LL Cool J’s longtime brand Rock The Bells is expanding itself as a website dedicated to celebrating the icons and trailblazers in hip-hop culture. The site will provide visitors and fans with “content, commerce and experiences” through a series of articles, podcasts, products and more.
According to a press release for the site obtained by The Root, “Rock the Bells uplifts the people and moments at the forefront of hip-hop, through our best-in-class storytelling, shopping platform, and experiences. We’re putting ownership in the hands of the black community and the pioneers that started the culture.”
In 2018, it was announced that some of hip-hop culture’s trailblazers—Big Daddy Kane, RUN DMC, Eric B, Salt-N-Pepa, Fab 5 Freddy, Roxanne Shanté, graffiti artist Risk, famed b-boy Crazy Legs, and photographer/director Jonathan Mannion—have a minority ownership stake in the company, forming an alliance unlike any other.
LL prides Rock The Bells on being “the leading voice that rocks with Gen X and those with a Strictly OG mindset.”
“Rock the Bells uplifts the people and moments at the forefront of hip-hop, through our best-in-class storytelling, shopping platform, and experiences,” he said in a statement. “We’re putting ownership in the hands of the black community and the pioneers that started the culture.”
Current content found on the site includes LL’s powerful freestyle about the Black Lives Matter Movement and spotlights artists such as Tupac, N.W.A, Public Enemy, and more.
“LL Cool J is a pioneer of classic hip-hop with over three decades as the voice of authority in the culture,” RTB co-founder and chairman Geoff Yang said in a statement. “In partnering with him on Rock The Bells, I was drawn to his vision, knowledge and passion to connect hip-hop’s history to the present. There is a demand for content, products and experiences that speak to the hip-hop culture, packaged in a modern way to connect with and activate legacy fans as well as current and future generations.”