Photo taken by The Chocolate Voice at NAACP Image Awards
Onย Saturday evening (Dec. 2), LL became the first rapper to earn the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, which is Americaโs highest achievement for any performer.
Along with LL Cool J, singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, TV creator Norman Lear and dancer-actress Carmen de Lavalladeย were all on hand to receive their award at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The event, while very distinguished, is also top secret and the eveningโs honorees usually donโt know who will honor their artistic achievements. The NCIS actor and Lip Sync Battle host has a pretty robust catalogue of music to choose from so whomever is tasked with praising Todd Smithโs musical career, theyโll have a healthy arsenal to choose from.
LL later took to Instagram to speak on the moment and captioned that for hip-hop to be acknowledged was bigger than him.
โThis one is for those who came before me and those who followed me. We were sent to this planet to love and inspire one another. Manifest our dreams and make them a reality. I hope youโre inspired by me because Iโm absolutely inspired by you,โ LL wrote.
LL later took to Instagram to speak on the moment and captioned that for hip-hop to be acknowledged was bigger than him.
โThis one is for those who came before me and those who followed me. We were sent to this planet to love and inspire one another. Manifest our dreams and make them a reality. I hope youโre inspired by me because Iโm absolutely inspired by you,โ LL wrote.
The 40th annual ceremony will air on CBS Dec. 26 at 9pm.
This article originally appeared in Vibe.