"That's a big compliment for me" — LL Cool J denies rumors that 50 Cent ghostwrote for him on 2002 track Paradise

LL Cool J recently addressed rumors of 50 Cent ghostwriting his 2002 hit Paradise in an interview with Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay Podcast episode that premiered on July 31, 2024. The Hey Lover artist set the record straight and clarified why 50 Cent was listed as one of the writers despite him not writing the song.

Around the 28th minute of the podcast, host Shannon Sharpe asked whether LL Cool J has ever hired a ghostwriter, and the rapper was quick to turn down all allegations.

"No, I've collaborated with people on courses, on different things, but all of these songs that I'm thinking of [pauses] Come on, bro. I don't even know where people–like, that's a very interesting thing," commented LL Cool J.

This time, Sharpe bluntly asked whether 50 Cent acted as the ghostwriter for Paradise, and LL Cool J was quick to mention that he had written the chorus part of the song, which is why he shares songwriting credits.

"50 Cent wrote the chorus, bro. We've been through this before, acting like the Ls can't bag 'em no more, he ain't write that sh*t," explained the rapper.

However, the rapper spun the rumors in a positive way and explained why he took it as a compliment. To explain it clearly, the rapper used a sports analogy and compared the situation with people thinking that Kevin Durant (KD) hit a shot when it was actually LeBron James who did it.

"You know, that's a big compliment for me. When you get to the point where you've been doing it so long, and you're so prolific, that they look like, 'Somebody else shot the basketball! LeBron didn't shoot that sh*t! That was f*cking KD. KD really shot that sh*t," said LL Cool J.

He also explained why hiring a ghostwriter is looked down upon in the rapping industry. According to LL Cool J, a 'real MC' is supposed to write their own lines, and hiring a ghostwriter by a rapper is different from collaborating with someone on a song.

"Well because as an MC you're supposed to write your stuff together. It's different, like, if you get in a studio. Let's say you're working with an artist and we write a song together and I'm collaborating with somebody on something, that would be different from somebody writing my rhymes, writing my verses, writing out my lyrics. Because then you're not a real MC. You're not," inferred LL Cool J.

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LL Cool J names his picks for Def Jam Mount Rushmore, leaves Jay-Z and DMX out

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In the podcast, LL Cool J was asked about his picks for the top artists of Def Jam Recordings, i.e., the rapper's Def Jam Mount Rushmore. Interestingly, he left out hip-hop juggernauts like Jay-Z and DMX and chose himself, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, and Slick Rick.

Despite Shannon Sharpe mentioning a list of other bigshots like LL himself, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna, DMX, and Ludacris, the rapper did not choose many from the list.

“It’s LL, it’s Public Enemy, it’s the Beastie Boys and it would have to be Slick Rick. Because it’s Def Jam,” said LL.

Shannon Sharpe probed LL once again by pointing out that Jay-Z was also a part of Def Jam. However, the rapper was quick to point out that the Roc Nation boss joined Def Jam almost ten years after he did.

“Yeah, a thousand years later,” retorted LL.

In the same interview, LL also clarified whether he had actually engaged in a rap battle with Jay-Z at a parking lot in 1996, as claimed by many sources. The rapper asserted that he had gotten into a fight like that with Beyonce's present husband.