Eddie Van Halen made headlines recently when he posted images of himself in the studio with rapper LL Cool J.
The news was that the guitar icon is set to appear on two tracks from LL’s forthcoming album, “Authentic,” due April 30.
Van Halen plays on “We’re The Greatest,” and “Not Leaving You Tonight.”
Now the rapper tells Radio.com what teaming up with the guitarist means to him.
“Working with Eddie was just amazing,” says LL. “I just really wanted to work with the best, work with people that I respect, people that I look up to, people that impress me, people that I believe are truly super talented… and even more talented than myself. I feel like Eddie falls in that category. Now Eddie Van Halen has officially done a hip-hop record. And I have officially worked with one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived.”
“Authentic” is LL’s 13th studio album and first in five years.
Eddie has made guest appearances on projects throughout his career, including records by Michael Jackson, Roger Waters, Steve Lukather, Dweezil Zappa, Thomas Dolby and Nicolette Larson.
As for Van Halen the group, they're set to play a handful of concerts this year, with dates in Australia, Japan and a single US show announced for July.
See also:
VIDEO: Van Halen - David Lee Roth interviewed by HuffPost Live
AUDIO: New interview with Eddie & Alex Van Halen
AUDIO: Preview new LL Cool J song featuring Eddie Van Halen
Van Halen: Hot For Teacher lawsuit brought against Oakland University