LL Cool J

Released: April 11, 2006

Featuring: Ryan Toby

Songwriter: LL Cool J Trackmasters

Producer: Trackmasters

[LL Cool J]
Just starin at these four walls closin
In on me, feelin like time's frozen
Fadin in and out, noddin and dozin
Guilt tearin up my brain like erosion
What I did to you was wrong I admit it
I regret that I did it like a junkie when he's jonzin
All alone in what used to be a home
But you packed up our joy in that bag you put your clothes in
The voicemail that you left me was scoldin
Hot enough to burn a hole in a cauldron
Cause it was all true, that's why we all through
Now your girl's pickin up the cell when I call you
Talkin slick like she ain't here
She don't want you no more, punk disappear - click
I need to hit her with a brick
But that'll only lead me to a worse predicament
I hope your girlfriend ain't got you on a liquor binge
With her bitter attitude just cause she's sick of men
But I'ma keep on callin, fightin 'til the end
On my knees 'til they bleed, to prove my love again

[Chorus: Ryan Toby]
I sit in front of yo' crib in the pourin rain
Whylin out screamin yo' name
And keepin ringin yo' bell 'til you mad as hell
And call the po'-po', I ain't afraid (yeah, yeah)
You can get yo' folks and yo' cousins and them
And try to run me off yo' blocka (uh-huh)
But I ain't scared, I ain't goin nowhere
And I ain't stoppin 'til I gotcha
To show you I changed shawty

[LL Cool J]
I seen you at the movies with some tall cat
So I bust his headlights with a ball bat
When I was with you he would give me dap and all that
Now you in his arms in the mall, what you call that?
That's what I get for creepin and crawlin
Every other weekend gone until the mornin
Sneakin out to my dirt, dead wrong
Comin back past dawn with the guilty mask on
And I never counted the cost, took heed to warnings
Try to hurt a rose you get pricked by a thorn
And it don't feel nice, when you wake up nights
Shakin in cold sweats and your whole life's a wreck
That was the old me, the one I still regret
The one you couldn't respect, the one you should forget
But I'ma keep on callin, fightin 'til the end
On my knees 'til they bleed, to prove my love again

[Chorus]

[Ryan Toby] + (LL)
To show you I changed shawty
I really did change shawty (I'M TELLIN YOU I'VE CHANGED)
I wanna show you I changed shawty
(I STILL LOVE YOU!) {*cars peel*}

[LL Cool J]
I don't care if the cops got me surrounded
SWAT teams whatever, tell 'em to send the hounds in
My mind's in an altered state
Like I'm headed for a wall, top speed, foot off the brake
I make a fool of myself, girl whatever it takes
I already played the fool when I let you escape
You're as, good as it gets, your friendship your sex
Everything about you and yours connects
From your, beautiful smile to the scent of your skin
The sheets smell different, this is not livin
It feels like dyin, God knows I'm tryin
Ain't no sight sadder than a grown man cryin
Please find it in your heart to forgive me
Realize only God can convict me
We all make mistakes, so have you
If God show mercy on me, then you should too

[Chorus]

[Ryan Toby] + (LL)
To show you I changed shawty
I really did change shawty (I'M TELLIN YOU I'VE CHANGED)
I wanna show you I changed shawty
(I STILL LOVE YOU!) OWW!
(I'M TELLIN YOU I'VE CHANGED)

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.

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