LL Cool J

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LL COOL J

Born: James Todd Smith; Long Island, New York, 17 January 1968

Genre: Hip-Hop, Rap

Best-selling album since 1990: Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)

Hit songs since 1990: "Mama Said Knock You Out," "Hey Lover," "Luv U Better"

As one of the first rappers to achieve mainstream success, LL Cool J helped to define the brash but playful style of 1980s hip-hop. As other acts from the era began to fade, he retained his commercial and artistic clout through a signature mix of streetwise rhyming and engaging humor.

Rapping Young

James Todd Smith witnessed the birth of hip-hop while growing up in Queens, New York, during the 1970s. He started composing and performing raps before the age of ten under the stage name LL Cool J (which stands for "Ladies Love Cool James"). After receiving a DJ system as a birthday present, he recorded a series of demo tapes and distributed them to major record companies. He attracted the attention of the fledgling hip-hop label Def Jam, which signed the young rapper and released his first single, "I Need a Beat," in 1984. The single was a modest success and led to the recording of the album Radio (1985). The consciously stripped-down production gives Radio a harsh and aggressive tone, but LL Cool J's clever rhymes and penchant for pop-song structure lend the album an unmistakable personality. He followed the work with Bigger and Deffer (1986), which features two significant hit singles: the incendiary boast track "I'm Bad" and the tender ballad "I Need Love." The effort sealed his reputation as hip-hop's resident lover. His next album, Walking with a Panther (1989), found him in an even more playful mood with the dynamic and witty singles "I'm That Type of Guy" and "Jingling Baby."

Don't Call It a Comeback

While Walking with a Panther was a mainstream hit, LL Cool J faced disapproval from the hip-hop mainstream for embracing the pop audience. He responded to his critics with the blistering Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), a hard-edged but catchy affair that ranks among the best hip-hop albums of the 1990s. The title track delivers a punishing mission statement, from its opening line ("Don't call it a comeback!") to the dense, bass-heavy production. The complex beats and layered samples, a mix of hard funk and pop hooks, make for a full-bodied sound. The album appeals to hip-hop fans with hard, rolling jams ("The Boomin' System") and to pop listeners with spirited love songs ("Around the Way Girl"). Mama Said Knock You Out proved that rap could be commercial and stay true to its roots.

The staggering success of the album led to a number of career detours. LL Cool J performed with a full acoustic band on MTV's popular program Unplugged, delivering a raucous and utterly unique performance of "Mama Said Knock You Out" that drove even more interest in the album. He also began an acting career, winning minor parts in Hollywood films, and he performed at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993. He returned to recording that year with 14 Shots to the Dome. The album brought a more focused attempt to win the respect of the hip-hop community with even harder beats and rhymes than those of Mama Said Knock You Out. But because LL Cool J neglected his gift for pop songcraft, the album produced no major hits. There are good songs, including the cheeky love anthem "Backseat" and the provocative opener "How I'm Comin'," but the work does not give full reign to LL Cool J's distinctive personality.

As 14 Shots to the Dome fell from the charts, LL Cool J took the lead role in a television sitcom titled In the House. The show returned him to mainstream exposure and led to the unexpected success of the album Mr. Smith (1995). The record provided the blueprint for the next phase of his career with its emphasis on mature love songs and witty rhymes backed by smooth, well-produced R&B beats. "Hey Lover," a confessional ballad performed with the R&B vocal group Boyz II Men, placed LL Cool J back at the top of the pop charts, once again proving his tenacity. Each song is a portrait of a different LL Cool J persona, from boastful lover ("Doin' It") to streetwise firebrand ("God Bless") to pop powerhouse ("Loungin'"). Far from distracting him, his career as an actor taught him how to bring subtle details to his stock musical characters.

Phenomenon followed in 1997 with the same basic structure of party jams and smooth soul ballads. Despite its unabashed appeal to the pop audience, the album actually thrust LL Cool J back into the center of the world of rap thanks to the track "4, 3, 2, 1." The song features turns by the hardcore rappers Redman, Method Man, and DMX, as well as the newcomer Canibus. Shortly after the album's release, Canibus engaged LL Cool J in a rap battle with the single "2nd Round KO," in which he accuses the older rapper of stealing his rhymes. LL Cool J responded with "The Ripper Strikes Back," an unrelenting track marked by a string of one-liners and put-downs not seen since his early days. Once again, LL Cool J blurred the lines of hard-core and commercial rap, proving himself to be the most versatile MC in the business.

G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time (2000) and 10 (2002) find LL Cool J as comfortable as ever with his dual lover-man/hardcore rapper demeanor. While many hip-hop artists follow his formula of alternating sensitivity and brutishness, few can pull it off with similar charisma and technical verve. LL Cool J has demonstrated that personality can win out over trendiness and that it is possible to sustain a long and successful career.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Radio (Def Jam, 1985); Bigger and Deffer (Def Jam, 1987); Walking with a Panther (Def Jam, 1989); Mama Said Knock You Out (Def Jam, 1990); 14 Shots to the Dome (Def Jam, 1993); Mr. Smith (Def Jam, 1995); All World: Greatest Hits (Def Jam, 1996); Phenomenon (Def Jam, 1997); G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time (Def Jam, 2000); 10 (Def Jam, 2002).