Last night’s Grammys featured big wins from Mumford and Sons and The Black Keys, Carrie Underwood’s light-up dress, and Jay-Z straight transcending wrap-up music, but it ended with LL Cool J. The King of the Kangol wasn’t alone, though, bringing Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello, and Z-Trip on stage to debut the jam-packed single, “Whaddup”.
The stage performance was no doubt a high-energy sensory explosion, but the studio version is a far more nuanced beast. Combining equal parts rock, hip-hop, and mixing, the banger captures one fierce and hungry LL, surrounded by the old-school fury of Mr. D, Barker’s thunder, Morello’s funk, and Z-Trip’s subtle scratchwork. Stream the all-star mayhem below.
“Whaddup” is the latest cut off LL’s 13th album, Authentic, which hits stores on May 7th via S-BRO Music Group. If you’re hankering for more sexy, be sure to listen to the previous singles, “Ratchet” and “Take It”.
