A viral social media challenge today has users showing off their bands of money or lack thereof. And, for the past week, artists and entertainers including Yung Miami of City Girls, Lil Durk, Tami Roman, 50 Cent, Soulja Boy, and more have shared photos of themselves lying next to words spelled out in cash. Their phrases included “Them H–s Ain’t Me,” “F–k Child Support,” “Broke,” and more.
On Tuesday, Jan. 25, rap legend LL Cool J pulled a photo from the archives to let the younger generation know who really did it first. The 54-year-old shared a throwback photo of himself lying next to ice cubes that spell out his stage name. A shirtless LL wore a signature 1980s look featuring a red Kangol hat and a gold chain around his neck in the photo.
“Been there,” LL wrote in the subtle caption on Twitter.
Most Twitter fans referred to LL as “the GOAT” and one of the “Top 5 MCs of all time,” including some who said LL “put the emphasis on cool.”
One person wrote, “Nobody cooler than Cool J,” while another added, “Big flex, you young people don’t understand.”
Meanwhile, others criticized 50 Cent and Soulja Boy for claiming to be first, including one who wrote, “LOL at millennials thinking they [were the] first to stunt.”
50 Cent checked into the money challenge over the weekend, sharing a vintage photo of himself spelling out “BROKE” with stacks of hundred-dollar bills. In the caption, the “Power” creator wrote, “When I look back at some of the s–t that I did, I be bugging out. I see all these new versions. I like all of them.”
The week before, Soulja Boy claimed he was the first rapper to spell out his name in cash. The “Big Draco” rapper shared a screenshot from his 2016 “Stacks On Deck” video in which he spells out his name in $20 bills on Twitter. Soulja doubled down once he saw 50 Cent’s post and shared the image on Instagram as well.
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