Released: August 31, 2004

Songwriter: N.O. Joe LL Cool J

Producer: N.O. Joe

[LL Cool J]
Yellow canary, tennis bracelet necklace, knahmsayin?
Three quarter black mink; shades, canaries in both ears
Knahmsayin? Black Phantom, triple black, with the oak wood
Gucci shoes, that's how I play

[Verse One]
Hold up, I don't gamble, I don't play no craps
I was taught early on don't jeapordize the stacks
Before I open my mouth, I get all the facts
I could never fall off, it's too many hot tracks
I'm affiliated with too many hot cats
To end up, crawlin out of a hole in Iraq
Try to topple my regime
You end up in need of a scalpel to your spleen
Is there a medic on the scene?
Easy children, Queens is in the buildin
That blank look on your grill'll get filled in
Slow down baby, you actin like a clown homes
You get your fronts remodeled like a brownstone
You hear my heat rock comin through your sheetrock
It means you're OD'n homeboy, here come the detox
I get my swagger on, proud as a peacock
Bars is hot, beats is pumpin like a {*edit*} box

[Chorus]
Shake it baby shake it
If you a real O.G. put your hands in the air with me, c'mon
Shake it baby shake it
Young ladies in the spot, if you came up in the place to rock, c'mon
Shake it baby shake it
Divided we fall, stay together and forever we ball, c'mon
Shake it baby shake it
You do it for the gangsters
I do it for the ladies, but it's all money baby

[Verse Two]
They pay me so much it's hard for them to swallow
When you got 'em by the balls, their hearts and minds follow
Pay yourself first, that's one of my main mottos
Picture Bill Gates on the block dodgin hollows
I can't see it player that's beneath my vision
I'm beyond focused, every decision is made with precision
It seems like greed's the world religion
But L want cake, save the crumbs for the pidgeons
Black man, get the flies outcha eyes
You can't cause where you born but you affect where you die
Until that day, health and welfare, cheers
And after my wake, the hood'll talk, man listen here
He kept a mink and canaries in his ears
Like the Enterprise rollin over stars for years
Spit bars for years, kept hot cars for years
The dice was loaded but he beat the odds for years, uh-huh!

[Chorus]

[Verse Three]
To be or not to be the man, that's the question
Got a vision in my mind, I can see that I'm destined
To lean up in the backseat, givin directions
Sweep the block clean as November elections
On the Blackberry readin cash flow quadrant
Brim to the side, my gorillas is bonded
CLS Vision, four Hummers behind it
You forgot I'm from Queens? You can get reminded
I'm a man's man, when you chumps gon' learn
If you play with fire you get poured in a urn
You must have been puffin on blunts of sherm
All my albums is platinum, it's been confirmed
I'm more than a symbol of sex, I get respect
For livin in the hills but still keepin it mad real
Stay on course, the boss crush obstacles
You burnin me, two words: im-possible

[Chorus]

[LL Cool J]
Like I said
Yellow canary tennis on the neck
Three quarter black mink
Gucci hat to the side, shades
Gucci shoes, baggy jeans
Black Phantom, oak wood
That's how I play
Yeah
(Shake it baby shake it)
You do it for the gangsters
I do it for the ladies, but it's all money baby

LL Cool J

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.