"I thought it was great for hip-hop" — LL Cool J weighs in on Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap beef

LL Cool J is the latest rapper to weigh in on the highly sensationalized rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar that dominated both the hip-hop industry and Billboard charts in April and May.

Appearing on The Bootleg Kev Podcast on June 16, 2024, LL Cool J crowned Lamar the winner but conceded that Drake put up a good fight. The rapper said:

"I thought it was great for hip-hop. Thought it was the right thing. I thought they both did well, they held their own. I thought Kendrick won. But I thought that Drake, by no means did he embarrass himself... He definitely showed up."

The rap battle between Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar and Canadian rapper Drake has the potential to go down as one of the most famous diss battles in hip-hop history. Many rappers, including 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Lil Yachty, and Cam'ron, have expressed their thoughts on the constant back-and-forth diss tracks, with some even picking a winner.

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LL Cool J likened Kendrick-Drake beef to LeBron and Stephen Curry's rivalry

LL Cool J is the latest in the line of rappers to declare Kendrick Lamar the winner in the feud. As someone who has had his share of feuds with rappers like Canibus and Wyclef Jean, Cool J explained that a rap beef was a "wonderful thing to participate in."

Speaking on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, the 56-year-old rapper compared the feud to LeBron James and Stephen Curry's legendary rivalry on the basketball court.

"The key to that stuff is as long it doesn't distract you from your ultimate goal. It's a wonderful thing to participate in. I love it, man. This is no different from LeBron and Steph. Jordan, when he was coming in, and Magic was going out. It ain't no different," he said.

The long-standing rivalry between Lamar and Drake simmered to an explosive start when Lamar took shots at J. Cole and Drake during his feature on the Metro Boomin and Future track Like That, released on March 22, 2024.

What ensued was a constant barrage of diss tracks from both sides, with the two rappers hurling allegations at each other. This included Lamar calling Drake a "certified pedophile" on Not Like Us, and Drake accusing Lamar of physically assaulting his long-time fiancée, Whitney Alford, on Family Matters.

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LL Cool J ended his decade-long music hiatus with Saturday Night Special

More than a decade after LL Cool J dropped his last album, Authentic, in 2013, the rapper returned to the music industry with his new song Saturday Night Special, featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe, on June 14, 2024.

According to Billboard, LL Cool J has also teased his fans with a new album in the fall, promising that the album's tracklist will be released soon. The rapper took to social media to announce the new song and album, saying:

"It's the real deal, baby. It's go time. 'Saturday Night Special' is the first single. I'll let you know about the features. Couple of days … Hit the link in the bio, you'll be able to find out a little sooner. Tracklisting for the album is coming. Album will be out in the fall. Yo, it's on, baby."

Saturday Night Special, produced by Q-Tip, also has a black and white music video directed by JackTheShooter in Miami, Florida. The video features all three rappers performing together, with LL Cool J starting off, followed by Ross, and then Fat Joe.

LL Cool J and Fat Joe previously collaborated on the song I Shot Ya from the former's sixth studio album, Mr. Smith, in 1995.