Photo: © Avalon

LL Cool J has declared himself "the most important rapper that ever existed".

The 56-year-old star was one of the first rappers to achieve commercial success when he started his career back in the 1980s and believes that he has left an indelible legacy in the genre.

LL Cool J told Apple Music's 'Le Code': "I'm (going to) say this humbly, but I really mean this. I think one day people are going to wake up and realise that LL Cool J is the most important rapper that ever existed. I truly believe one day people are going to say that."

He continued: "They're gonna look and say, 'Wow, when it comes to the jewelry, this is the guy that introduced all the diamonds, and the ice and the jewelry and the champagne.

"They're gonna say when it comes to the love songs, they're gonna say, 'This is the guy that introduced the love songs and all the love s***.'

"When it comes to the bad boy vibe, they're gonna realise that this is the guy who introduced all the rebellious, bad boy vibes before it was done. When it comes to the G.O.A.T terminology, they gon' say, 'This is the guy who came up with all the G.O.A.T stuff'. I could go on and on and on."

In addition to rapping, LL Cool J has featured in various TV shows and movies and also founded his record label P.O.G. (Power of God) in his "unfathomable" contribution to hip-hop culture.

The 'Going Back to Cali' rapper – who was signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984 - said: "I've done so much for the culture, it's almost unfathomable.

"Every artist that you can name, the biggest billionaire artists were launched on the label that I launched on.

"I'm saying this with love, I'm not trying to be funny-style, I'm not trying to be arrogant, I really sincerely... when I look at the epicentre of what it really is... it's almost unfathomable."