Released: June 9, 1989

Songwriter: LL Cool J Eric Sadler Hank Shocklee Keith Shocklee

Producer: LL Cool J The Bomb Squad Dwayne Simon

(Intro: LL Cool J)
Let me tell you something about an a-b-c style
The A the B the C the D the E the F the G the H the I the J the K
The L the M the N the O the P the Q the R the S the T the U the V
W, X, Y, Z
It's bullshit to me

(LL Cool J)
Rhyme to the rhythm of a
What should I give a brother
Time to move on, you better get another
Vick to work with - or quit
Cause I'm on some old L shit
Capable of murder but I never committed
Taking no shorts so you better forget it
Traveling the world on my total devastation tour
A supercalifragilistic emcee executioner
Wicked witch, digging your ditch
Giving ya stitch by stitch, ain't this a bitch?
Sweeter than lemonade, stronger than a hand-grenade
Rhymes I laid go deeper than a mermaid
Louder than a siren, I'm not retirin'
Aspirin', admirin' the way I'm getting fly and
MCs are kleptos and I resent those
Brothers who slept on, when they should have kept on
Rollin' with Rush it don't get no rougher
I'll snuff a huffer and puffer, a brother'll suffer
I was holding back the man superior, right?
You wanna take my title, yo, you'll be alright
You stand below the plateau I stand on
You want perfection? Then put the man on
I shake and bake and break the laws of gravity
And if you chew on, you'll get a cavity
Cause I'm a giant, and you're a peewee
And all that LL shit, you can't see me
You're cheap and weak, incomplete and off-beat
Ehem! Cause it gets no rougher

It gets no rougher

Yo man, you know how to take out all the ABC emcee's youknowhatI'msayin'?
Your cuttin' ain't no joke, yo L, release the juice on 'em

(LL Cool J)
I release the juice smack dab in your face
Do damage, I'm picking up the pace
My mic's like a torch when I'm walking at nighttime
Straight to the dome, it's like a pipeline
High speed, stronger than Thai-Weed
Before you pick up the mic to get fly you need
All the dope tactics that you can feature
So I can serve you, you know the procedure
Listen to the man intellectualize, visualize
Your whole posse getting paralyzed
I don't wanna hear no alibis, don't apologize
Eh-ehem, I'll put the highs in your eyes
The bass in your face, like a District Attorney, I'm on the case
With rhymes that'll hit ya, will get ya and sit ya down
The competition is booty, get the picture now?
Skip the rigamarole, to give me-a-go
I'm figuring yo, nigga you know
I won't allow, not now, no way, no how
Any form of disrespect, you better bow
Comp gets romped and swamped, I do it prompt
In between my jaws adversaries got chomped
The cordless mic's my only utensil
Lyrics you be running, I break 'em like a pencil
Cause I'm massive, and you're a small fry
You're all in, a stunt, a fall guy
Out of order, I slaughter wax and make you suffer
Cause it gets no rougher, it gets no rougher

Shut up, Now got attention to get
And drop these L dope lyrics on you, the beat is pumpin', youknowI'msayin'?
Tell 'em

(LL Cool J)
Let me ask you ask a question...
Who could take the game of rap and rule it alone
Demonstrate many styles on the microphone
Build an empire like an African King
I had to show and prove Jack the Ripper could swing
I'm a rapper's nightmare, I crush my opponents
There's only one title: I own it
Emcees flip-flop, I bust out the workshop
They try to eavesdrop the way the man rock
Aerodynamically, it's all automatically
The way I articulate, full of originality
Chase, chop 'em and stop 'em like a cheetah and an antelope
Then I cut 'em like a cantalope - on the table
They ain't able, I'm a legend, not a fable, gotta keep it stable
Crack your back bone, hotter than brimstone
Doing you justice overseeing like a chaperone
Huh! Oh, on the hip-hop scene, I got shit sewn up like a sewing machine
Eat a rapper like a sandwich, leave 'em in a bandage
Crack the stage and leave the audience damaged

(Interlude: LL Cool J)
Yeah, get funky on that cut, get funky on it
(Yo, L, them lyrics is dope man youknowI'msayin'?
You been raw sick for years..) this how we do it dogg
(...Pump that good man, let's cut us some real, real somethin')
Yo, bust this

(LL Cool J)
I'm kinda like a soldier, see I told ya
When I pick up the mic I'mma hold ya
Captive, I'm active, I make sure the track give
Hell to speakers, sell the sneakers, your backs' getting weaker
I freak the beat and get shieker
Move over King, you're too over-eager
To try to make a move for
I'mma prove you're
Ridiculous I think he was jealous and in the mood for
An ass-kicking when you mess with
The man with the plan
Mic in his hand and a fresh skit
R-O-U-G-H-E-R, rougher, so here we are
Face to face, mic to mic, man to man
While your battleship's sinking in quicksand
Dropping to the bottom like a two-ton anchor
And I break, pull a rank, point blank, I'mma spank a
Rapper like a brat, step on 'em like a mat
My DJ Cut Creator scratch a record like a cat
E at my side with pride we got a bigger rep
Sfff... smoke the mic like a cigarette
Every puff is rough, a pull could kill a bull
One toke, joke crews will choke
I run through rappers like water through rubber hoses
Nigga, I'm comin' up roses
Step back, I got the title
Bear witness to a dope recital
I've killed many men my friend
And I'mma do it again and again and again
Cause it gets no rougher

(Outro: LL Cool J)
You know what I'm saying? I'm ruling this game
It don't get no rougher, peace, LL Cool J

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.