‘When you get a call from Quincy Jones to pick up a pen, you pick it up,’ LL says of writing lyrics for benefit single. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jayson Rodriguez LL Cool J Photo: MTV News In case anyone was wondering if Barbra Streisand and Kanye West could make sweet music together, they’ll find out when the star-filled remake of “We Are the World” premieres Friday during the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Thanks to some lyrics from hip-hop legend LL Cool J , the hip-hop community appears to be well represented on the track, which will benefit earthquake-ravaged Haiti. “Mr. [Quincy] Jones just called me and asked me if I would take a shot at writing the hip-hop section or the rap section of the song,” LL Cool J told MTV News at BET’s “SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti” telethon Friday night at Miami’s American Airlines Arena. “And I took a shot at it and recorded it.” With the OK from Jones and Lionel Richie, LL then sought the approval of his hip-hop contemporaries. “It seemed like the other artists that were there liked it,” he said. “Will.I.Am, Wyclef, Kanye — a lot of people were there, and they all seemed to be onboard with it. So we went on and recorded it.” LL was glad that his peers liked the lyrics, but he was even more pleased to see that stars like Celine Dion and Streisand were down with adding some hip-hop flavor to the charity single. “I’m just honored that I’m able to make a contribution and blessed,” he said. “When you get a call from Quincy Jones to pick up a pen, you pick it up. So if they would have not used it, it would have been all right. The point is to have the opportunity to do it and to know that the money is going to go to Haiti and help some people. From a hip-hop standpoint, yeah, it’s great to be a part of it [and that the other artists] didn’t say, ‘Keep hip-hop out of it,’ but embraced it.” Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti , and for more information, see Think MTV . Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now. Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of ‘We Are The World’ Related Photos ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ Recording Session Related Artists LL Cool J
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LL Cool J Is Glad Hip-Hop Was ‘Embraced’ On ‘We Are The World’ Remake
