LL Cool J says he knows what’s missing from hip-hop
LL Cool J, one of hip-hop’s first romantics and a resident expert on the genre, has explained what he thinks is missing from the current landscape.
As he gears up to release his brand new album, THE FORCE, the rap legend was asked by The New York Times to share his thoughts on the current state of hip-hop. As an obsessive of the genre, a lot of his comments were positive. However, he also had an opinion on what he thought was missing from it in 2024 and what could be improved upon.
When asked what he thought was missing from hip-hop, his answer was pretty plain and straightforward: “Songwriting.”
“There’s nothing wrong with rapping about money and success, and there’s nothing wrong with rapping about pure sex – I love them both,” he said, “[But] there has to be more to it than that, to me, in order for a project to be compelling.”
LL Cool J isn’t alone in his criticism, either. Recently, his comments have been echoed by a number of other rappers who admit they don’t find the current state of hip-hop too compelling. Dr. Dre was one of those rappers. Again, while being generally positive about hip-hop, he also hinted that the style of music had plateaued slightly and wasn’t as compelling as it used to be.
During an interview with Kevin Hart on the comedian’s series Hart to Hart, the NWA legend wasn’t overly critical but had some fairly choice words. “Hip-hop is what it is,” he said, “Anybody that’s talking about the state of Hip-Hop right now, when talking about it from a negative place, sounds like somebody’s fucking grandfather.”
Dre continued, “This is just what it is. Hip-hop is evolving. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it, you know what I’m saying?” He said, “I’m keeping it all the way 100 with you. Some of this shit, most of this shit, I don’t like. I don’t listen to a lot of that shit. But I’m not hating on it. I’m never gonna hate on it.”
It appears both LL Cool J and Dr. Dre are keen on becoming the change they want to see in the genre, as they are both releasing new albums before the year is out. LL Cool J’s new album is set for release on September 6th and features the likes of Eminem, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, and Fat Joe.