LL Cool J

Released: May 29, 1987

Songwriter: LL Cool J

Producer: L.A. Posse

[Intro]
G, G, G, G, G, G Get...

[Verse 1]
Down, to the rhythm that'll rock the walls
Cold sportin' Air Jordans, and I'm on the ball
Don't lack and I'm black but I'm not Lou Rawls
Disappeared for a year now I'm back y'all
So get down with me, entrepreneur of funk
Not a sloppy fat punk or a Shaolin Monk
Ain't down with Johnny Cousin know as use at a jam
So the hell with Ed McMahon and Tom Macan
JVC is the box, Farmers is the street
Soundin' hungry over beats, that's why I always eat
Up to you to guess who's rockin' the funky sound
If you don't know never mind come on and get down

[Hook]
Go L.L., go L.L., go L.L., go L.L
Get Down
Go L.L., go L.L., go L.L
Get Down

[Verse 2]
Get down, hard like Haystacks Calhoun
Callin me a sucker boy you're pushin a broom
If you try to pull a ace you'll get a punch in the face
All eyes are on my posse when we walk in the place
Not the Cunningham family from Happy Days
Not the boys who play the bench for the Oakland A's
He drop you to a hop to the record he play
Couldn't keep it a secret I'm L.L. Cool J
Rhymes are all wack and real all real
Yo Earl, tell the party people the deal

[Bridge]
Yo listen here
Ya ain't no thing, can't complain
Get cash like a muh'fuck, pass the "J"

[Verse 3]
That's right I'm back he's talks out rap
You used to smirk, now you're jockin' cause my name's on the map
Sit and lie my homeboy Earl says that it's a E-Love hat
With the hands like a hatchet, Cut Creator's in back
Cut Creator on the fader, the teacher's pet
Baddest man with ten fingers you've ever met
And sooner or later we'll house the set
Cut Creator cut the record so they don't forget
Get down

[Hook]
Go L.L., go L.L., go L.L
Get Down
Go L.L., go L.L., go L.L

[Verse 4]
I make hard rock jams for hard rock fans
What I'm sayin's for real, this ain't la-la land
Got a can full of jams pullin off the lid
Competition in New York can't do what I did
No Cinderella story, I paid my dues
I rocked at house parties I was down with crews
Now I'll never be caught I'm on my P's and Q's
And for the rest of your life you wanna be in my shoes
I'm strong like stone, hard like cement
And I rocked every jam that I ever went
Cause I got a better reppin than any emcee has
And I'm bad like a brother from Alcatraz
Get down

[Hook]
Go L.L., go L.L., go L.L
Get Down
Go L.L., go L.L., go L.L

[Verse 5]
Ni-ni-nigga-nigga-ni-ni-ni
Ninja of rap, the boss is back
The only man you should call on when the party is packed
From Paris to L.A they say I'm sharp as a pin
When it's a Cool J party you gotta get in
So I can make you kick steps like Gladys Knight and the Pips
One rhyme, you're on my tip, soon as it leaves my lips
Up the block kids are talkin and spreadin the news
About the new grandmaster the one you'll choose
Cause I'm treacherous, I wanna stomp the rest
What I'm kickin' couldn't bore, it can only impress
I'm not a Hula-Hoop, this ain't no passin' phase
Hard work pays, I'm gettin straight-up A's
Cool J is runnin' things, I want it understood
Executioner, I should wear a black hood
And carry an axe cause I'm ruff on wax
Speakers Spared Cold ran from Gentle Eight Tracks
Get down

[Outro]
(G, G, G, G, G, G, Get Down)

Deriving his name from the statement “Ladies Love Cool James,” LL Cool J became a superstar rapper after his Def Jam debut in 1984. He mixed a hardcore hip-hop style from songs like “I’m Bad” with R&B style on songs like “I Need Love,” which led him to multi-platinum success and several awards. He would later venture into movies and television, write several books, and start different business ventures.

Born January 14, 1968, Queens, New York native James Todd Smith began rapping at the age of nine and started to seriously pursue rapping when he was 16 years old after his grandfather bought him music equipment, which he used to create a demo tape that was sent to numerous labels. He was signed by upstart independent label Def Jam, working with founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin to release his debut single “I Need a Beat” in 1984, which sold over 100,000 copies. This success helped Def Jam secure a distribution deal with Columbia Records.

LL released his debut album Radio in 1985, which achieved platinum status with help from the hit singles “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” and “Rock the Bells.” After working exclusively with Rick Rubin on his debut, LL worked with the West Coast production crew L.A. Posse on his second album Bigger and Deffer, released in 1987. The album featured two of LL’s signature the hard-edged “I’m Bad” and the “rap ballad” “I Need Love,” which was a Top 20 pop hit, helping the album achieve double platinum status.

more tracks from the album

Bigger and Deffer

From the album

Bigger and Deffer (1987)

LL Cool J popular songs

Get DownLL Cool J

LL Cool J

Bigger and Deffer