LL Cool J and Public Enemy Celebrate 40 Years of Def Jam Records with a Medley of Old-School Hits at the MTV VMAs

With the 2024 VMAs, MTV is marking a major milestone. This is the 40th annual Video Music Awards. The awards show isn’t the only thing celebrating 40 years this year. The groundbreaking hip-hop label Def Jam Records is also turning 40. So, it only makes sense to see LL Cool J taking the stage with fellow rap royalty to celebrate four decades of Def Jam.

LL Cool J took the stage with his original Def Jam labelmates Public Enemy to celebrate Def Jam’s 40th year. They performed a medley of old-school hits including “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “Bring the Noise.” Additionally, the hip-hop veteran sampled new music from his most recent album The FORCE before delivering an electrifying rendition of “Doin’ It” that had the whole crowd on their feet. For a moment, the MTV VMAs took a trip back in time to show some love for old-school hip-hop.

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LL Cool J Celebrates 40 Years of Def Jam at the 2024 MTV VMAs

LL Cool J has a long history with Def Jam and the MTV VMAs. The New York native inked his first record deal with Def Jam Records in 1984, shortly after the label opened its doors. The next year, he released his groundbreaking debut album Radio which helped him become one of the first rappers to achieve mainstream success.

LL Cool J has released 14 studio albums over the course of his long and lauded career. Thirteen of those have been with Def Jam Records. He released his 2013 album Authentic through S-BRO Music Group before returning to his longtime label home for his latest release, The FORCE.

Tonight was not LL Cool J’s first time at the VMAs. He won his first Moon Person in 1991 when “Mama Said Knock You Out” took home Best Rap Video. It was also nominated for Best Cinematography in a Video. “Doin’ It” was nominated for Best Rap Video in 1996. Unfortunately, it did not win. The next year, though, he returned to the Video Music Awards to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award which is MTV’s lifetime achievement award.

Bruce Glimmer, executive producer of the 2024 MTV VMAs spoke about LL Cool J in an interview with Billboard ahead of the awards show. “He’s a legendary MTV artist returning to the stage to celebrate a milestone of one of hip-hop’s most groundbreaking labels: Def Jam.”

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