Men We Love
By Keith Boykin, in pop culture
Wednesday, March 22 2006, 12:02PM

As you can tell from the new featured picks on the left, we like LL Cool J and Hill Harper. Both men have been around for awhile and managed to stay young and timeless. And both men have new projects set to be released next month. Hill has a new book and LL has a new CD.
I went to Harvard with Hill Harper and I was even impressed with him back then. I went to several of his performances on campus and in the Boston area, and he was always amazing to watch. Now it seems he gets younger by the year.
The same is true for LL Cool J. I love the fact that he has been able to keep himself relevant for so long in his career. For the past three decades, LL Cool J has been at the top of his game in hip hop. With a rock hard body and radio-friendly lyrics, he's found a dynamite recipe for success.

Comments conceal
James
March 22 2006, 12:46PM
Yes, they both are definitely lovely, especially LL.
Jeff Hobbs
March 22 2006, 12:58PM
yeah but its rumored that LL takes human growth hormone which reverses the aging process. Alot of fitness people can spot it a mile away. Its known as the fountain of youth in some circles. I hate to think that hes succumbed to that but I'm sure he's put in alot of hard work too!:)
ALLEGRO
March 22 2006, 1:11PM
I don't know about no growth hormone stuff.....but I do know that it has been discussed that LL COOL J has had a facelift. You can tell he's had work done around his eyes.
striversrower
March 22 2006, 2:46PM
YES THEY BOTH LOOK YOUNGER and DIFFRENT HILL HARPER HAS HAD A NOSE JOB HIS NOSE IS much SMALLER THAN HIS EARLY CAREER. AND LL IS THE HIP HOP POSTER BOY FOR FACE ALTERATION.....NOSE ....CHEEKS ....AND SOME TYPE OF OVERALL FACE LIFT............ONLY IN AMERICA AND GAY CULTURE ARE WE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUTH AND LOOKING THAT WAY FOREVER.. ....WE ARE SUPPOSE TO AGE ...YES TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND LOOK YOUR BEST .......BUT NOT WITH THE AID OF DOCTORS AND KNIVES
j. brotherlove
March 22 2006, 3:03PM
striversrower called it out!
I'm not sure about Hill but LL definitely has had some work done. I'm not hating on either one of them. They are both beautiful men. But let's call it what it is.
Mark C. Smith
March 22 2006, 3:49PM
Ok, now all this about face lifts and nose jobs is crazy. Wait I'm falling into the trap. Ok, um yeah I think LL is a beautiful man and Hill is as well I always enjoy a characteristic or two from each.
alicia
March 22 2006, 4:11PM
i admire harper too
i love his ecclectic acting work...
peace
ab
LaFontaye
March 22 2006, 4:35PM
Human Growth Hormone ain't the only thing rumored of which LL...takes.
And yes, HELL YES in fact, Hill Harper has most definitely had a nose job. Go back and look at some of the man's earlier work and compare it to the way that he looks now on CSI New York. There's no question about it.
Erick
March 22 2006, 5:09PM
I agree with those who believe LL has had plastic surgery. I noticed it a couple of years ago but I think he did it in a clever way in that it seems it was done around the same the time he rededicated himself to fitness. Remember there were a few years when he was thick around the middle. I initially focused on his amazing body but couldn't help noticing his face looked different, younger. Like he was only a few years older than those cute boys from B2K. Although I've lived in Los Angeles for several years, I'm not a fan of plastic surgery but I will say whoever did LL's work did a great job. Let's just hope he doesn't continue.
Derrick from Philly
March 22 2006, 5:21PM
I don't care what kind of "job" that Hill Harper had, he's a cute little o' thaing. Delicious.
Doug Cooper-Spencer
March 22 2006, 7:33PM
Man, I am sitting here laughing with tears in my eyes! The gay community and it's obsession with the beautiful male. DON'T U GOTTA LOVE US?
Phd2b11
March 22 2006, 9:39PM
Lovely...and Hotttt no doubt. Whatever they're doing, it's working. Different strokes for different folks. I prefer the natural means, but if it works for you.....do!
Jeff Hobbs
March 23 2006, 12:05AM
Well I'm sorry to get this going about plastic surgery and so forth. God knows I need a ton!!LOL There are so many natural ways to look good. My best friend is a former Structure underwear model and a natural bodybuilder. Fine as hell too. Tyson wishes he had this body. His site it www.seanfit.com hit him up for beauty secrets LL and Hill!!:) Keith make sure you show LL my video on my myspace page!LOL I'll be curious to hear his thoughts!!! Jeff
Derrick from Philly
March 23 2006, 1:06PM
I don't know what y'all young chil'ren see in LL Cool J, I really don't. I like that rugged stuff, but let's not get carried away. Back in my day, we had our rugged macho men we fantasized about: Jim Brown (who did a famous layout for Playgirl in '75), O.J.(well, that was a mistake, wasn't it?, besides he liked white boys), Fred Williamson, etc.), but they weren't so...so...GHETTO! Oh, I'm sorry. Look, finding a man like LL is easy. Just commit a crime and go to jail. You'll have all the LL's you want--hell, you'll have more LL's than you want.
I keepa' lookin' at that picture of Hill Harper...he's so adorable and well groomed, betcha' even his underwear smell clean and fresh, before they go in the washing machine.
LaFontaye
March 23 2006, 3:19PM
Disappointingly, Jim Brown showcased quite the small penis in that Playgirl layout, as I remembered it.
Derrick from Philly
March 23 2006, 4:45PM
"Jim Brown showcased quite the small penis..."
Well, I thought I just had a bad memory for faces, but maybe I have a bad memory for dingdong sizes too. You must admit though, Jim Brown had one of the most powerful pair of buttocks ever photographed, butt that comes with being an pro-football runningback.
And guess what--if you've got beautiful muscles, you don't need no big dingdong. Now, that aint too shallow minded, is it?
Jon R.
March 23 2006, 4:47PM
LL should change his name to GML Cool J! I don't even care if he is or not (its not like I'm gonna be hooking up with him anytime soon), because just looking beautiful is enough for me.
tony
March 24 2006, 8:19AM
I'm confused why LL is on your pick list. As far as I know, he has been notoriously homophobic. I was chatting with RuPaul once, and he was tell us about the time he was on LL's (thankfully forgotten) show playing LL's drag queen brother. LL treated Ru like shit for the entire shoot and even went so far as to threaten to beat his "faggot ass". Ru nearly walked off the set. I don't know why she didn't. Forget LL's fake ass. That kind of hyper-masculinity is a joke anyway.
Derrick from Philly
March 24 2006, 9:59AM
Lord,Thank you, Tony:
This is just what I was trying to say, but in a joking way. These Rappers and pro athletes make millions of dollars and live the best of lives, and yet they still hold on to their Ghetto nigger mentalities. There was a time when black folks who made it big tried to educate themselves, create a worldly sophisticated image for themselves; but I guess that's part of this Hip Hop generations philosophy: remain an ignorant nigguh-- stay true to your violent ghetto image. A man, I mean, a boy like LL can't be fine, can't be sexy. He can't be nothin' but an imitation THUG--with a lot of money, a little (screen) acting talent, and whatever pseudo-talent it takes to make that noise y'all young folks call Rap.
Oh, shit! Keith met for this posting to be fun with fun comments...forget every damn thing I said. Have nice weekend.
nahtan Serious
March 24 2006, 1:18PM
I agreew ith you derrick ...why would I make money to look like a thug!
Michael-Vincent
March 25 2006, 11:25AM
One may debate and each is entitled to an opinion
per se to our 'lovely', especially 'beautiful' brothers, as public 'figures' and 'personalities',
such as LL Cool J and Hill Harper, respectively.
But without a doubt the only criminal not making an honest living in Keith's 'sights' is the pernicious, dangerous, international war criminal
and treacherous Dick Cheney, whose mug shot should
be on post offices' walls for "Most (Un)Wanted!"
Personally, having danced with Ru Paul [in civies]
and with Patti Labelle at her Apollo show, and as a brother,who can proudly acclaim he is a self-made man [and woman!]in his work, if Tony's notes of LL not-so-Cool 'G' of gays are true, that's enough for me to kick him to the curb! Tell Sandman Simm's successor don't bother to sweep 'im
up out of his gutter trash talk toward crossdress folks, like a very proud and professional Ru Paul, among all others, until he is truly 'Cool'!
If you, all, please, refrain from using the term
'thug' a British bastardization of a Hindi word
and ethnic group under their imperial oppression,
until Mahatma Gandhi put them in the waste bin of
world bigots [can't really say he 'kicked' them to
the curb!] A little more Love of human rights rap
not physical attributes is the order of the day,
for anyone still denying us our humanity and rights, like LL Cold J!
Jon R.
March 25 2006, 2:29PM
Michael-Vincent, since your post is structured like a poem, I have a haiku for you:
Why expect depth from
rappers that record songs with
Jennifer Lopez?
naturalblkluv
March 25 2006, 10:03PM
THERE ARE MANY RUMORS THAT LL HAD LIPO-SUCTION AFTER HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE MOVIE KINGDOM COME. I HAVE NOTICED THAT HE HAS HAD WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL A NUMBER 17. LOL
A NUMBER 17 IS WHAT THE WHITE CHICKS HAVE HERE AROUND THE 17 OF EVERY QUARTER. IT CONSIST OF A LASER LIGHTNING OF FADE, AGE. AND BLEMISH SPOTS. AND A FEW DAYS THEY THEN GO BACK AND GET A DERMIBRATION OR A SAND PAPER TREATMENT WHICH EVENS OF THE SKIN BUT REMOVING ABOUT 5 LAYERS OF SKIN. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, THEY WILL THEN HAVE A CHEMICAL PEEL WHICH REMOVES LINES AND LIGHT WRINKLES. IT WILL TAKE YRS OFF AND GIVE U THAT PERFECT COMPLETION.
MANY PEOPLE OF COLOR DON'T HAVE THIS TYPE OF COMBINATION BECAUSE IF CAN AND IF DID IMPROPERLY CAN REMOVE YOUR PIGMENTATION, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE DARKER SKIN. BUT AS U CAN TELL LL HAS A RED UNDER TONE, SO HE JUST GOT A LITTLE LITER N REDDER. LOL I AM NOT A BROTHA IN FAVOR OF PLASTIC SURGERY, BUT IF I WAS TO HAVE ANY THIS IS WHAT I WOULD GET. LOL I KNOW THAT IN MY FAMILY, WE TEND TO GET DARK SPOTS UNDER OUR EYES, MY MOTHER IS CONTEMPLATING GETTING THAT LASER TO REMOVE THEM, SO I MIGHT HAVE TO CHECK UP ON THIS. LOL