Entertainment

LL Cool J Isn't Hosting The Grammys Next Year

by Amy Mackelden

The announcement on Tuesday that James Corden is hosting the 2017 Grammys has been met with praise for the talk show host. But a lot of people are wondering why LL Cool J won't be in attendance, since for the last five years, the rapper has become somewhat of a staple at the Grammys. It's hard to imagine the ceremony taking place without him on stage hosting the night. So why isn't LL Cool J hosting the 2017 Grammys? The performer has a number of projects in the works right now that might be keeping him busy.

As the co-presenter of Spike's Lip Sync Battle, alongside Chrissy Teigen, LL Cool J has helped to build an incredibly successful brand, which has attracted the likes of Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson as performers. He also serves as a producer on the show. His ongoing role on NCIS: Los Angeles, as Special Agent Sam Hanna, is still going strong, and, back in March 2016, LL Cool J suggested that he might be returning to music, saying, "Today I'm officially coming out of retirement. And starting a new album... studio time is set for 8pm... I'm gonna massacre the rap game!!!" While no album has appeared as yet, the rapper has a whole host of fans that would love to hear new music from the iconic rapper.

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With so many projects on the go at once, LL Cool J was likely ready to take a step back from hosting the Grammys, instead letting James Corden take the helm. Corden is an incredibly experienced singer, Broadway performer, Tony Award winner, talk show host and actor, who has a lot of contacts in the music industry thanks to the Carpool Karaoke segment on The Late Late Show. While LL Cool J will be missed at the Grammys, it feels as though he's handing over his responsibilities to a person who is more than capable of making the ceremony fun for all.

Having hosted the Grammys five consecutive times, LL Cool J has proven what an incredible host and presenter he is. It'll be exciting to see what the actor does instead in 2017, and whether he'll be back to host the Grammys at some point in the future. Fans would definitely welcome his return.