LL Cool J is embracing every chapter of life, including grandparenthood.

During a recent appearance on LIVE with Kelly and Mark, the hip-hop icon opened up about being a grandfather to four grandchildren and made it clear he has no interest in hiding from the title. 

“I want my grandkids to call me granddad,” the rapper and actor said. “Like, what we hiding from?”

“Just call me grandad. I earned that, man, he added.

LL and his wife, Simone Smith, share four children, and it’s their eldest, Italia Smith, who made them grandparents.

And while their kids may be grown, LL joked that they still love coming home, especially to eat. “My son, [I am] always like, ‘You still live here?’ ‘Nah, I just came to eat,’” he said with a laugh.

Now with grandchildren in the mix, LL Cool J said he’s all about legacy. “That’s the beauty of life, right? You look at your tribe and you look at your tribe expanding. It’s just more of a reason to do great things and keep creating.”

He continued, “I’m just happy that my kids can have their lives too, right? Because we all want our children to have wonderful lives and, you know, and feel good about life. That’s kind of a reflection on me in a lot of ways. It’s pretty amazing. So I don’t dodge that. You know what I’m saying? Like, I embrace that. You know what I’m saying?”

At 56, the NCIS: Los Angeles star is still as active and ambitious as ever, producing events like the Rock the Bells Festival and cruise, both of which celebrate hip-hop culture. 

I’m just involved in every detail because I just want people to be able to experience hip-hop at a high level the way I believe it should be experienced.”