LL Cool J Gave The 2024 VMAs Crowd A Hip-Hop History Lesson With His Medley Performance

The official Hip-Hop 50 celebration may have wrapped up last year, but LL kept the hip-hop history lesson going at the 2024 MTV VMAs. His medley performance not only included songs from his newly released fourteenth studio album, The FORCE , but also encompassed many of his signature hits going back to his glory days in hip-hop’s Golden Age. Opening with “Headsprung” (remixed with the now-familiar Mohawks sample, “The Champ,” rather than its original Timbaland-produced beat) then transforming into Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise” (with a surprise appearance from Chuck D himself), the veteran performer also went through “Rock The Bells” before hitting newer songs like “Passion” and “ Proclivities ” before returning to another classic: “Doin’ It.” You can watch the full performance above.

Ironically, LL’s performance was nearly upstaged during a shot of the audience featuring a woman standing motionless , staring at the stage, and grinning in such an eerie way , that it seems almost certain that she was an actor planted to promote the upcoming horror thriller Smile 2 . Unfortunately, though, LL didn’t perform “ Murdergram Deux ,” his collaboration with Eminem, who also performed tonight to open the VMAs, but probably did leave before LL’s performance.

You can still check out a full list of VMA winners here .