LL COOL J Honors Def Jam With Iconic Hit Medley At MTV VMAs—& Public Enemy

LL COOL J hit the MTV VMAs stage to lead a tribute to the legendary Def Jam record label, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

On Wednesday night (September 11), the rap icon kicked off the homage with “Headsprung,” performing in front of a crowd wearing his signature red Kangol hats. Several people in the audience waved images of a goat, as he got into his single “The G.O.A.T.,” which popularized the “greatest of all time” phrase.

Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Flavor Flav took the reins to perform “Bring the Noise,” before LL took it back with “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Rock the Bells,” “Around the Way Girl” and “Goin’ Back to Cali.”

He also delivered some songs from his new album The FORCE, “Passion” and “Proclivities” before rounding out with “Doin’ It.”

LL Cool J pays homage to Def Jam Records and performs all his hit records at the #VMAs 🔥🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/VxQ2Yxl4Ng
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) September 12, 2024

Busta Rhymes introduced LL COOL J, calling him a “true trailblazer… also my hero.” He added, “He’s not only a hip-hop innovator, he’s not only a godfather, big homie and a mentor. He was the first artist to release an album on Def Jam and a force to be reckoned with.”

Earlier on Wednesday, LL COOL J dropped off the nostalgic video for his Eminem collab, “Murdergram Deux” video. The duo recreates several album covers from Hip-Hop’s golden era, including LL’s 1987 album Bigger and Deffer.

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Eminem also performed at the award show, kicking off the show with a performance of “Houdini.” While LL COOL J’s VMA performance featured audience members wearing his iconic red hat, Em had a stage full of blond wing-wearing clones.

Jelly Roll made a virtual appearance from tour to perform “Somebody Save Me,” with Eminem.