‘The View’ sees LL Cool J address misogyny in rap: ‘Give artists right to say what they want, you have the right to be offended’
On Tuesday’s episode of ‘The View’, rapper and actor LL Cool J appeared on the show to talk about the rampant misogyny in the rap scene. Speaking to hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar and Meghan McCain, the rap artist who was back on the daytime talk show after six years spoke about his debut album ‘Radio’ that came out more than three decades ago on November 18, 1985.
Talking about how he found the confidence to enter the music industry, the 51-year-old said, “For me, it’s feeling invisible, right? When you grow in the inner city or you grow up in any tough environment, you kind of feel invisible… you want your voice to be heard.”
He added, “I think the whole thing here is about everybody wants their voice to be heard. And when you get to the raw fundamentals of it, that’s what it’s about… The face was a part of the voice. It wasn’t about the money. It wasn’t about ‘Oh I want to be on the cover of Forbes or something’. It was really like, ‘Yo, I want my voice to be heard. I feel invisible. I feel like a nobody. And I want to be somebody… to somebody’.”
Co-host Behar brought up the topic of misogyny in the rap industry. She quoted the rap star’s 2018 interview with the Daily Beast where he said about the #MeToo movement, “How do we look back and rewrite America’s history? It’s a wonderful conversation to have and a worthy conversation to have; but in practice, what are we going to do? Are we going to erase all the music? Do away with all the magazines?”
Behar asked him if he has a solution in mind. LL Cool J said, “The real answer is that art is art. And that you really do not have to listen. You really don’t… You look at the sculpture of David. There are people out there offended by nudity. Should we throw a top over it? I mean people at the end of the day -- I’m not suggesting that people don’t have the right to feel a certain way about certain lyrics. Because that’s okay.”
He added, “You have that right. You have that right to raise your children the way you want. To instill the values in your family that you wish to instill. But that being said, you have to give the artist a right to say what they want. And then you have the right to be offended or not or to appreciate it. I think especially in this country, that’s really what it’s about.”
'The View' airs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET on ABC.