LL on Staying 'Authentic' After 30 Yrs in Music

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LL Cool J is celebrating 30 years in the music business by releasing his 14th studio album, Authentic, and he opened up to us about what fans can expect from the album after a concert last week.

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"I think that it's going to break a lot of boundaries and give people who may not necessarily be into hip-hop a way to come in and listen to something," LL said of the project, which features collaborations as varied as Snoop Dogg all the way to Brad Paisley. "And it'll give the people who are into hip-hop a chance to kind of expand their minds a little bit."

Just before our sitdown, the 45-year-old entertainer helped launch the Doritos "For the Bold" campaign at SXSW with a special performance of some of his new music. LL described the concert (also featuring Doug E. Fresh, Public Enemy and Ice Cube) as "totally interactive."

"People were tweeting, instagraming -- it was like a social media blitz all over the country," said LL. "The people voted on my encore -- my last song. It felt really good."

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Doritos also held a fan contest, allowing Australian rapper Seth Sentry to win a chance to open for LL on the road.

"I'm happy that his career is off and running here in the States now," said LL. "Seth is going to be able to open up a couple of shows for us because he got on the Doritos #boldstage and tore it up."

LL's upcoming album, Authentic, drops April 30.