Shabaka's album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace begins with the song "End Of Innocence," one among many pieces of music that managed to be both haunting and comforting in 2024. atibaphoto/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
LL Cool J LL Cool J artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
LL Cool J
LL Cool J's 2024 album The FORCE finds the rapper looser and more agile than he's sounded in years, assisted by eclectic production from Q-Tip. Cory Grimes hide caption
Post Malone, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter laugh backstage at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday in Elmont, N.Y. John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV hide caption
American rapper and actor LL Cool J poses for a portrait in New York, NY, on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. He joined Morning Edition to discuss his return to rap after 11 years. Shuran Huang/NPR hide caption
LL Cool J is back with a new album, The FORCE, produced by Q-Tip. Chris Parsons/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Starflyer 59 revisits Gold, its shoegaze masterpiece, for the first time in 29 years with Lust for Gold. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Jay-Z (pictured in 2005) was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday, in his first year of eligibility. Scott Gries/Getty Images hide caption
Kate Bush, Radiohead and Sister Rosetta Tharpe are all first-time Rock Hall nominees. Evening Standard/Getty Images, Danny Clinch, Chris Ware/Getty Images hide caption
LL Cool J's latest album is called Authentic. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
LL Cool J. Evan Agostini/Getty Images hide caption