LL Cool J said he hadn't a clue his catchy phrase would go on to become one of the most popular words used by the youth of today, a quarter of a century later.
The 57-year-old New York rapper, whose artist name stands for Ladies Love Cool James, rose to prominence in the 1980s alongside the likes of Beastie Boys and Run-DMC after being signed by Def Jam Recordings.
The two-time Grammy winner emerged in the hip hop scene at the young age of 16 and while many fans will remember him for his work on hits like 'Going Back to Cali' and 'I'm Bad', his secret influence can be heard in the slang of youngsters today.
LL, whose real name is James Todd Smith, revealed in a 2024 interview with the Metro that the peculiar phrasing was born out of his 2000 track.
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The lyrics go: "Like ecstasy, my crew's next to me / It's my destiny, to make history I'm the emperor, Rap King / From the streets of Paris, up north to Sing-Sing.
"One question: Do I do my thing thing? (Hell Yeah) / Then putcha L's in the air, for the Greatest Rapper All Time."
If you're still clueless, the chorus is a dead giveaway: "I'm the GOAT!" it goes, "The Greatest Of All Time."
Aptly titled, 'The G.O.A.T', the record resonated with fans and millions more who have adapted the phrase to use it in their everyday vocabulary.
For example, you might hear a sporting legend or some other culturally accepted icon being referred to as 'the GOAT' in their field, like Simone Biles of Team USA, considered the GOAT in gymnastics, or Beyoncé in the music industry, or LeBron James in basketball, to name just a few.
He then said he came up with the term and acronym from ‘smashing together’ Muhammad Ali’s famous line, ‘I am the greatest’ as well as the nickname given to the South Carolina street basketball player, Earl ‘the Goat’ Manigault.
Though Earl, born in 1944 and died age 53 in 1998, years before LL's track, was called 'the Goat', the singer says 'there's no question' he 'came up' with the moniker.
LL then went on to use the term on his eighth studio album, G.O.A.T., which featured James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time.
He said: "It’s pretty wild that it turned out how it did. I had no idea it was gonna become a worldwide phrase and statement.
"To be able to touch the world through my art like that is pretty dope. What it says to me is that I can do more creatively. It says to me, if I’m capable of creating terminology for the entire globe, I can do some big things."
The link comes as LL is set to headline a New Year's Eve concert in Philadelphia this year, completely for free.
"Philly, don’t call it a comeback. We’ve got unfinished business. Shout out to the Mayor for the invitation! Meet me on the Oval this New Year’s Eve as we bring in 2026 — live," he said.
Liv Bridge