Beyonce’s politically charged Super Bowl performance wasn’t lost on rap legend LL Cool J — who told TheWrap that social issues and music have long had a relationship.
“Ever since Bob Dylan … there’s always been some element of counterculture that has existed in music. That’s always going to be there. They didn’t show Elvis from the waist down — really think about that,” said Cool J, who will host the Grammy Awards on Monday.
A surprise single from Queen Bey, “Formation,” was released one day before she graced the halftime stage with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.
The song is a showcase for issues like police brutality and a prideful representation of her Southern black heritage, areas that Jay-Z’s wife had never before approached so directly.
“If you don’t raise the issue you can never bridge it — music it can bring change or bring the possibility of change through dialogue,” Cool J said.
Watch the interview here. The 58th Annual Grammy Awards air Monday on CBS.