Now we know why LL Cool J started bleaching his skin. The retired rapper was a swarthy sex symbol in the 1980s and ’90s. The ladies couldn’t get enough of his sexy lips.
LL was in Midtown NYC on Monday when he was asked if his famous lips ever got him a deal with Chapstick.
“No, they hated my black lips back then.” said LL Cool J. His name is an acronym that stands for “Ladies Love Cool J.”
The former rapper-turned-actor apparently took Chapstick’s rejection to heart.
There are reports that the NCIS: LA star began bleaching his skin as he approached middle age in his late 30s. LL appears to be 5 shades lighter now than he did in photos when he was at his peak as a rap superstar in the 1980s and ’90s.
The Blast reports that LL was also asked if he planned to record another rap album. The 51-year-old father-of-four replied, “yeah, I’m gonna do another album.”
The New York native has released 13 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. He is best known for his biggest hit single, rap ballad “I Need Love”, and hits “Radio” and “Luv U Better.”
Photos by John Wolfsohn/Getty Images, Carlo Allegri/Getty Images
Lips dark from lipping em all damn day!!!
https://media1.giphy.com/media/bIAFp0jtxR8hW/giphy.gif
?
Idk bout his bleaching but I do know his Sirius station rock the bells is ? ? ?
Weird confession; all the years I’ve been around, I just realized that LL and Ice Cube were “light skin-ded” about a year ago. I Never knew that LL was light light. I always thought he was medium to dark brown. I met Cube in the VIP at my dad’s club once and STILL didn’t notice. I guess because it was dark.
One of my favorite stations
LL does not bleach his skin, Sandra oh, come’on… LOL
ThaT man still can get it tho
Slow news/gossip day
WOW! He still wants to make an album after headsprung? LOL
Slooooooooow day. Really, Auntie????? Mid life at late 30s? That’s beyond ridiculous.
Wdf!!
LordT….yew actually met Cube???
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!
Get the freak out of here. He couldn’t get a chapstick deal because he had a Crisco lard deal. I know I’m not the only one that noticed all that Crisco he wore on his lips. Boy, BI.
I dont find his lips to be dark at all. I wish he would have said something earlier. I’m kind of upset as much money as I’ve spent on Chapstick. Its ok tho, Carmex lip balm is their karma ?
LL still grindin….love him on CSI Los Angeles
Lordt!!!!
They caramel to me
Lord, lip colorism. When will it end… https://media1.giphy.com/media/3oAt2dA6LxMkRrGc0g/giphy.gif
Still love LL ?
Lmao
His lips are far from being dark
LL has been the same complexion since he started so I don’t believe that rumor HOWEVER, he did have some work done because he looks fake. What he needs to do is embrace is grown man status and grow his beard out. He looks fake and weird without one.
I don’t think he meant it like that. His lips are too full.
They should have just been real about it and said we are not looking for anyone of color to represent chapstick right now. I would have respected them for being honest
Right. I won’t be going through any mid life crisis until at least 50, lol.
I had mine at 40 sooooo
I think he’s talking about his lips being full, when he says black lips. He’s never actually had black colored lips. Y’all know how crackers are, they hate what they don’t have… then run out and try to imitate it.
My first male rap crush. I still love him.
Lana is my first female rap crush (MC Lyte). I still love her too. She looked so so good the other night on the BET Awards. Yes. She. Did.
https://media1.giphy.com/media/3o6ozkQbdfOIyCC6wU/giphy.gif
Agreed but skin tone is subjective. I have dark skin friends who say Eve, Jill Scot and Erykah Badu are light skinned but they are brown to me.
“LL bleaches his skin”
Said no one ever.
I still don’t see where the problem is with that. Even back then white men and women wanted full lips
LL can still get ALL of me…whew!
I know it’s subjective that’s why I said to me…
PREACH!!!! https://media0.giphy.com/media/5yLgocbcOOcu7HdsQog/giphy.gif
Not to be a pedant…but the acronym LL Cool J stands for Ladies Love Cool James, as James is his first name.
they hate our black skin..and black lips…but yet run to the nearest plastic surgeon to get our “lips” and will fry a tanning bed up to get our “skin”…smdh….
MANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!
Everytime “Around the Way Girl” comes on I know he wrote that song for me ?
*giggles* That damn pic tho! lol
LL(whom I worked with on NCIS Los Angeles) has a BIG head.
But Chapstick is for LIPS…something white people lack, naturally. lol It’s rare to see full lips on a white person and it not being injected with something.
Literally, or are you referring to arrogance?
?he should’ve asked Carmex ?
His skin has a grey tint to it..hmmmmmm. Clorox?
Log off friend. Go to the corner, nose in the crack and stay until tomorrow.
https://media3.giphy.com/media/sR91D133W02D6/giphy.gif
They look pink to me… He’s always been that color too. Caramel drippin in my bed, boy you know what’s goin through my head ?
Depending on when u die it could be your midlife ??
Chiiile them lips are still sexy
Just a plain old fashion, “No”.
What is that creature?
Yeah … That shaved bald face look is QUEEN TWINKISH… Grow a trimmed beard and let that gray COME THROUGH.. THE BODY IS SEXY… but a nucca in the gym and with clean shaven faces be GAYER THAN HAPPY!
He’s always been honey ? colored… but the real question is… is LL packing a monster ? and of so is it shared between men and women???
I think 5 shades lighter is taking it too far!… He is STILL the same color to me and still got the same pink lips he always had… F’ck chapstick!… Their loss!
https://media0.giphy.com/media/E8QktSHIewFC8/giphy.gif
Both
https://media2.giphy.com/media/1AzW5Fw4DFdja/giphy.gif
I’m talkin bout Sunday Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday Friday Saturdaaay… 24/7
Giggling Baby is the shhhhid
Sandy, you’ve gone too far now…leave LL ALONE. He ain’t bleached nothing and yes back in the day our African American (black lips) features were frown upon……but now…
Indeed.
Ms Sandra, a whole 5 shades?????
I see what you did there…. Which head?
Doing it doing it and doing it well. Doing it doing it and doing it well. Yasssssssssss ??????
Are Male or female.
He is best known for his biggest hit single, rap ballad “I Need Love”, and hits “Radio” and “Luv U Better.”
^^^^^^^^
Ummm Around the Way Girl is hands down a known classic.
You know she used black for color instead of ethnicity as it was referenced…poorly but he was using to describe culture not color…Sandra play too much
that’s my song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
???
Sad part is women be walking around thinking they checking them out and in fact they looking for the men too, boo ??
Going Back To Cali, was another.
Seriously? Choops.
You mean “Jiggling” Baby…lol
Yes Maim! A Fendi bag and a bad attitude! lol
?????LL is looking like a snack
Crazy thing is……They HATE our FULL lips…..but NOW…..RUNNNING to get them ejected to look like ours…smdh
It’s their lost James…No sweat!
To be honest, I never thought his lips were all that. He just found a gimmick and ran with it and it became a thing….*shrugs*
True
Cube looks brown to me… His son OShea Jr is light light… They equally fine too ?
Looks like a hippo with eyes in the nostrils ?
I upvoted the GRAVI.
LMAO
I decided to skip this old Drake as a gif.
LMAO
He would look like Sammy Sosa…I dont believe it…I remember LL being brownskin my whole life…
Omg I wanted him so bad when this video came out…
You said that right, they use to call mine soup coolers. I thought LL looked the same.
And my daddy shamed the $HIT out of me when he was at the club. He took me into VIP and walked up to Cube, Luke (and I forget who else was with them) and gone say, “Hey fellas… I’m the owner… now, which one of you guys is Ice Cold?” Cube just fell out laughing.
Naaaaaw, cuh. NAW!! LMAO
Lana is my first female rap crush (MC Lyte). I still love her too. She looked so so good the other night on the BET Awards. Yes. She. Did.
^^^^^^^
Thought about you when I seent huh on there. I thought to myself, Dubb must be lickin her tv scream right now…*giggles
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
He is sexy until he takes his hat off his head
His head is rather fudded up. Similar to a peanut m&m.
Shouts outs to Uncle L for holding it down for this long without putting on a dress
Ok, I’m being super literal about the age of my potential crisis because I plan on living to a nice old of of 100. I knew my great, great grandmother so the potential for longevity is there God willing.
I do love some LL
but his face in the past years look like it been worked on. He just has been looking different to me.
Great, I just added to the convo?
Is that what it is bleaching? Because he does look different ?
Im weak???
You got all A’s in school I bet, lol. Perfect analysis.
Lol
Baaaaby! That’s a FACT! HUSBAND/BABY DADDY GOALS…. but honey might as well wish in one hand shyt a brick in the other You’ll Come off with a full built high rise apartment building before they EEEVEN HUMP YOUR WAY!!! THEY INTO EACH OTHER AND LOYAL TO THEIR Peanut butter and fudge packing!
Damn LL is sexy. Hope he’s not bleaching.
I was 11 years old when that song came out, and clearly recall how much I hated that video with all them damn white women in it dancing. Was the jam but is forever on time out with me bc of that lol.
I wanted to. Damn bf woulda been mad mad. Was already lurstin after Method Man as it was lol.
And you mean “Jingling” Baby lol
I bet he can’t eat a cookie. good gawd.
Yep, you’re right… It’s Jingling Baby, lol!
I spit out my water at this title…that’s all…
Whoo lawd ?
I would lick Hershey chocolate off this ninja chest ?.
That was my JAM!!
https://media3.giphy.com/media/wKTgKz9Rr7lFC/giphy.gif
I always liked his lips especially on that movie he did with Queen Latifa.
His lips are nice and smooth
Lmfao!!!
Botox maybe? I saw Mario Lopez in an interview and he looked so tightly tucked, couldn’t even move most of his face.
L definitely did NOT bleach his skin! That is a lie. He looks just as light as he’s always been. No need to go any lighter. People just be hatin
Remember when he tried to go country b4 nas. Him n some country male artist made a song together bcas he said he wanted to cross over. It was a hot mess.
Yasssss. He got sued when that song came out. One of the women from the weather girls sang that hook n in the video he had a small woman singing that hook using her voice. She said hell to the naw.
They hatin… L always have been light skinned. Seen him a few times in concert especially the Nitro Tour in 1989 when he drove in with a car. Don’t even trip L.
Yassss! Push it good! Push it real good awwww Push it! lol They pissing me off how they treating Spinderella tho.
Hell Yeaaaah! Go head babee! lol
I don’t know about bleaching because L always leaned towards caramel light, but he definitely been messing with plastic surgery in his face….it’s been the obvious….
I was kinda thinking the same thing, that’s what happens when you bleach you get gray with dark purple-ish lips or something. idk I hope he not its not like he was dark skinned if the first place, he always passed the paper bag test. i.e. Charlemagne The God.
It doesn’t look like he’s had bleaching but he’s def had some surgery, a facelift or something
LOLOL!!!
They pissing me off too! How dare they treat her like she didn’t make history with them!
Not cool at all! Really??? he’s beautiful. And your comments are ugly.
Exactly!??
Right back then the DJ’s was the machine behind the group. it was all about how good someone could mix or scratch so for them to act like she didn’t contribute should be very insulting to her and us as her fans. Can you image if RUN DMC never had Jam Master Jay? They would not have gotten to level of success with out the entire package. Pepa n them need to stop with her lopsided fake ass! lol
Huh? His lips have always been pink
LOL, EXACTLYYYYYY!!! Triffling stank asses
LOL, EXACTLYYYYYY!!! Triffling stank asses
Awe! I see!
He doesn’t look like he’s bleaching.
He look great. He’s one of those men who benefit from a beard and mustache aka Method Man it just adds another level of handsomeness. My brother is the same way.
Yessss….that shidt neva gets old
I heard about that..smh
Lol
LL appears to be 5 shades lighter now than he did…
————————————
Lies ???
Backseat of my Jeep ?
Loungin – Who do you love? ?
Doing it well ?
A whole 5 shades. ?
When was your last eye doctor appointment?
He didn’t have to do a damn thing!! If anything Chapstick fucking lost out on having a huge endorsement. NOW look. With Sephora out here, theres’ 1 milion other competing brands way better than chapstick. Fuck them.
Really? ?? it’s been a min tho..
j/k ?
Yeah, the headline is confusing…He was referring to the shape, thickness “big lips”, Sandra connected that with the reason he bleached. *Kanye shrugged.
He didn’t say big lips, he said “black lips.”
Forget about the bleach no one is going to call him out on his plastic face, skin looks like Stretch Armstrong
Black as in “You got Black Folk lips-Full, thick, soup coolers..” No way he was referencing the color. His lips have always been pink.
Charlamage doesnt look bleached tho. I don’t think he used a cream. LL looks like a cream. Whoever helped charlamage did a header job. I do think he has a skin condition
There’s a shade of gray to his face. We not seeing shit.
How is it hate? It’s an observation ?.. his skin is grey
Similar grey tint to both of their faces. Sosa is just extreme
Like I said, sexy until the hat comes off.
???
His name is an acronym that stands for “Ladies Love Cool J.”
–
I THOUGHT IT WAS “COOL JAMES”…SOMEBODY TOLD ME WRONG!
Pwahaha. DEAD!!!
mannn that nelly completion was fire. Wish he would tan back to that complexion.
mannn that nelly completion was fire. Wish he would tan back to that complexion.
I honestly forgot about the video. You are so right.
OK lmao the same color when he stepped on the scene