What would hip-hop be without Ice Cube, OutKast, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, and Snoop Dogg? Hard to imagine. Now, LL Cool J wants to make sure these artists' place in music history is secure with the launch of a new Sirius XM radio station called LL Cool J's Rock The Bells Radio.
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LL Cool J's vision for the station entails highlighting hip-hop from the 1970s, '80s and '90s. This includes artists' classics, unheard material, interviews, and even new tracks from legacy artists. Or, as the GRAMMY winner described it, he wants to keep classic hip-hop alive "in a dope way and [treat it] with the respect that it deserves."
"There are so many artists who are the foundation of this culture," LL Cool J said. "But it seems like they have been marginalized and pushed to the side if they're no longer on the pop charts. I felt like hip-hop has a story and a lot of founding fathers and mothers that the world should know."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/RockthebellsSXM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rockthebellsSXM</a> IS COMING. Follow and support the movement!! <a href="https://twitter.com/llcoolj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LLCOOLJ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocktheBellsSXM?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocktheBellsSXM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RTBcertified?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RTBcertified</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StrictlyforOGs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StrictlyforOGs</a> <a href="https://t.co/Tgyc9C3EWq">pic.twitter.com/Tgyc9C3EWq</a></p>— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrChuckD/status/977392915528925184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The former GRAMMY Awards host will launch the classic hip-hop radio station along with DJ Z-Trip on March 28 at 10 p.m. ET at an invitation-only roller skating event in East Los Angeles. Rock The Bells Radio, named after LL Cool J's 1985 song of the same name, will live on Sirius XM channel 43.
