Who could ever imagine that the Hip Hop Pioneer, living Entertainment Legend and one of the Greatest Emcees of all time, would also be a Hip Hop Junkie.
LL COOL J does it again! When LL Cool J burst on the scene in 1985 with that iconic masterpiece – Radio, he didn’t just deliver energetic genius lyrics and hard core beats, he delivered a bold image and intrepidity that would inspire an entire generation. Let’s face it, If LL Cool J didn’t exist you probably wouldn’t have this very network! (Rap Entertainment Television). He was a key ingredient in a stew of Hip Hop Pioneers that helped to cultivate a powerful commodity that refuses to be ignored or suppressed.
We watched LL with family pride when he stood on American Band stand with Dick Clark. “I’m on Band Stand,” said the 17 year old confident rapper who demanded to be put on the same plateau as pop and rock greats such as Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna.
We rushed to the theaters to see movies that only featured LL on the soundtrack! (Less than Zero, Wild Cats) I think he may have gotten a Cameo in Wild Cats – Google that one. By the time we saw him devastate the show in “Krush Groove,” James Todd Smith was already folklore in every Hip Hop circle. And while still dropping multi platinum hits and selling out collesiums, we saw our hero move more aggressively toward acting. “Nicky – Baby” that Classic line from the 1991 Michael J Fox and James Woods cop flick – “The Hard Way.” He went on to star in his own sitcoms, did a slew of more movies. His role as God, in the Omar Epps film “In Too Deep,” is regarded as stellar making the film an instant Classic. The rest is as they say – history.
Now in 2018, as we patiently await his Hall of Fame Induction (stop stalling Us!) We continue to be amazed by LL’s longevity and ability to break new ground. Now a Film and Television veteran, the 50 year old multimedia mogul looks to be gaining intense momentum.
His incredible success in Hip Hop forced the then teenager to drop out of High school but that didn’t stop him from going back to school and then later attend the Harvard Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports program.
ROCK THE BELLS RADIO
The radio show is just what the doctor ordered for a Hip Hop fiend who has been deprived of a steady stream of classic Hip Hop and nostalgic moments that they cherish and hope to share with their children (If they are willing).
But you can tell that a master is at the helm just by listening to the launch party that was held at a historic Los Angeles shaking rink. It seemed like an endless flow of Hip Hop pioneers came through to not only praise LL’s entrepreneurial efforts and to preserve a precious culture, but to also to solidify their relevancy in an unforgiving industry that suffers from chronic amnesia.
LL promised to support these icons by first and foremost playing their material and not conforming to the Ad supported terrestrial radio format of repetition, payola and incompetence. He further promises to be hands on! Now this is significant because we are talking about a Hip Hop God who has had numerous beefs and battles with Rap Stars through the years. He humbles himself as an expression of love for an art-form that he helped to construct.
So it’s mind blowing to listen to his historic antidotes and find out that he really loves to work of Kool Moe Dee, Ice T or any of the classic artist. The haterism is definitely checked at the door of Rock The Bells Radio. When you listen to the playlist you are quickly impress by his selection of the gems that quickly make you feel good inside and yearn for those moments in time long passed.
So there are endless free refills of Classic material, exclusive access to all Artist and more importantly you get 24 hours of LL COOL J! Rock The Bells Radio sounds and feels like an oasis for the diehard Hip Hop head.
But is it a business model that can be successful on subscription radio. All of my friends that I told about the goldmine do-not have a subscription to SiriusXM.
But that’s the projection part of it. From where I sit Sirius is banking on the Howard Stern effect by partnering with LL as well as his experience and knowledge of this vast game that we call Hip Hop.
We know that LL is the best man for the job so we’ll just have to wait for his vision to come into full focus. We’ll be sure to ask him about that the next time we catch up to him.
But for now the G.O.A.T has Hip Hop in a tight headlock and I’m not tapping out anytime soon! – ROCK THE BELLS!
Read more about this monumental achievement.
Airing on channel 43, LL COOL J’s Rock the Bell’s Radio features a wide range of classic hip-hop content, music, interviews and in-depth retrospectives curated and presented by LL, as well as other innovators of hip-hop music, including Ice Cube, Stetsasonic, Eric B. & Rakim, Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Kool Moe Dee, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Ultramagnetic MCs, Too Short, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Canibus, Wu-Tang Clan, Run-DMC, Brand Nubian, De La Soul, Black Moon and Ice T.
Rock the Bells Radio is allowing its audience to look at and listen to classic Hip-Hop through the lens of our current culture and music. “If you wanna be a fly on the wall in the world of Classic Hip-Hop, SiriusXM’s Rock the Bells Radio is for you,” LL says. “It’s where fans can come and be immersed in the music, the culture, the energy and the history of Classic Hip-Hop. We’re gonna have great artists, legendary artists, lyricists, superstars, sex symbols. This is the place to be if you want uncut, raw, pure, classic Hip-Hop, but there’s one catch — it’s strictly for OGs.”
To help launch the channel, a special invitation-only roller skating event kicked it off at World of Wheels in Los Angeles. The Rock the Bells Radio launch hosted by LL COOL J along with the acclaimed DJ Z-Trip; a live broadcast of the event kicked off the launch at 7pm PT/10pm ET on Rock the Bells Radio (Ch. 43)!
Rock the Bells Radio is named after a combination of one of LL’s hit tracks, Rock the Bells, and the title of the groundbreaking, debut album it came from, Radio. The channel logo for LL COOL J’s Rock the Bells Radio was created by the acclaimed and influential American contemporary street artist, Shepard Fairey, famous for creating the iconic Barack Obama “Hope” poster during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Rock the Bells Radio will air on channel 43, available on satellite radios, the SiriusXM app, and other connected devices.
