Social Media Defends LL Cool J After He’s Labeled the ‘Forefather of Pop Rap’
Fans tend to give artists distinctive titles based on the areas in which they excel. Michael Jackson was deemed the King of Pop because of the number of musical records he broke, his album sales and overall popularity. The same applied to the late Aretha Franklin, who was revered worldwide as the Queen of Soul.
It’s usually an honor to reign supreme in a particular musical genre. Still, rapper
LL Cool J doesn’t agree after learning that social media deemed him the forefather of pop rap. The world was introduced to the Queens, New York, native in the early ’80s with hit songs such as “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “I’m Bad.” Before Drake’s melodic rap flow, there was LL, whose real name is James Todd Smith, singing about sitting alone in his room listening to the words of conscience telling him he needs love.