Believe it or not, New York rappers LL Cool J and 50 Cent once made an entire album together.
Although the Queens natives come from two different music generations, both were seemingly at the top of their game during their respective rap careers. But they never got to release the project.
“I tried to do a more collaborative writing album. I did a whole album with 50 Cent,” LL revealed during his Aug. 9 appearance on ‘The Breakfast Club,” joined by The Roots group.
He said after they wrote the album together, he listened to it but something was still missing. “I’m like, ‘It sounds good; I like the music…the rhymes. It sounds cool but it ain’t me.’ So I didn’t put it out,” said LL.
“It wasn’t nothing against 50, I love 50. I just wanted to try something different maybe we collaborate, write together. It didn’t work.”
Co-host Charlamagne Tha God then brought up LL’s 2002 hit, “Paradise,” on which 50 has a writing credit. He clarified that Fif did not write his verse, just the chorus sung by R&B act Amerie.
“He didn’t write my rhymes,” said the ’80s rap pioneer, stating that he didn’t know 50 was initially involved with the track. He said the “Power” executive producer was brought in by the track’s producers Trackmasters.
The “Radio” artist admitted he had no ill will toward Fif, but he just wasn’t satisfied with the final project.
“We’ve tried to work together. That’s my man. You know we real cool. But the collaborative thing when it comes to my verses that doesn’t work for me,” said LL.
Their album was never released, but fans seemed to be excited that LL and 50 even worked together, noting the differences in their rap styles.
“It wasn’t something LL could’ve licked his lips to , it was something to hit licks to.”
“im sure at that time 50 rhyme was like ” I pull up on you with d bakabaka, use the knife to dissect your body, I see you in the club u holla GGGG unit” …LL was like hold up fif that’s not my style lol.”
“Damn, never knew 50 wrote that hook. Gotta say he’s top 5 greatest of all time when it comes to hooks in hip hop.”
“Put it out…I’m sure it’s better than 99% of the stuff that’s out anyway.”
“Probably a Queens classic just sitting on the shelves smh hope someone leaks it.”
LL Cool J has been friends with 50 for years, and even watched the G-Unit founder’s performance during the 2022 halftime Super Bowl Show. He praised the “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” rapper in the caption of a since-deleted post on Instagram.
“My man Fif and them shut down the Super Bowl #QGTM,” LL Cool J captioned the photo. QGTM is a signature acronym that stands for Queens Get The Money.
Fifty wrote for other artists during the early years of his career, which he discussed during his 2022 appearance on “The Breakfast Club.”
“To pitch that to LL you gotta have the full picture for him to see it or he not gon’ understand why he doing that,” he explained about the song “Paradise.”
The 48-year-old said he wrote G. Dep’s “Let’s Get It” featuring P. Diddy and Black Rob and received a plaque for another song he wrote for the R&B group Next. He then mentioned other tracks he wrote for former G-Unit rapper The Game.
