Def Jam Confirms LL Cool J's Departure

Responding to LL Cool J's announcement that he is leaving Def Jam Records after fifteen years, the label's president Lyor Cohen said yesterday, "It is true that LL Cool J is coming to the end of his contract with Def Jam. With one more album left to deliver, it is Def Jam's intent to deliver LL's next release."

LL Cool J broke the news during an interview with Web site Y2G.com saying, "It's not any bad blood. It's not negative. It's not like I hate them or they hate me. We did what we did for a very long time . . . You gotta grow."

Cohen echoed LL's sentiments calling him "one of the most important artists of his generation. He created a valuable brand in himself, catapulted Def Jam into the finest urban brand and proved once and for all rappers can have sustainable careers. I deeply appreciate his tenacity and artistic creativity. I wish LL success and happiness as he continues his journey, wherever that may be."

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Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

More Song Stories entries »

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