Chuck D Explains Why LL COOL J Is The G.O.A.T.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction takes place on Saturday (October 19) in Cleveland, where A Tribe Called Quest will join Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, LL COOL J and handful of other iconic Hip-Hop acts who’ve made the cut.

Chuck D, who was inducted along with his group Public Enemy in 2013, will be there to welcome the new class. Ahead of the ceremony, he took to Twitter to explain why LL COOL J is his G.O.A.T., high praise from a legend such as himself.

“Seriously theres a REASON I treat @llcoolj like Michael Jackson AND Prince,” he tweeted on Sunday (October 13). “When LL Emerged in 1984 his first 3 years HE made them BOTH … in their PRIME… recognize what this one man dynamo was doing from the RAP genre. Kurtis Blow was our 1st recording RAP solo star. @llcoolj was THE very 1st soloist RAP hiphop SUPERstar. A damn quasar in fact. Comparable to what Little Richard did to Rock N Roll. A damn FORCE. Im biased yet truthfully fact like a MF.”

Seriously theres a REASON I treat @llcoolj like Michael Jackson AND Prince. When LL Emerged in 1984 his first 3 years HE made them BOTH … in their PRIME… recognize what this one man dynamo was doing from the RAP genre. Kurtis Blow was our 1st recording RAP solo star. @llcoolj…

— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) October 13, 2024

LL COOL J released his first album in more than a decade last month. Titled The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) and produced entirely by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, the project arrived via Def Jam Recordings, LL COOL J’s original label and former home to Public Enemy. Features include Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Eminem, Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D. and Don Pablito.

Beyond music, LL COOL J has blossomed into a credible actor, appearing in shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles and movies like Halloween H20 and Last Holiday alongside Queen Latifah. He also runs the media brand ROCK THE BELLS, was the first Hip-Hop artist to be selected as Kennedy Center Honors recipient and has won multiple Grammy Awards and BET Awards, among many other accolades.

Check out The F.O.R.C.E. below.