Two Versions Of How LL Cool J Got Signed To Def Jam Records

“As soon as we finished the demo, me and Rick played it for Russell. I remember sitting on a pillow because Russell didn’t have chairs in his office at 1133 Broadway. Russell looked at me then asked Rick, ‘Who’s this guy smilin’ at?’ He was smiling, too. Until then, I’d never heard of him. All I knew was that he was behind that desk and had something to do with my dream.”
 — LL Cool J remembers the time he and Rick Rubin brought his first song, “I Need a Beat” for Russell Simmons to hear. Part of GQ’s excerpt from Bill Adler’s forthcoming oral history, Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label

. But I will always prefer to believe the fictionalized version from Krush Groove.