Longevity and Losses: The Complicated Career of LL Cool J

He was a battle rapper that also rapped ballads. He introduced styles and phrases to the culture. He was hip-hop’s first major superstar. So 30 years after his first album, why isn’t Uncle L more appreciated?

Ladies Love Cool James was always the coolest dude in the room.

And ladies weren’t the only ones that loved him. Fellas did too. To borrow a line usually attributed to James Bond: men wanted to be him; women wanted to be with him.

It may seem ludicrous now, as an entire generation knows him mostly as an actor and host, but there was a time when LL was the most feared rapper on the planet. Then he became the most desirable. And, for a short time, he was the best.

“LL Cool J is hard as hell”

November 18 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of LL’s Rick Rubin-helmed debut album, Radio, the first full-length album released by Def Jam Recordings. In 1985, LL Cool J was a 17-year-old high school dropout rap phenom with a powerful voice and a raw but devastating flow. The biggest annual hip-hop festival is named after one his songs. A 45-second cameo turned him into a star. He was…