LL Cool J on Hosting the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Honoring Mariah Carey & Nelly and More | THR News Video - video Dailymotion

The Hollywood Reporter

LL Cool J is set to host this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards for the second time after he first emceed the ceremony in 2022. He spoke with The Hollywood Reporter all about this year's show and its A-list honorees.

Transcript

00:00When I see the artists feel like, you know, like they were respected and given,

00:05you know, like honored the right way, it makes me feel good."

00:10LL Cool J is set to host this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards for the second time,

00:15after he first emceed the ceremony in 2022.

00:18He spoke to The Hollywood Reporter all about this year's show and its A-list honorees.

00:23What made you want to return to the iHeartRadio Music Awards and host the show again this year?

00:27It's fun to do cool stuff and be close to music, music fans, the music artists,

00:32the epicenter of what's going on in music currently.

00:35You've hosted many award shows over the years. What do you think makes a great award show host?

00:40Well, I think it depends on the person, right? Everybody's different. Like,

00:42I'm not a comedian, so I'm not going to be up there cracking jokes and doing skits, right?

00:46But for me, it's just getting out of the way and letting people have fun

00:49and making it about the artists. When I see the artists feel like,

00:52um, you know, like they were respected and given, you know, like, honored the right way,

00:58it makes me feel good.

00:59There are so many amazing artists involved in this year's show.

01:02Mariah Carey, who you've collaborated with before, is receiving the Icon Award.

01:06How would you describe her legacy and her impact on the music industry?

01:10It's undeniable. You know what I'm saying? All kinds of music, from the up-tempo remixes with

01:15Old Dirty Bastard and that whole era with the roller skating and all of the fun stuff she did

01:21to, you know, the holiday albums and the Christmas albums and all of the stuff she does with that,

01:26to the early days with, you know, her coming out, like, on the heels of Whitney and putting

01:31out all those power ballads and all of those really cool songs. I mean, Mariah has been

01:36someone who's inspired women, you know, for years. And, um, I'm happy for her. It's kind of

01:41funny to me, you know, because I remember when she started, you know what I'm saying? Like,

01:45quite a few years after me, when she started. And I just look at it now and it's like,

01:50I can remember the first album and now we're calling her an icon, you know? So it's, uh,

01:54I think that's cool.

01:56You probably also remember when Nelly started.

01:58Of course.

01:59And he's receiving the Landmark Award and performing. What's it like reuniting with him

02:03for a show like this?

02:03So, so Nelly, um, is somebody else who I'm really happy for, right? I just remember seeing,

02:09you know, Hot in Here and, you know, that summer, that time, there was just a time and a moment

02:15when Hot in Here was all you heard all day long. Him just coming out with, you know,

02:19all of those various songs, Back to Back to Back, Street Sweeper, Down Down Baby,

02:24you know, all of those songs. And so for him to be celebrated in this way and to get that,

02:30that nod and that tap that says, hey, you're here to stay, I think that's really cool.

02:35And I'm happy for him and I'm sure he feels good.

02:37This year's other special honorees include Lady Gaga, who will receive the Innovator Award,

02:42and Taylor Swift, who will be honored with Tour of the Century for her heiress tour.

02:47Since the show is all about celebrating the artists we hear on the radio,

02:50we had to ask LL Cool J this. Since this is the iHeartRadio Music Awards,

02:55what do you remember about the first time you heard yourself on the radio?

02:58Oh man, I remember being on Farmers Boulevard, you know, it had rained that day and DJ Red Alert

03:05played my song and it was playing in a game room behind me and I was standing out on the street

03:09and the game room had a sound system in it and, you know, guys were in there. That's when they

03:13used to have the big, you know, arcade games and stuff. And it was only like three or four games,

03:18but we called it the game room. It was really a store. And guys were in there and a dude came up

03:23to me, he said, yo man, that's you on the radio. And I remember just staring at the, you know,

03:27the street with the moonlight hitting off it and I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I like that.

03:32You know what I'm saying? I like that. And I just looked at him like, yeah, I like that.

03:35He was like, yeah. I was like, yeah, I like that. You know what I mean?

03:38That was a moment. It registered in my soul. Some things just kind of happen and go away,

03:43but certain things, they stick in your soul. You know what I'm saying? And you know,

03:47it's going to be there when the credits roll. So it's like, that was special. And it was not

03:50only special for me, but it was special for the world because we were about to do something with

03:54Def Jam that would change the landscape of hip hop and the landscape of music.

04:00Coming up, LL Cool J is bringing back his Rock the Bells Hip Hop Festival for another year.

04:05He opened up about the event that will take place this June in New Jersey.

04:09This festival is about those artists and about seeing them have a place in history

04:13and about seeing them get celebrated the way they should and giving them a platform that honors them

04:19and giving the fans an opportunity, you know what I'm saying, to engage with artists that they may

04:26or may not have had a chance to see if it wasn't for this really special moment.

04:31You can catch LL Cool J hosting the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday,

04:35March 17th at 8pm on FOX. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.

LL Cool J on Hosting the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Honoring Mariah Carey & Nelly and More | THR News Video

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