Race Jones
gangster. grace. alchemy
Hip-Hop historian JayQuan looks at Cool J as an MC, exclusively in his latest video essay. Moreover, the longtime journalist/documentarian strictly analyzes 1985’s Radio and 1987’s Bigger and Deffer albums. He believes these two Def Jam LPs are enough to warrant LL in the GOAT discussion (especially as The Notorious B.I.G. has two living titles, and artists like Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and others may be celebrated for just a couple releases). JayQuan says that between ’84 (when L dropped his debut single and ’88), he hit his zenith stride that contends against all.
JayQuan bases the criteria on wordplay, storytelling, and that monstrous delivery. He delves deep into the verses (the ones that have endured through the last 30-plus years, and others). The context is astounding, as anybody who got into Hip-Hop or LL Cool J after the mid-1980s, may fail to realize what visuals were available, and what songs released in what order. From love songs to Battle Rap, ill vocabulary (and understated references to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth) to punchy cadences, this is comprehensive. Moreover, even outside of the thesis, there is just some precise observation about LL’s talent, revolutionary style, and innovation.
JayQuan bases the criteria on wordplay, storytelling, and that monstrous delivery. He delves deep into the verses (the ones that have endured through the last 30-plus years, and others). The context is astounding, as anybody who got into Hip-Hop or LL Cool J after the mid-1980s, may fail to realize what visuals were available, and what songs released in what order. From love songs to Battle Rap, ill vocabulary (and understated references to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth) to punchy cadences, this is comprehensive. Moreover, even outside of the thesis, there is just some precise observation about LL’s talent, revolutionary style, and innovation.
