The rapper Snoop Dogg called the greatest of all time
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The rapper Snoop Dogg called the greatest of all time

Snoop Dogg’s career has been going strong for 30 years, and it’s impossible to imagine the hip-hop scene without his presence, but there’s one name that The Doggfather thanks for constantly fuelling his career who he also believes is the greatest of all time.

His 1992 debut album, Doggystyle, helped define an era and made Snoop a superstar. Underneath the characterful, cartoonish image that he’s carefully turned into a multi-million dollar empire, Snoopy is obsessed with his craft, and there’s one figure who has been a source of inspiration from day one.

In the ’90s, hip-hop overtook the mainstream, but that wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the masterful work of their forefathers, and few people can say they’ve done more for the genre than LL Cool J.

Despite only being a teenager when he shared his game-changing 1985 debut, Radio, he became an idol to millions who worshipped the ground that he walked on with Calvin, one of those who felt like anything was impossible because of LL.

On numerous occasions, Snoop has paid homage to the New Yorker. When he appeared on Jimmy Fallon, the rapper was asked to name his Mount Rushmore of hip-hop, and of course, LL Cool J was the first name that sprung to his mind.

“That’s crazy [hard] because you gotta have LL Cool J,” his West Coast contemporary admitted. “You gotta have to have Slick Rick,” he said before adding, “I would throw JAY-Z in there because he had such a long career. He did that.”

Meanwhile, when LL turned 52 in 2020, Snoop Dogg went to his Instagram page to celebrate the rapper by sharing an image of the pair in their youth and a heartfelt caption. He wrote, “Happy c day to my. O. G. One of the rappers I studied and learned line for line bar for bar style attitude and class on the mic. Goat is why I still here. L. L. Cool. J. Is hard. As hell.”

Praise doesn’t get much higher than a legend like Snoop saying not only that LL is the sole reason why he’s still here, but he’s also who he believes is the greatest of all time.

While we’ll never be able to reach a definitive answer on the ‘Goat’, it’s hard to overlook LL Cool J as a solid contender, and it’s an undeniable fact that he’s one of the most important figures to ever step foot behind a microphone.