After 13 studio albums and more than 30 years in the game, LL Cool J is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. He’s won awards, he’s starred in movies and TV shows and created and operated businesses. At the height of his career, the rap legend was considered a sex symbol fond of going shirtless showing off his chiseld body and constantly licking his lips.
As a matter of fact, many tried to mimic LL’s lip-licking in many comedic routines and tv shows. LL’s lips because almost as famous as him.
But even with all the notoriety and sex appeals his lips received, LL tells The Blast he was ever approached to market any brands such as Chapstick because they “didn’t like my black lips back then.”
In fact, back in 2007, it was reported that LL was negotiating with Chapstick for a deal.
“It’s an obvious fit. LL has been licking his lips for 20 years,” his then manager Chris Lighty told Brand Week. “They’ll get to speak to people who normally would not pick up Chapstick.”
But Chapstick is one of several corporations who passed over LL as he was on the come-up in the rap game. Still, LL was offered other endorsements, one of which he cleverly managed to reference another Black-owned brand while shilling for a mainstream one.
In recent years, there were another brand who got some heat about denying black lips. In 2016, MAC Cosmetics posted this photo of a black model at New York Fashion Week to their Instagram account.
Shortly after the photo was posted, one user commented on Instagram with extremely racist remarks.
The comment reads, “Black women will never be as beautiful as white women. The only argument blacks have is they have more melanin like that matters [crying emoji]. Yes white women can get injections and when they do, they are basically flawless. You don’t have any thing [sic] over them anymore and thats [sic] why you get so pissed off. Keep lying to yourselves thinking your dark asses look better. [crying emojis]. dont [sic] even come at me with the ‘all white features were first started by blacks’ Even if that was true, WHERE THEY AT THO? [100 emoji] Keep projecting your jealousy on white women though… I’d [sic] rather be a cracker with injections than look like the majority of you oily yet ashy at the same time people. Acting like you don’t bleach your skins, get nosejobs, get contacts, and dye your hair blonde. [crying emoji, wave emoji].”
In an official statement to BuzzFeed, a representative for MAC Cosmetics wrote, “M·A·C stands for and respects All Ages, All Races, All Sexes. We do not tolerate any abusive comments in our community.”
It brings to light the argument about why Black really is beautiful and why do so many African Americans don’t believe in their own beauty. And others rely on downplaying the beauty of their own culture.
Either way, we ride with LL. The brands missed out. Keep rocking those lips.
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