Why Hip-Hop is Obsessed with Age & The Secret to True Longevity | LL COOL J

Why does hip-hop treat age so differently from almost every other genre? LL COOL J breaks down why hip-hop is uniquely obsessed with age and longevity compared to other music genres like rock and roll. He explains that because hip-hop is barely 50 years old, its pioneers are like the "founding fathers" of a country, and the world is experiencing a rap generation aging for the very first time. LL COOL J and Trevor Noah also discuss the necessity of humility and relearning your craft, why artists shouldn't compromise their art to fit a new audience, and a powerful childhood lesson about finding joy and pride in your own accomplishments rather than relying on external validation. Watch the full conversation with LL COOL J on What Now? with Trevor Noah. Full Episode:    • LL Cool J: Re-Learning to Rap   Subscribe to What Now? with Trevor Noah for more conversations. #LLCOOLJ #TrevorNoah #HipHop #Longevity #WhatNowPodcast 00:00 - The obsession with longevity in hip-hop 00:45 - Hip-hop’s "founding fathers" and aging in real-time 02:55 - Why artists let fear dictate their later careers 05:23 - The food truck analogy: Don't change your art 06:45 - Tiger Woods, Q-Tip, and why LL COOL J had to relearn to rap 09:11 - A grandmother's lesson: Do it well even when no one is watching 10:53 - Never let the audience define your joy