The awards ceremony at the Kennedy Center will take place on December 3 and will be the first under President Donald Trump. LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, was hailed by Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein for having "taught the world how to rhyme as one of the pioneers of the Hip Hop phenomenon." The 49-year-old New Yorker is seen as one of the pioneers of pop rap and was the first rapper to gain 10 consecutive platinum-plus selling albums. Estefan, meanwhile, is the first Cuban-American to receive the award and arguably the most popular crossover artists in Latin music history. The 68-year-old Richie -- known both as a solo artist and for his work with The Commodores -- is a pop legend, known for hits such as "All Night Long," "Hello" and "Endless Love."

Source: The Nation Bangkok August 03, 2017 23:37 UTC