That got me to thinking about the original LL Cool J, and how he is largely responsible for my love affair with hip hop that continues to this day. When I was a young teenager living in Virginia in the 80's, a guy who was interested in me made me a mix tape, and one of the songs on it was "I Need Love" by LL Cool J...
"When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall
and in the back of my mind I hear my conscience call
Telling me I need a girl who's as sweet as a dove
for the first time in my life, I see I need love..."
Yeah, that worked...he became my boyfriend, and I discovered the world of rap. I had heard and enjoyed some of it previously, but that point is when I really became a crazy fan. I then got into UTFO, Grandmaster Flash, Whodini, Doug E. Fresh, Run DMC...among many others. I thought rap sounded like the future, and I guess I was pretty much right. Some people hoped hip hop would die a quick death (and it's still the most hated form of musical expression), but over 25 years later it's still kicking...and LL Cool J hosted the Grammys.
This lady still loves cool James, and I still own a Kangol because of him, too. I don't even know if I could have fallen in love with cool Joe if he didn't love rap as much as I do...six-pack or not!