LL Cool J Defends Aaliyah Movie & Racism in Hollywood

LL Cool J Aaliyah Lifetime biopic

Despite what the critics say, LL Cool J is championing Lifetime’s biopic on Aaliyah’s life.

Mister “I’m Gonna Knock You Out, Mama Said Knock You Out” is fighting for Hollywood — saying the the town “is still working on that part of learning how to cast Black people.” You know, because the characters of Missy and Timberland were cast on point!

Here’s what LL Cool J revealed:

“There are parts of the movie that I could criticize, but at least at the end of the day, Lifetime is celebrating one of our icons, a young lady who obviously left too soon and was tremendously talented. Hollywood is still working on that part of learning how to cast black people. I think that in general, the movie was insightful and it was interesting and that girl, she played that role in a sweet way.”

54 COMMENTS

  1. “The Sixth Estate” knows exactly what they’re doing. LL needs to stop sniffing the glue, his brain is in the clouds. Casting biracial actors in place of actual black people is beyond pathetic at this point. He and others need to realize that the cover has been pulled off of them. We know the game they play. Lionizing Halle Berry, Paula Patton, Shemar Moore and other biracial actors while systematically erasing us from the screen. The Paper Bag Test is still very much alive. Back in the day it was Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, Ruby Dee, and others who were light enough to be greenlighted. The argument has always been about them being black anyway. Black People, these are distinct models. Whites use mixed folk to enshrine and carry on white supremacy within our race. Which is why they will always treat them different from natural blacks…The Ugly Truth! They wonder why we don’t trust them? In order for us to truly embrace the greatness of our heritage, brown and darker shades of must be celebrated in sincere fashion. Viola Davis is a blackwoman in every way, the embodiment of her foremothers. Kerry Washington is black beauty without apology. Ledisi is chocolate sweetness…good enough to eat. Don’t get it twisted, we love every shade in our rainbow, but there has to be balance and historical precedent. Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone is intellectually dishonest. Studio execs think we’re gonna just roll over like always…Hell No! The Aaliyah Biopic was promoted to a white/non-black audience. Just more post-racial bs from colorblind racists who seek to dictate to us what is blackness in 2014. They don’t rule us, we decide that…Not Them

    • @Tyrone… Ll knows which side his bread is buttered so he’s gonna play his part. Ll sold out to Quincy Jones for stardom in tv, no one needs to trust neither side of his faces cause he’s not stable in his ways.

      • Sis, they got him upside down and downside up. They put a microphone in his face, and dared him to badmouth the biopic. Jacky spilled the beans on him awhile back about that life… I Digress!

    • Thank you for bringing up India. Most ppl do not realize that the darker shades of Indians are the 1st inhabitants. The lighter shade of Indians come from mixes with other cultures. The same thing is for the Philippines and southern Asian counties.

    • Wellllllll, Amen Tyrone. Take them to church brotha. I thank you for schooling folks who don’t know. Everything you said is true. Lady Love Cool J is to busy shucking and jiving for hollyweird to care about the issues the black folk had with this biopic. The industry elite at the end of the day always need at least 1 or 2 other blacks to rally behind their foolishness. And sorry to offend any biracial children out their but until you can understand the strategy of conquering a race and nation and that you were and still is created for the division in the black community then you’ll always be lost. That’s why as black people if important to procreate with other
      blacks. Black peole are becoming exinct in america and we can’ t
      blame no one but ourselves as black people sad.

        • Yes…A Man Problem! No longer can we sugarcoat what’s going on with us as blackmen…We Hate Us The Most! The Aaliyah Biopic, Swirling, Self-Hate, Hollywood… All Connected!

        • really? you don;t say? …… ‘our men’, nah I don’t think so because most black men don’t subscribe to that nonsense. women like you are so insecure and delusional, have us believe that ALL black men lust for white women and the remainder are gay.

          • @Anon

            How can you say that blackmen are whole mentally, spiritually, and physically in 2014? Are many of us fighting the good fight, Of Course?! But, the numbers don’t lie. The Aaliyah Biopic and the obvious colorism within it became an issue from the jump. A biracial actress was given the role, a ruckus it turned into. Her black father claimed she was black enuf for the role, Really? So, he and his whitewoman are a de facto black couple in his eyes, How So! And, this is the root of the problem. Zendiyah’s father is a snake in the grass. Run around hating on his black sisters in the presence of other women with no shame. But, we gotta accept his daughter as black to soothe his ego… Naw Sis! We gotta deal with this, regardless of feelings. Where you reside it may not be a big deal, I Don’t Know? Sistas in Cali, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and other states beg to differ. Uplifting us is a good thing on both sides. Anon, i pray for the day when our women no longer have to deal with this mess. Sistas love themselves, and they want their race to grow and progress into the future with us by their side. My spirit is not gonna be alright if the status quo stays the same. Be upset about this Sis, don’t bite your tongue!!!

      • We gotta cut that element loose in our race. It’s harsh to say that, but, it’s a necessity. Our survival and advancement as a people will only come when brothas let the ego die and humble themselves. Mixed children are not the problem, my beef is with the parents. Seeing the bigger picture is the challenge, but we carry on still. Thanks Sis!!!

    • , ri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Guam, Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, and so forth. They got their pound of flesh.

      Today, we’re seeing the reverse of what was done to us by short-sighted blackmen and blackwomen to a lesser extent. Certain groups of us in America, West Indies, Latin-America, and Africa have went off the deep end. Assuming we can settle the score by cioying the mindset of our slavemasters. In this land,, we have the artisans and corporatists waging war with whitemen over their daughters. Across the pond in England, Jamaican and Nigerian men waging the, same war. The roots of this come out of black nationalism by and large. So, trying to talk sense to blackmen hellbent on getting revenge is futile at best. It’s always been the underlying motive…Always! Not realizing, their interracial conduct is playing right into the hands of the other side. Whitewomen give their so-called black children white names, and raise them as such. So, it’s a cruel joke on the brothahood. Us laying with other women is not our job,, we gotta overstand this. A blackman and blackwoman create black life…Straight Up! We take our heritage for granted, and that’s our fault. Losing blackness is a crazy thing. Those that lose it, spend a lifetime trying to get it back… The Lesson! We know the usual suspects, always in our faces begging us to accept them just because they have x amount of our blood in them. I agree with you, we should not mix. All we’re doing is creating a class of hybrid colored folk who see themselves as better than us because they have blended features and foreign blood in them. Tony, we gotta be aggressive in our tone with the flock. We’ve been sold a lemon, a bitter taste indeed. They Will Learn…They Will See…They Will Digest!

      • The top section of the post was clipped off…Software Glitch With My Phone…My Bad!!!

      • Yep. Make your degree count instead of wall decor. STEM fields all the way. I tell my younger relatives the best internships and travel opportunities in addition to actually adding value to society. The girls take heed, the guys, as proven by national statistics, not so much.

      • Proportion is what we need. Music and Dance are part of the culture, no need to minimize their contributions within the diaspora. We gotta get off the rocky boat, and sail the high seas… Big Things A Come!

  2. LL stfu mane, I can criticize the whole dam movie, there’s no reason that movie came out like it did it was rushed and poorly put together it wasn’t a very good movie at all, I wouldn’t watch it again IT SUCKED period!

    • @on topa; I agree with u. LL just needs to STFU; keeping sucking d–ks & bending off.

      • LL wants 2 keep dem cheks comming on that bullshit TV show he iz on.

        Don’t want his character to B kilt off, thus da thumbz up on dat bullshit movie.

        Quincy turnt hiz ass up a loooonnnnnggg time ago.

  3. It’s not just about the horrible casting choices of black characters. The bigger issue is them exploiting the death of someone’s child for money and ratings without the permission of her family. How could anyone defend that?

    I have lost a child, and that is a pain that I don’t wish upon anyone. It’s a very difficult thing for me to talk about or think about without breaking down. My grandmother on my mom’s side lost one of my aunt’s when she was only a few months old. Whenever my grandfather would bring it up, many years later, she would leave the room. It was still very painful for her. Now imagine how Aaliyah’s mother feels. Sorry, but its just some things you stay away from, and everybody who had anything to do with the movie should be ashamed of themselves. They should have let her mother and brother tell her story when they were ready and in the way they wanted.

    But this is Hollywood we’re talking about. It is filled with some of the most vile and disgusting creatures on the face of this earth. Many of them are among the lowest of the low in our society because they will do and say anything for a little bit of money and fame.

    • Baby, this is the “Land of the free” ONLY when it benefit whites. Anytime people can CONTINUE to disregard, and disrespect you/ or & feelings, position or the like, it goes to show u that WE have NEVER been freed, just let off the grounds for a time. I for one keep my papers on my person, for WHATEVER good that does.

      • The land of the free, ONLY TO BENEFIT WHITES?!! Let me fix that for you, Land of the free TO ONLY benefit whites. And you’re right we (blacks) want set free completely, even it comes to jobs, let us get in a tiff which someone white, we lose our job or if its the other way assertions where we’re harass by a white their not fired but moved to smother location for employment. Affirmative actin is on its way out, its already on the chopping block on the senate floor. Black better wake up, its getting real for us, its like the clocks are turning back for us, in this society (USA).

        • Truth No Time, Shortcakes, and black. Keyes to @ Black have never been free, just let off the ground for a time. The truth hurts but its the truth.

          • A LOT of us R wide awake, just not as vocal. (we learned a lesson from the death of Malcolm X, circa 1965)

            YT, the Koch Brothers, for example, R spending Millions of $$$$ to elect Government Officials to pass Laws 2 turn back the clock 2 the 1950s.

            Black Folks NEED 2 revisit the (ENTIRE) Teachings of Malcolm X, and the Nation of Islam of the 1960s, and NOT focus N on the racist media messages about these folks @ the time.

            THEY WERE TELLING THE TRUTH ALL THE WHILE, WHICH IS WHY THEY WERE KILLED & DILUTED WITH THE CIA PAWN/SELLOUT FARRAKHAN.

    • No sane person thinks that is the true scandal. it is only a meme among ghetto minded conspiracy theorists.

      • I hear you, but your wasting your breath (or rather words) on these ‘Aaliyah was murdered’ conspiracy theorists.

        Education is fundamental.

        • Let’s make a list:
          OJ didn’t do it
          Bill Cosby didn’t do it
          Aaliyah was murdered
          Michael Jackdon was murdered
          Tupac is still alive
          R Kelly didn’t do it
          The illuminati employs dozens of low level black D list actors, rappers and gangbangers in every city to carry out hits

          Did I miss anything?

  4. Shame on LL Cool J for defending racist hollywood. I wonder if they cast 50 cent to play LL in a biopic would he be saying the same thing. Its clear that both men dont have the same complexion.

  5. LL stop being diplomatic with insane people, who currently runs Hollywood, they know the damage they are doing and don’t know a 3rd rate actor to quell the storm that is coming when Black people start demanding more for themselves

  6. LL knows damn well Missy and Timbaland have never been that light-skinned in their lives–Hell, the two badly-cast actors are lighter than him! And with his ‘logic,’ I guess he won’t mind when they have Vince Vaughn play him in his biopic ‘Lifetime Presents: I’m Bad: The LL Cool J Story’ lol

  7. And EXACTLY “how long” DOES it take for Hollyhump to recognize black talent? The m.f.’s got “$pecial Effects” for EVERYTHING else! U mean to tell me they can’t conjure up “an eye” for true talent? Evidently not, so I guess people of color don’t give a f*ck HOW they’re portrayed, just pay em’. Ok, FINALLY got it. I suppose that degradation is worth it’s weight.

  8. That excuse of Hollywood not yet knowing how to cast black actors and actresses is bullsh*t, and they know it.LL shouldn’t attempt to justify that. Clearly you can look at the actor/ actresses cast to play Missy and Timberland and see that neither look anything like them, and the contrast in complexion is drastic.Had they done an open casting call requesting people who actually look like or resemble those two they would have had a better selection to pull from. If you are going to do a movie take the time to get it right. They should have known it would be a problem when they weren’t even granted permission to use Aaliyah’s music.

    • There have been 6 movies featuring Jimi Hendrix since his death and none of them were authorized to use his music. This is fairly common.

    • Don’t be silly, movie producers could never get away with not licensing original recordings for the soundtrack.

  9. remember LL Fool J made that awful song with an country hick, Brad Paisley back in 2012 called “Accidental Racist”

    the song was really really bad!!!

  10. The Aaliyah biopic was terrible and inaccurate from the casting to the music, to the fact that they didn’t get the family’s permission to make the film. I wondered if hollyweird casted Edris Ilba, threw some light concealer on hisface and gave him a bald cap to play Ll Cool J how would he feel?? It’s sad that no one besides Timbaland, Aaliyah’s family, the fans of Aaliyah, and the black community had a problem with this movie from the beginning to the end. LL is a typical house negro in 2014. Even people who were not her fans was appauld by this movie and lifetime for this b.s. of a biopic.

  11. I heard rumors about LL for years and this confirms it.

    Whenever you see a black person stating the contrary to that which is harmful or insulting to Black people, it means that black “spokesperson” for self-oppression identifies with a group other than Black. LL has had rumors dogging him about what really turns him on and this “coon” moment of his just underscores that he identifies with “a group that dare not speak its name”.

  12. This trans lover talking about casting black people when he can’t cast a real,hooker for the night life lmfao!!! Holly weirdo all buff n fluff . I swear they get money suck up permanently and lose all logic . Having trouble casting black people Really!!, Really!!!!
    How about if your not BLACK stop!!!!! Let us tell the truth for a change .

  13. Fuck u, L. L. She tried playing sweet cuz Aaliyah was a sweet, soft spoken person, so she made that attempt. R. I. P Babygirl. Her real fans already have great memories from her. He is the same asshole that will defend that bitch ass not guilty verdict on that hoeass cop that killed Mike Brown. R. I. P Mike. It’s a cold world.

        • Yes . Let’s talk about some real ish. That cop wasn’t indicted on charges of killing Mike Brown. Our Black Young Men/Boys in America are not safe. I’m watching the breaking news. Black people are no more than cattle to white america. I could go in but I’m not. This is another sad day in America. Their burning down buildings.one CNN black news repoter got hit in the head with a rock.

  14. Entertainers are not political or social activists. People take their comments way too seriously. LL’s (like most entertainer’s) worst fear is being ignored as irrelevant, so all this anti LL rhetoric means nothing. He knew exactly what he was doing when he waded into this controversy. LL doesn’t care what we think because we are no longer his core audience.

    This Film was made purely as entertainment and not for education purposes, if it means casting people a bit easier on the eye then so be it. Name me another so called ‘biopic’ that isn’t cast with this in mind.

  15. And folks had the nerve to called him G.O.A.T. yeah right. He is a GOAT alright…A SeaGOAT Capricorn according to his birthday. That’s the only GOAT Imma identified him such as.

  16. that old wrinkly flop should have just said that the Academy Awards are going to be boring because Aaliyah isn’t alive

Comments are closed.