LL Cool J recently opened up about his most challenging rap battle, revealing that his toughest opponent was Canibus. In an interview with Ray Daniels, the rap icon and actor discussed some of the most intense feuds of his career. While LL has gone head-to-head with rap legends like Kool Moe Dee, MC Shan, MC Hammer, and Ice-T, he admitted that his rivalry with Canibus was the most difficult. “I would say out of all them, probably Canibus because he was a pain in the ass,” LL Cool J shared, highlighting the relentless nature of their clash.
The rap battle between LL Cool J and Canibus kicked off in the late 1990s when Canibus seemingly took a jab at LL in his verse on the song “4,3,2,1,” which also featured Redman, Method Man, and DMX. Canibus rapped, “Yo Method, where the gods at? Redman, where the Squad at? / Yo L, is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that,” referring to LL’s bicep tattoo. LL Cool J interpreted the line as a direct challenge and fired back with a sharp rebuttal on the final cut, making sure his verse stayed on the track: “When young sons fantasize of borrowing flows / Tell little shorty with the big mouth the bank is closed / The symbol on my arm is off limits to challengers / You hold the rusty swords, I swing the Excalibur.”
Canibus fired back with “Second Round K.O.”. The feud escalated with more diss tracks, including LL’s “The Ripper Strikes Back” and “Back Where I Belong.” LL described the rivalry as being similar to a scene from a Rocky movie. He said, “It’s like one of them Rocky movies when he’s driving through the tunnel with the fucking Rolls-Royce and he’s having flashbacks and shit.” He added, “You got this Mr. T muthafucka over here rapping out the basement.” LL recalled the relentless pressure he felt during the beef, especially while balancing his acting career. “He’s rapping in my ears, biting at my calf muscles, over here doing sitcoms and shit. I’m like, ‘Yo, this shit is crazy right now!’” he said, recounting how the ongoing battle became overwhelming.
Despite the intensity of their beef, LL Cool J no longer holds any grudge against Canibus. “I wish him the best,” he said, making it clear that he has moved on. Reflecting on their feud, LL acknowledged that he could have handled the situation differently. He spoke about the feud on the podcast *Million Dollaz Worth of Game*. LL Cool J admitted, “With [Canibus], I think it was more my fault because I could have addressed him a little differently.” LL explained that at the time, he viewed Canibus’s verse as a threat rather than a gesture of admiration. “I wasn’t there yet mentally so I was like, ‘The fuck you mean you gonna get something like me?’ That shit sounded crazy to me at that time,” he confessed.
Now, LL Cool J sees Canibus’s original verse as more of a compliment than a diss, even though it sparked a fierce rap battle. “That’s why I don’t go at him now or try to hurt these dudes. I’m not gonna play that,” he noted, reflecting on his growth and maturity over the years. The two rappers eventually buried the hatchet at a 2014 Christmas concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. They appeared on stage together, putting an end to one of hip-hop’s most famous rivalries.