On the strength of the slow-burning Boyz II Men duet "Hey Lover," LL Cool J returned to the top of the charts with Mr. Smith, meaning the album is somewhat of a comeback for...
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Mr. Smith was the third comeback for LL Cool J, the third time he returned to commerical and creative strengths after being written off by many critics and fans. So, it...
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At this point in his career, this veteran rapper is perhaps known more for his role as retired NFL baller Marion Hill on the sitcom In The House than as one of hip-hop's...
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Mr. Smith was the third comeback for LL Cool J, the third time he returned to commercial and creative strengths after being written off by many critics and fans. So it...
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Released at a time when hip-hop's anxieties about crossover success were at a fever pitch, Walking With a Panther found LL Cool J trying to reinvent his sound while building...
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On the strength of the slow-burning Boyz II Men duet "Hey Lover," LL Cool J returned to the top of the charts with Mr. Smith, meaning the album is somewhat of a comeback for...
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All World: Greatest Hits is an excellent compilation of LL Cool J's greatest hits, featuring 16 of his biggest and best singles, including "I Can't Live Without My Radio,"...
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With a career that has spanned 15 years and eight commercially successful albums, the last six of which have been platinum, LL Cool J deservedly belongs in the pantheon of...
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L.L.'s smash debut was one of the earliest records, along with Run-DMC, to combine the vocal approach of rap with the musical arrangements and riffing of rock 'n' roll. "I...
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Run-D.M.C. was the first rap act to produce cohesive, fully realized albums, and LL Cool J was the first to follow in their footsteps. LL was a mere 17 years old when he...
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LL Cool J rocketed to the top of the hip-hop world in 1985 with Radio, his astonishing debut, but he lost his footing a bit with Bigger and Deffer, his mildly disappointing...
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Released at a time when hip-hop's anxieties about crossover success were at a fever pitch, Walking With a Panther found LL Cool J trying to reinvent his sound while building...
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L.L.'s powerhouse comeback album featured the headbanging title track single, and seemed to set the world on fire in 1990. Check out his sweaty performance on MTV's...
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In the wake of the gangsta appeal of N.W.A., Ice Cube and Public Enemy, L.L. decided to take adopt a harder edge for his follow-up to Mama Said Knock You Out. Unfortunately,...
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It's not the tour de force of Mama Said Knock You Out, but 14 Shots to the Dome is a solid effort finding LL Cool J maturing gracefully and strongly, without selling out. 14...
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This powerful follow-up to his debut was another feather in the cap for L.L., the young rap superstar that the ladies loved to love. "I'm Bad" is a killer slice of classic...
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LL Cool J's 10th album isn't a greatest hits collection--it just sounds like one. Reaching this career milestone, rare for any hip-hop artist, has brought on a rush of...
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It's great to hear LL Cool J so unrestrained and so inspired on "Hush," one of the fantastic tracks on the more hit than miss The DEFinition. The track segues into the much...
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Increasingly dismissed by hip-hop fans as an old-school relic and a slick pop sellout, LL Cool J rang in the '90s with Mama Said Knock You Out, a hard-edged artistic...
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