Tag Archives: LL Cool J

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Song of the Day #4,903: ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ – LL Cool J

LL Cool J is another in what promises to be a long line of rappers inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I already touched on that trend in my post about Jay-Z’s induction, so I won’t revisit it here.

LL Cool J was nominated five times for the Hall before making it on his sixth attempt. He was inducted in the Musical Excellence category, which differs from the Performers category in ways I have yet to understand. From what I can tell, the difference is that Performers have “changed the face of rock & roll” while those in Musical Excellence have “had a dramatic impact on music.” OK.

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Song of the Day #1,748: ‘Accidental Racist’ – Brad Paisley with LL Cool J

paisley_wheelhouseMy old pal Brad Paisley has been in the news a lot the past week or so, and not in a good way.

A track on his new album, Wheelhouse, called ‘Accidental Racist’ has been vilified as racist itself, or at the very least tone deaf about race relations.

The track, a duet between Paisley and rapper LL Cool J, is an imagined conversation between a “Skynrd fan” with a confederate flag on his T-shirt and a black Starbucks employee who (presumably on his off hours) wears a do-rag, sagging pants and gold chains.

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