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LL COOL J on surprising VMAs audience with Public Enemy appearance during performance
LL COOL J, who first gained fame in the 1980s, has been a trailblazer in hip-hop for decades. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Kennedy Center honoree.
His performance on Wednesday at the MTV Video Music Awards was a nod to his storied career, but it was also a chance to introduce new music to his fans.
At the VMAs, the 56-year-old artist brought out fellow rap pioneers Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy on the VMA stage, calling them “instrumental” in the early days of Def Jam.
“They were a couple of architects that were part of the building of Def Jam when we first started,” LL COOL J said. “Myself, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, and Slick Rick were the four that really were the bones of that label.”
In addition to celebrating his past successes, LL COOL J’s latest album, “The FORCE,” marks his first new music release in over a decade. The album features collaborations with artists like Eminem, Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross. Reflecting on the creative process, LL COOL J said it was about staying true to himself while moving forward creatively.
“The four [in The Force] stands for frequencies of real creative energy,” he explained. “I’m not going to strive to try to make a radio record. I’m not going to strive to try to follow trends, and I’m not going to try to recapture what I did before. I want to move the envelope forward.”
After starring in NCIS: Los Angeles for over a decade, LL COOL J took time off from making music but returned with a renewed focus.
“You can’t be a part-time artist,” he said. “I said, you know what, I’m just going to chill … once I was done [with the show], I said, now I can get back in the studio.”
As both a father and grandfather, LL COOL J spoke about balancing family life with his music career.
“When it comes to art, you really have to separate the two. You can’t sacrifice what you’re inspired to create because you have a family … The best way for me to take care of my family is to be true to my art.”
LL COOL J’s “The FORCE” is now available.
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A Moment With: Viswa Colluru
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A Moment With: Antonio Berga and Carlos Serrano
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.