LL Cool J Completes Collaboration with Eminem, Announces New Album Release

Phenomenon rapper LL Cool J says that he has completed a collaboration with Eminem that will be featured on his forthcoming album HIPHOPDX said.

"He actually did his vocals and everything,” LL Cool J says of Eminem during an interview with Billboard. "It really happened. I want the overall project to be good. Em is my man and I love him. He’s also a friend of mine, so we’ll definitely get it poppin’. The world has been waiting for that. They’ll get it the right way and it’s gonna be amazing."

LL Cool J says that he doesn’t remember much about the first time he met Eminem, which Eminem said during a prank call was at a Foot Locker. Nonetheless, the Queens, New York rapper appreciates Eminem’s love for Hip Hop culture. 

“He’s such a student of Hip Hop,” LL Cool J says. "He knew all of my music. He called up the radio station singing 'Go Cut Creator Go' and that’s a song nobody knows until you’re a diehard LL aficionado. Every time I’ve met Em, he’s had a great spirit. We’ve hung out many times. When I got my [Hollywood] star, he did something cool for me -- he bought me a cool ad in a mag. He’s always given me love. I respect and appreciate what he’s done in his career. It always made me feel good to see somebody that I inspired take it to that level. These are the kinds of people that, at one time in their lives, saw me on TV and they were rapping along then went on to have such a illustrious career. I love Em and look forward to including him in this next project."

As for his forthcoming album, he says that it will not be his long-discussed G.O.A.T. 2, on which he said in 2014 that Eminem would appear. The accomplished actor says that he does not have a title for his forthcoming album and that he wants to give this generation of music listeners a chance to see him as a recording artist.

"I want to give this era a taste of LL Cool J,” he says. "With Hip Hop today, in this era, I feel like I have to make a contribution. I’ve made a contribution in every other era. I haven’t made a high powered one in this era yet. I look forward to doing that. I think it’s going to set a standard for the culture in general. It’ll make things a lot more fun.”

During an interview with HipHopDX this week, LL Cool J said that his forthcoming material isn’t a musical revival.