LL COOL J has said that because both the The Notorious B.I.G. and Rick Ross sampled him, his legacy is completely intact.
During a wide-ranging interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood, the legendary rapper expressed how he felt when he first heard Biggie’s 1997 track “Going Back to Cali,” which was a play on LL’s 1988 cult-classic of the same name. He also mentioned Rozay’s “I’m Bad” flip on his 2006 debut Port of Miami.
“I love it,” the “Mama Said Knock You Out” rapper said of Biggie’s Life After Death cut. “I used to play it all the time. I loved it. Going going, back back, to Cali. I love it. He name-dropped me. I mean, Rick Ross did ‘I’m Bad’ over on one of his albums early on, that’s part of it.”
He continued: “Look, being used as source material is the stamp of you being a true artist. When other artists use you as source material. You know what I’m saying? When they use you for inspiration, that’s showing that you’ve really touched the world.
“And the beauty of it is, is when you really know it’s deep is when other people don’t even know that they’ve utilized you for source material. So I can sit there and watch a kid listening to ‘Going Back to Cali’ by Biggie and just sit there and say to myself, ‘Wow, I did that.’
“That’s an incredible feeling because there’s something beautiful about the fact that you inspired another artist and they’re touching fans with utilizing you as inspiration.”
In addition to reworking “I’m Bad,” Rick Ross also sampled LL COOL J’s 1987 smash hit “I Need Love” on 2010’s“Aston Martin Music,” which featured Drake and Chrisette Michele.
Elsewhere in his interview with Big Boy, LL let the people know he’s never been invited to JAY-Z’s Roc Nation brunch before.
The 55-year-old shared the revelation while discussing the times that he and Hov used to riff on each other’s raps when they were younger.
“Look, I hardly remember that stuff,” he said. “I love everybody. I don’t have no problems with none of these guys, man. If I laughed — okay, so what? Laugh at me. How many people have you laughed at, or snapped on, in the lunch room?”
He continued: “I don’t even remember it! I laughed at you, so now I can’t have no brunch?”
LL COOL J appeared on Big Boy’s Neighborhood to talk about his upcoming F.O.R.C.E. Tour, which marks his first arena tour in 30 years.
Launched in conjunction with LL’s Rock the Bells and Live Nation Urban, the “ultimate mash-up tour” will kick off in Boston on June 25 and trek through North America before wrapping up at Inglewood’s Kia Forum on September 3.
The Queens legend is set to headline the tour alongside The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Z-Trip. They will be joined by a rotating cast of rap royalty including De La Soul, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Common, Big Boi, Queen Latifah, Method Man, Redman, Rakim and many more.
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