When you face enough rejection, it becomes incredibly easy to just give up. No stability and all stagnation cause creative people to eventually choose a more normal 9-5 instead. It makes you wonder about the different artists over the years who were close to giving up before they became superstars. Who knows what the domino effect would become if certain musicians committed more to their day jobs? There’s one big ‘what if’ back in the 80s that would’ve radically changed the complexion of hip-hop.
In a 1986 interview with Record Mirror, LL Cool J opened up about the winding path that eventually led him to sign with an emerging Def Jam. Early on, he felt discouraged enough to wonder if hip-hop was his true calling. However, his mom proved to be the driving force he needed to keep him steady on his path.
“I went to the record store and bought all the rap albums and looked at all the record company addresses. I sent tapes to all of them, and all of them turned me down. So I told my mother I was going to quit,” the New York legend recalled. “And she said don’t quit, because you never [know] when you’re going to get a break.”
LL Cool J Recalls Nearly Quitting Hip-Hop if It Wasn’t for His Mother’s Help
To show her commitment to her son’s rap dreams, she put down a financial investment for some equipment. Not long after, LL would eventually find his way to Rick Rubin, where his Def Jam career took off.
“So to keep me going, she went out and bought me this $300 rhythm machine. I could play beats on it, so I went into the basement of a friend of mine,” LL Cool J continued. “His name is Finesse Frank ― and I made a demo of ‘I Need A Beat’, just buggin’ out. I sent it in to Rick Rubin, he called me back and about three days later I was in the studio making a record. [‘I Need A Beat’, which now turns up on the Radio album.] That was definitely not the Rick Rubin that you know of now.”
Once LL Cool J united with Rick Rubin, he became a big reason for Def Jam becoming a juggernaut in hip-hop culture. In LL’s eyes, it was a match made in heaven.
“I was the first rapper on Def Jam, the first one to even put a record out; they made the company to put my record out. People like Def Jam because it’s a live label, they make Def Records. He’s cool, Rick,” LL Cool J said. “I would have produced my own records, but Rick knows how to produce me perfectly; he does exactly what I need.”
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