LL Cool J had some choice words following comments DJ Akademiks made where he referred to older rappers as “dusty.”
LL went on Instagram Live and appeared to address Ak's comments, “A DJ basically said that a lot of the pioneers in hip-hop, they’re dusty or how can they be the person that invented hip-hop if they don’t have a lot of money, or if they don’t represent like they have a lot of dough. Let me explain something to you and say this of you guys: Don’t think just because somebody knows how to get money—or fails to get money—that they didn’t make a contribution to the culture.”
He continued, “No one discusses Miles Davis‘ bank account. We don’t talk about John Coltrane‘s bank account. We don't talk about a lot of even rock musicians … a lot of great country artists, we don’t talk about their bank accounts. This idea that you have to have money or else you don’t have any value is a bad idea and it’s a misinformed way of looking at the world and the culture.”
The rap legend added, “So just because they didn’t get rich, just because they weren’t able to pile up millions or billions of dollars, does not mean that they didn’t make a contribution to this culture. They created an industry that we all ate off of. They created an industry that you eat off of. Think before you speak.”
LL is seemingly responding to the remarks Akademiks recently made on Twitch, where he said, “Them old rappers, man. Have you seen any of these old rappers who be like, yo, they’re the foundation of hip-hop really living good? Them n***as be looking really dusty, I kid you not. And none of y’all try to come for me ’cause I don’t f**k with y’all n***as either, so I’m just telling y’all the truth.”
Ak went on to say, “Every time there be like an old, old n***as talking about hip-hop, you be like, ‘Yo, bro. You sure you invented this? ‘Cause everybody else is looking better than you.’ Facts.”
