00:00When I see the artists feel like, you know, like they were respected and given,
00:05you know, like honored the right way, it makes me feel good."
00:10LL Cool J is set to host this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards for the second time,
00:15after he first emceed the ceremony in 2022.
00:18He spoke to The Hollywood Reporter all about this year's show and its A-list honorees.
00:23What made you want to return to the iHeartRadio Music Awards and host the show again this year?
00:27It's fun to do cool stuff and be close to music, music fans, the music artists,
00:32the epicenter of what's going on in music currently.
00:35You've hosted many award shows over the years. What do you think makes a great award show host?
00:40Well, I think it depends on the person, right? Everybody's different. Like,
00:42I'm not a comedian, so I'm not going to be up there cracking jokes and doing skits, right?
00:46But for me, it's just getting out of the way and letting people have fun
00:49and making it about the artists. When I see the artists feel like,
00:52um, you know, like they were respected and given, you know, like, honored the right way,
00:58it makes me feel good.
00:59There are so many amazing artists involved in this year's show.
01:02Mariah Carey, who you've collaborated with before, is receiving the Icon Award.
01:06How would you describe her legacy and her impact on the music industry?
01:10It's undeniable. You know what I'm saying? All kinds of music, from the up-tempo remixes with
01:15Old Dirty Bastard and that whole era with the roller skating and all of the fun stuff she did
01:21to, you know, the holiday albums and the Christmas albums and all of the stuff she does with that,
01:26to the early days with, you know, her coming out, like, on the heels of Whitney and putting
01:31out all those power ballads and all of those really cool songs. I mean, Mariah has been
01:36someone who's inspired women, you know, for years. And, um, I'm happy for her. It's kind of
01:41funny to me, you know, because I remember when she started, you know what I'm saying? Like,
01:45quite a few years after me, when she started. And I just look at it now and it's like,
01:50I can remember the first album and now we're calling her an icon, you know? So it's, uh,
01:54I think that's cool.
01:56You probably also remember when Nelly started.
01:58Of course.
01:59And he's receiving the Landmark Award and performing. What's it like reuniting with him
02:03for a show like this?
02:03So, so Nelly, um, is somebody else who I'm really happy for, right? I just remember seeing,
02:09you know, Hot in Here and, you know, that summer, that time, there was just a time and a moment
02:15when Hot in Here was all you heard all day long. Him just coming out with, you know,
02:19all of those various songs, Back to Back to Back, Street Sweeper, Down Down Baby,
02:24you know, all of those songs. And so for him to be celebrated in this way and to get that,
02:30that nod and that tap that says, hey, you're here to stay, I think that's really cool.
02:35And I'm happy for him and I'm sure he feels good.
02:37This year's other special honorees include Lady Gaga, who will receive the Innovator Award,
02:42and Taylor Swift, who will be honored with Tour of the Century for her heiress tour.
02:47Since the show is all about celebrating the artists we hear on the radio,
02:50we had to ask LL Cool J this. Since this is the iHeartRadio Music Awards,
02:55what do you remember about the first time you heard yourself on the radio?
02:58Oh man, I remember being on Farmers Boulevard, you know, it had rained that day and DJ Red Alert
03:05played my song and it was playing in a game room behind me and I was standing out on the street
03:09and the game room had a sound system in it and, you know, guys were in there. That's when they
03:13used to have the big, you know, arcade games and stuff. And it was only like three or four games,
03:18but we called it the game room. It was really a store. And guys were in there and a dude came up
03:23to me, he said, yo man, that's you on the radio. And I remember just staring at the, you know,
03:27the street with the moonlight hitting off it and I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I like that.
03:32You know what I'm saying? I like that. And I just looked at him like, yeah, I like that.
03:35He was like, yeah. I was like, yeah, I like that. You know what I mean?
03:38That was a moment. It registered in my soul. Some things just kind of happen and go away,
03:43but certain things, they stick in your soul. You know what I'm saying? And you know,
03:47it's going to be there when the credits roll. So it's like, that was special. And it was not
03:50only special for me, but it was special for the world because we were about to do something with
03:54Def Jam that would change the landscape of hip hop and the landscape of music.
04:00Coming up, LL Cool J is bringing back his Rock the Bells Hip Hop Festival for another year.
04:05He opened up about the event that will take place this June in New Jersey.
04:09This festival is about those artists and about seeing them have a place in history
04:13and about seeing them get celebrated the way they should and giving them a platform that honors them
04:19and giving the fans an opportunity, you know what I'm saying, to engage with artists that they may
04:26or may not have had a chance to see if it wasn't for this really special moment.
04:31You can catch LL Cool J hosting the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday,
04:35March 17th at 8pm on FOX. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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