LL Cool J Defends Beyonce Super Bowl Performance, Compares Her to Bob Dylan (Video)

“There’s always been some element of counterculture that has existed in music,” Grammy host said of superstar

Beyonce’s politically charged Super Bowl performance wasn’t lost on rap legend LL Cool J — who told TheWrap that social issues and music have long had a relationship.

“Ever since Bob Dylan … there’s always been some element of counterculture that has existed in music. That’s always going to be there. They didn’t show Elvis from the waist down — really think about that,” said Cool J, who will host the Grammy Awards on Monday.

A surprise single from Queen Bey, “Formation,” was released one day before she graced the halftime stage with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.

The song is a showcase for issues like police brutality and a prideful representation of her Southern black heritage, areas that Jay-Z’s wife had never before approached so directly.

“If you don’t raise the issue you can never bridge it — music it can bring change or bring the possibility of change through dialogue,” Cool J said.

Watch the interview here. The 58th Annual Grammy Awards air Monday on CBS.

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