LL Cool J

Released: June 9, 1989

Songwriter: LL Cool J Bryan Philpot

Producer: DJ Cut Creator LL Cool J Dwayne Simon

[LL Cool J]
Yeah
Funky! Uh
Yeah
Yo, let me tell you bout a girl named Peg
A D.C. haircut and stewardess legs
Dressed to kill, her physique is ill
Her face belongs on a dollar bill
Her boyfriend's down with the M-O-B
Drivin around in a 300e
Trunk jewelry and all that
Talkin bout, "My man can't fall, black!"
Sippin on cham', diamonds on her hand
Takin cash, carryin drugs for her man
Drivin around in a kitted up Jetta
Under the seat a automatic beretta
You know, the whole blasé blah of rap
Tellin brothers they need to get off the brastrap
That's the type of girl she is
Word to Miz, she got the
Full length blue fox, knock you out the box
Big rocks, this girl is hype, pops
The type of girl that cold did son wrong
She got the face that you wanna spend money on
Her man be smackin her up
Yeah, backin her up to the wall
"Get undressed, where you goin?
You ain't playin me out with that hoein
Look in the mirror, check the jewels
Silly rabbit, you know the rules"
But he had to leave on another deal
So she's out there with sex appeal
It's the weekend, time for freakin, she's sneakin
Outside, tellin her homegirls, "We can
Do the do, with whoever we want to
Cause we're the fly girl crew"
Not knowin her man messed up the money
Ridin around, thinkin everything's funny
Went in a disco, came outside
Somebody pushed her in a beat up ride
She had to pay for her man's mistakes
They shot her in the head
That's the breaks

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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Walking with a Panther

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Walking with a Panther (1989)

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Walking with a Panther