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LL Cool J Is Really, Really Excited to Be Working With Eminem

"He's also a friend of mine, so we'll definitely get it poppin'."

Wasting no time after LL Cool J broke the record for shortest hip-hop retirement, he’s back in full swing, talking about his new album, sharing details of his collaboration with Eminem, and how he doesn’t find it necessary to use the word “comeback” when discussing his rap career.

"He actually did his vocals and everything,” LL Cool J shared in an interview recently with Billboard. "It really happened. I want the overall project to be good. Em is my man and I love him. He’s also a friend of mine, so we’ll definitely get it poppin’. The world has been waiting for that. They’ll get it the right way and it’s gonna be amazing."

LL Cool J and Eminem go way back, and both have impressive careers in music, so the pair teaming up is sure to guarantee some incredible music as a result. LL Cool J is really, really excited to be working with Em, touching on how he has the utmost respect for him for being a rapper who has always done his homework.

“He’s such a student of hip-hop,” LL Cool J told Billboard. "He knew all of my music. He called up the radio station singing 'Go Cut Creator Go,' and that’s a song nobody knows until you’re a die-hard LL aficionado. Every time I’ve met Em, he’s had a great spirit. We’ve hung out many times. When I got my Hollywood star, he did something cool for me — he bought me a cool ad in a mag. He’s always given me love.”

“I respect and appreciate what he’s done in his career,” LL continued. “It always made me feel good to see somebody that I inspired take it to that level. These are the kinds of people that, at one time in their lives, saw me on TV and they were rapping along then went on to have such an illustrious career. I love Em and look forward to including him in this next project."

All the details have yet to surface, including what he will call the forthcoming project, but one thing is certain — the rapper is excited to get back on the mic.

"I want to give this era a taste of LL Cool J,” LL Cool J said. "With hip-hop today, in this era, I feel like I have to make a contribution. I’ve made a contribution in every other era. I haven’t made a high powered one in this era yet. I look forward to doing that. I think it’s going to set a standard for the culture in general. It’ll make things a lot more fun."

BET.com is your No. 1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

(Photos from left: C Flanigan/FilmMagic, Brazil Photo Press/LatinContent/Getty Images)

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