A new statue of LL Cool J has arrived in the rapper’s native Queens, New York. The striking monument to the MC comes complete with a solar-powered audio setup that plays his music.
The LL statue, which resides in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, was built by Sherwin Banfield, the Queens-raised sculptor who previously memorialized Phife Dawg, Prodigy, and Jam Master Jay at the Queens Public Library back in 2019.
LL’s bronze bust — which features his trademark 90s bucket hat and chain — sits on boombox thats powered by the sun. The side of the statue reads the anonymous quote: “If a task is once begun, never leave until it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all.”
“Using traditional techniques of modeling clay and a multitude of reference photographs, I created my artistic interpretation of LL, a collaboration of facial stages emerging from an anatomical foundation,” Banfield wrote of the project on Instagram. “Using my years of lessons in study of ancient Kemetic statues, Greco Roman and Italian Renaissance masters, I strived to model the essence, strength, fortitude, sensitivity and determination of LL into this portrait bust.”
In October of 2021, LL joined the viral platform TikTok, launching his official account with a throwback video tribute to his 2002 R&B duet “All I Have” with Jennifer Lopez.
The TikTok clip is a mashup of the original 2000s music video and the two reuniting on the Global Citizen stage last weekend to reprise the breakup duet.
Along with LL, J-Lo was joined by several guest stars during her energetic set at Global Citizen in New York City including Jadakiss for her signature hit “Jenny From the Block” and Ja Rule for the duo’s hits “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny.”
Given how prolific LL’s Rock The Bells account is, fans can expect lots of great content from the hip-hop veteran-turned-actor on TikTok.
Listen to the best of LL Cool J on Apple Music and Spotify.
