The sad reason why LL Cool J will never release his Michael Jackson collaborations
Michael Jackson was never precious about the art of collaboration, working alongside some of his greatest contemporaries, including Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Diana Ross. But not every one of his collab projects got a proper release—and that includes his work with LL Cool J.
MJ and LL once worked together in the studio, but, while some of the fruits of their labour have been leaked over the years, none of their songs were ever officially released. It seems very likely that they never will be, and, according to the influential rapper himself, the reason for that is simple.
“They weren’t good enough,” he admitted plainly in 2024, speaking on KIIS-FM radio.
LL was very happy to acknowledge that the collaborations had happened. “We definitely made songs together,” he said. “We made music together. One of them leaked a while ago, it was called ‘Serious Effect.’ That was one. But there was some other stuff and it just didn’t get there. Sometimes the art don’t get there.”
While he presumably was disappointed that their efforts never really went anywhere, it was clear that LL treasured the experience of working with MJ on its own terms. “Being able to hang out with Mike and work with Mike and be in the studio with him, it was dope,” he said.
Despite the immensity of his stature, as LL revealed, it seems that Jackson could be quite laid-back in the studio. “There are so many stories,” the rapper said. “It’s so hilarious, bro.”
He told the story of when he asked MJ about the famous ‘Smooth Criminal’ anti-gravity lean, when Jackson would tilt his body forward in a manner that seems physically impossible. LL Cool J was desperate to get to the bottom of it.
“We in the studio and he’s sitting on top of the piano,” he recalled. “I’m sitting at the piano and we’re talking. I’m like, ‘How’d y’all do that thing with ‘Smooth Criminal’ where you lean in like that? How’d you do that, how’d you lean forward?’”
Jackson opted not to give a serious answer. “He said, ‘Well, we brought in a shaman and had a big ceremony and we burned candles and incense and did a whole big ritual,’” LL recalled. “I said, ‘Really, Mike?’ He said, ‘No, silly.’”
The experience of working with MJ was one that LL Cool J clearly treasures, but, as for what they made together, it just wasn’t good enough. That, however, didn’t affect the way that the rapper viewed MJ one bit.
In another interview with Complex in 2024, LL said of his idol, “Mike showed a lot of love to me in general, and definitely to hip-hop. Let’s be clear: For me, he’s the king. I’m a Michael Jackson fan, B. His talent speaks for itself.”