LL Cool J is ready to heat up just in time for summer. The Radio The rapper returned on Friday (June 14) with his first single of the year “Saturday Night Special” featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe.
After linking up with Joey Crack and Rozay, the 56-year-old will look to carry the momentum from “Saturday Night Special” into LL's first album in over a decade later this year.
“It's the real deal, baby. The time has come. 'Saturday Night Special' is the first single,” he told fans on social media earlier this week. “I'll let you know the features. Two days… Click the link in the bio, you will be able to find out a little earlier. Tracklist for the album is coming. The album will be released in the fall. Well, it's open, baby.'
This isn't the first time LL and Fat Joe have been linked. The New York pair collaborated nearly three decades ago in 1995 on “I Shot Ya,” which landed on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith album.
LL Cool J had a busy 2023 as part of hip-hop's 50th anniversary tribute at the Grammy Awards, then he trekked across America on The FORCE Live tour.
The “I'm Bad” rapper has been teasing an album for the past year, which he says is executive produced by Q-Tip, but he's decided to hold off on releasing it.
LL sat with him Rock The Bells platform where he compared himself to NBA superstar LeBron James in terms of longevity as it relates to his hip-hop legacy.
“I don't think about my legacy, I'm still creating it,” he explained. “I'll use LeBron as an example, just because of his longevity. If you asked him in his basketball years, in year 15 what he thought about his legacy, he had a lot of basketball to play in year 15 when a lot of guys left the game.”
LL continued: “I'm not really into old-school talk, it's going to be more about the impact your work has had on specific fans. After all, your music has to do the talking, you can't really say anything about it. I'm more excited to show what's possible.”
Listen to “Saturday Night Special” below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ll-cool-saturday-night-special-single-stream-1235709409/