version, but that still wasn't it. We finally found a rhythm and a vibe that kinda felt in that zone, and then we got into the Go-Go shit, and it became a much better song, ultimately."

The GOAT

In 2000, LL COOL J released his eighth studio album, G.O.A.T. Greatest Of All Time. With this album he also coined an acronym that popular culture uses for everything from boxers and restaurants to MC's and actors. "I coined the term GOAT, I really did," he says. "I named my album G.O.A.T. in 2000, and it was a number one album. It took on a life of its own which I think is amazing with everyone saying it, and the GOAT emoji and all of that. Its kinda like the guy standing over you with the gun saying 'I did this to you', I introduced that to the world and it feels good."

New Music

"Let's take a song like 'Saturday Night Special' (which will be released on June 14). I really worked on writing better songs, wordplay and things that I felt would make me a better rapper," he explains. "I went into this project figuring out how to learn how to rap. What is a song like, how do you write a good rap song? What does a good rap song sound like? What's gonna make the song impactful? I really went into it from that space."

LL notes that despite his four decades in the game, he is still a student. "I really love this music and culture. I wanted to show people that it's possible to continue to learn and elevate your craft. To get my Kobe on, and have that Mamba mentality, and not settle for what was good during another time period. I want people to hear me and say 'wow this guy is amazing'. The 'don't call it a comeback' crew will say 'I knew it', and the 'he raps?' crew will say 'wow that's him?'"

Longevity

LL COOL J is the sole artist from his era to have the longevity that he has in Hip-Hop, and then branch out into so many other entertainment mediums. When asked how he continues to reinvent and remain, his answer is simple. "When I was kid I had a saying, 'nothing can last forever, but it can last a lifetime'. I don't believe that dreams have deadlines, and I also do what I wanna do, not what they think I should do," he says.

"When you do what you wanna do, you have to deal with the consequences, but you also get to deal with the rewards of that. I don't put a period where there should be a comma. People come into your life and try to put periods where there should be commas. I look at it like you can do anything, and I wanna be the best that I can be at all times. I love the idea of maximizing my potential. We are here to maximize our potential, make the world a better place, and have fun. What else are we here for? To do what? Have the courage to do what moves you!"

I Need A Beat

When asked what his favorite era of his career is, LL doesn't hesitate to reply that he loves them all. He then ponders a moment and says, "my very first song, 'I Need A Beat'. Being a kid and finding T La Rock's 'It's Yours' on Def Jam productions and sending my demo off to Rick, Ad Rock passing that tape off to Rick, and making that first Def Jam 001 on the label, it's the most exhilarating feeling in the world to have a dream and feel it come true.

I'd wish that on everybody, a good dream. I would wish that everyone could experience having a good dream, a great dream and having it come true. It's an amazing feeling, it feels so fucking good, man. I was a little kid doing hand stands in the subway on the way to the studio. Walking on my hands onto the train. Happy!"

Check out 'Saturday Night Special' on June 14, and The FORCE is due this fall.