Brehs, How come LL Cool J isn't talked about much when it comes to GOAT 90's Rappers?

[AQz]

Cause he’s not the goat.

 

[satam55]

Dropping 3 platinum albums in the eighties as a rapper

with NO radio play

How was that possible? MTV & BET playing his music videos in heavy rotation?

 

[The Guru]

LL, Nas and Gang Starr probably the reason i got into hiphop seriously.

 

[patscorpio]

LL is an 80s rapper...his longevity and ability to reinvent himself in multiple eras for 20 years cannot be taken away from him

 

[L. Deezy]

How was that possible? MTV & BET playing his music videos in heavy rotation?

No.. Was BET even around playing music in the 80s? magazines man. minimal tv exposure. Soul Train maybe. weekend rap hours on the radio.

 

[UNCLE JAM]

Amazing experience! You saw a beyond legendary show.

Where was this?

When I read interfaith Krs and Kool Keith they talk on how LL came before them but I always thought BDP and Ultra were around then. But they weren't.

Man, it's a blessing to have someone like you on the Coli or online period!

Thank you!

Your welcome Bruh. This show was in Rochester NY. in 1986....it was RUN DMC's 1st major coliseum tour for Raising Hell which was blasting everywhere that summer...and LL was 1 of the openers on that tour. Sidebar.....RUN DMC was the 1st rap group to do tours headlining in major coliseums...paving the way for today's rap groups to do shows in major coliseums...auditoriums etc. ...prior to that rap groups only performed in small clubs or skating rinks here. I saw that myself because all rap groups before 1985 came to skating rinks here to perform.

 

[MJ Truth]

Seems like the West Coast pushed the 80s era NYC rappers out of the paint. Then Biggie came and reclaimed the title and resurrected NYC on a global scale. I’m too young to have lived it but I’d imagine LL’s breakout songs probably sounded dated by the mid 90s.

The thing is LL was still making hit records well into the mid 90s and essentially another decade. LL is a platinum artist through the primes of Nas and Jay while being here a decade before them and influencing them.

 

[Antdrewjosh]

No.. Was BET even around playing music in the 80s? magazines man. minimal tv exposure. Soul Train maybe. weekend rap hours on the radio.

In the NJ NY area we had Video Music Box

 

[mitter]

Because he released a classic album in 1990 and spent the rest of the decade releasing "good, but not great" material.

LL was of the 80s generation.

 

[mitter]

Dr J Effect.. his MVP years were before the game exploded on a mainstream level, and even though his stardom extended into that post explosion era he was outshined by the acts that ultimately now define it

What gets me is why sometimes he isn’t looked at a CLEARLY above late 80s types like Kane and Rakim that didn’t have a fraction of his run

Rakim and Kane made better quality music. Commercially, neither was ever close to as big as LL.

We are talking about two different things here.

 

[lib123]

The thing is LL was still making hit records well into the mid 90s and essentially another decade. LL is a platinum artist through the primes of Nas and Jay while being here a decade before them and influencing them.

Understood but I’m saying he wasn’t at the apex of Hip Hop in the 90s as an artist like he was in the 80s. LL maintained his Black female fanbase but he didn’t have as strong of a pull with the youth like he did in the 80s.

 

[Long Live The Kane]

Rakim and Kane made better quality music. Commercially, neither was ever close to as big as LL.

We are talking about two different things here.

Nah, I don’t think we are though

Granted tastes are objective and all that…but LL came out before both of them and was still putting out bangers years after they were pretty much seen as nostalgic novelties…he was better for longer…he by merit outlasted whatever comparison was to be made between them on some Kobe vs T-Mac or VC shyt

 

[L. Deezy]

Nah, I don’t think we are though

Granted tastes are objective and all that…but LL came out before both of them and was still putting out bangers years after they were pretty much seen as nostalgic novelties…he was better for longer…he by merit outlasted whatever comparison was to be made between them on some Kobe vs T-Mac or VC shyt

Preach

 

[mitter]

Nah, I don’t think we are though

Granted tastes are objective and all that…but LL came out before both of them and was still putting out bangers years after they were pretty much seen as nostalgic novelties…he was better for longer…he by merit outlasted whatever comparison was to be made between them on some Kobe vs T-Mac or VC shyt

If we are talking about quality, The 18th Letter was better than any album LL released from 1991 onward.

Kane’s guest spots in the late 90s/early 00s were better than anything LL was spitting at the time.

LL outlasted them in terms of commercial relevance, not skills.

 

[L. Deezy]

If we are talking about quality, The 18th Letter was better than any album LL released from 1991 onward.

Kane’s guest spots in the late 90s/early 00s were better than anything LL was spitting at the time.

LL outlasted them in terms of commercial relevance, not skills.

Stop