LL Cool J

The hip-hop icon on success, ‘Accidental Racist,’ and calling yourself the G.O.A.T.

What are the most important rules you live by?

I treat people the way I want to be treated. And I don’t let anybody come between me and what I’m trying to accomplish. You know, put your oxygen mask on first, then help the person next to you.

What do you wish someone had told you about the music business before you got into it?

I don’t know if I would’ve believed anybody giving me advice. I got into the music industry at 16 years old. That’s different from somebody who gets into it in their late twenties. I had people telling me a thousand things, but I didn’t listen to none of that shit.

Your first big check was for $50,000. What was the first expensive thing you bought?

I got my mother a car, and I got some sneakers, a gold chain, and a VCR in my room. I bought my mother a house, I think, with the second check.

You’re famous for your battle raps. What did taking on Kool Moe Dee and Canibus teach you?

Sometimes you’ve got to defend your ground and sometimes it’s a waste of time, so you’ve got to pick your battles wisely.