LL Cool J is ready to heat up just in time for the summer. The Radio rapper returned on Friday (June 14) with his first single of the year “Saturday Night Special” featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe.
After connecting with Joey Crack and Rozay, the 56-year-old will look to carry the momentum from “Saturday Night Special” into LL’s first album in over a decade later this year.
“It’s the real deal, baby. It’s go time. ‘Saturday Night Special’ is the first single,” he told fans on social media earlier this week. “I’ll let you know about the features. Couple of days … Hit the link in the bio, you’ll be able to find out a little sooner. Tracklisting for the album is coming. Album will be out in the fall. Yo, it’s on, baby.”
It’s not the first time LL and Fat Joe have connected. The pair of New Yorkers collaborated nearly three decades ago back in 1995 on “I Shot Ya,” which landed on LL Cool J’s Mr. Smith album.
LL Cool J had a busy 2023 as part of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop tribute performance at the Grammy Awards and then trekked across America on The F.O.R.C.E. Live Tour.
The “I’m Bad” rapper was teasing an album throughout last year, which he says is executive-produced by Q-Tip, but decided to pull back on releasing it.
LL sat down with his Rock The Bells platform where he compared himself to NBA superstar LeBron James from a longevity standpoint as it pertains to his legacy in hip-hop.
“I don’t think about my legacy, I’m still creating it,” he explained. “I’ll use LeBron as an example, simply because of his longevity. If you asked him in basketball years, in year 15 what did he think about his legacy, he had a lot of basketball to play in year 15, when a lotta guys were walkin’ away from the game.”
LL continued: “I don’t really concern myself with legacy conversations, that’s gonna be more about the impact that your work had on specific fans. Ultimately your music has to do the talking, there’s nothing you can really say about that. I’m more excited about showing what’s possible.”
Listen to “Saturday Night Special” below.