Hip-hop

LL Cool J says he prioritized how lyrics feel over technical complexity, likening his approach to James Brown's.

“I was more in the James Brown zone of, how does it feel?”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2561 - LL Cool J (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:14:04

LL Cool J says the Public Enemy logo is a silhouette of his friend E-Love taken from a photo of them on stage.

“Chuck D. from Public Enemy took a picture of my man standing next to me on stage and put him in silhouette”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2561 - LL Cool J (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 38:47

LL Cool J argues that gold chains in early hip-hop signaled toughness and survival in the neighborhood rather than displays of wealth.

“See, jewelry back then was a message. You know, any neighborhood. It was, I can wear this in this neighborhood”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2561 - LL Cool J (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 30:08

LL Cool J says hip-hop was the first time he heard kids like himself sound empowered, at a time when Black youth on TV appeared mainly in handcuffs.

“Hip-hop was the first time that I heard young kids like me sound empowered”

The Joe Rogan Experience: #2561 - LL Cool J (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 27:57

Clark, citing articles, says Cornelius saw hip-hop as a step backward from integration-era aspirations, and personally thinks it clashed with his smoothness.

“My own personal take is that he was a smooth customer and he appreciated smoothness in hip hop, especially 80s hip hop was the opposite of smooth”

Stuff You Should Know: Selects: The Soul Train Episode (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 48:34