President Biden mistakenly mispronounced LL Cool J‘s name and shortly after referred to him as
“boy”
during his speech at the Congressional Black Caucus on Saturday night, reports the NY Post.
LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, along with MC Lyte, was honored with the Phoenix Award for their significant musical contributions at the annual awards dinner in Washington, D.C. during the CBC’s 52nd Annual Legislative Conference.
“Two of the great artists of our time representing the groundbreaking legacy of hip hop in America, LL Jay Cool J, uhhh…”
he said as the crowd laughed at his mistake.
“By the way that boy — that man’s got biceps bigger than my thighs,”
Biden added. Ignoring his mistake, he immediately went on to acknowledge MC Lyte while the audience applauded.
As reported by The Post, the president has a track record of using the term
“boy”
to refer to African Americans, which is widely recognized as a racial slur when used to describe black men. Earlier this year, Biden used this word when mentioning Wes Moore, the first black governor of Maryland. Additionally, the president has previously faced criticism during his campaign for using the same term to describe his ability to collaborate with segregationist senators, which sparked controversy.
Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey who was also running for president against Biden, expressed his disapproval of Biden’s actions in a statement.
“You don’t joke about calling black men ‘boys’,” he said.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
President Biden Calls LL Cool J 'Boy'
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 25, 2023
BIDEN: "Representing the groundbreaking legacy of Hip Hop in America , LL Jay Cool J, uhhh…
That boy's got — that man's got biceps bigger than my thighs." pic.twitter.com/foYR1Br6Wt