{"id":34119,"date":"2026-01-26T22:10:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T22:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/?p=34119"},"modified":"2026-01-26T22:10:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T22:10:53","slug":"ll-cool-j-admitted-he-had-no-idea-his-invention-would-become-one-of-the-most-used-phrases-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/?p=34119","title":{"rendered":"LL Cool J admitted he &#8216;had no idea&#8217; his invention would become one of the most-used phrases of all time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>LL Cool J never imagined that a lyric he casually created in a song more than two decades ago would become a defining phrase for generations to come. Rising to fame in the 1980s as one of hip-hop\u2019s pioneers, the New York rapper\u2014born James Todd Smith\u2014was already known for his influence on the genre. But in 2000, his track <em>\u201cThe G.O.A.T.\u201d<\/em> introduced a phrase that would explode far beyond music. In the song\u2019s chorus, he boldly declared himself \u201cthe Greatest Of All Time,\u201d blending inspiration from Muhammad Ali\u2019s famous words and the nickname of legendary streetball player Earl \u201cThe Goat\u201d Manigault. What started as a self-confident lyric soon entered everyday language, now used to label icons like Beyonc\u00e9, LeBron James, and Simone Biles. Looking back, LL Cool J admitted he never expected the phrase to become global slang\u2014and even joked that he wishes he had trademarked it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rapper later built on the concept with his album <em>G.O.A.T.<\/em>, cementing the term into pop culture history. He reflected that creating a phrase embraced worldwide proved the reach of his artistry and pushed him to think bigger creatively. Today, his legacy extends beyond music, influencing how greatness itself is defined in modern conversation. As he prepares to headline a free New Year\u2019s Eve concert in Philadelphia, LL Cool J continues to celebrate the unexpected power of his work. From a single lyric to a universal expression of excellence, his story proves that art can shape language, identity, and culture in ways even its creator never foresaw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LL Cool J never imagined that a lyric he casually created in a song more than two decades ago would become a defining phrase for generations to&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":34120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"views":231,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34119"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34121,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34119\/revisions\/34121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}