Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Released on September 14, 1990, Mama Said Knock You Out was the record that made LL Cool J famous and earn the massive respect he has today. Part of this achievement can be explained through this album. After the succesfully commercial Walking with a Panther, many doubted that Def Jam would have that kind of luck once again. Mama Said Knock You Out produced 5 singles. 4 of them became massive hits: "The Boomin' System, "Around the Way Girl", the title track and 6 Minutes of Pleasure". Certified double platinum in the United States, and with the title track peaking at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, this astonishing collection of "chill" rhymes and funky beats gave him a status of sounding though and funny at the same time, and to many people, the stack of samples and the election of the drum beats resembled more to the sound of Jamaican Dub, if it weren't for the articulated lyricism of the man himself. The album despite this criticism was included in the "Phat Forty", a collection of rap's greatest albums by the now extinct magazine Hip Hop Connection. Regardless of all of this you need to understand, that Before making a name for himself as an actor in Hollywood, and even when many people may know him through the TV Show NCIS the truth is, before the sunglasses and the luxury there was a 22 year old man that used to write like a veteran, almost like only an OG would do it. LL Cool J managed to put his name twice in the top, and it's still named today for a reason and the fact that the title track of this album produced a grammy Two years later only proves that part of the respect it's sometimes earned with nothing, but some other times, like in this case you simply scratch it until you got it.
Boring.
I've always considered LL Cool J to be a bit corny, but listening to this, he's a lot corny.
Couldn’t even listen to the whole album due to streaming availability
Meh. 2/5
Fine
Some good stuff here. Call it 2.5 rounded up to 3.
Is LL Cool J kind of a dork compared to his peers? He comes off kind of like a dork on these songs. Not sure why.
Odd experience: couldn’t find the full album anywhere. Nothing else on the (mini-)album had the power of the title track: “don’t call it a comeback …”
Eh
Ännu ett Hiphopalbum jag kunde varit utan. Kan inte förstå varför detta ska vara en av 1001.
No
Not on Spotify. Power of God was a good one
Evokes my time living in downtown Oakland CA when this came out. The production and lyrical name-dropping feel dated now, but the music was always about being fresh for the time.
It was ok, but pretty dull. Title track was the best one.
Outdated unfortunately. Decent flow and sampling
pick: mama said knock you out
This album isn't on Tidal, interestingly, so I'm left to speculate what it might sound like beyond the title track. I think I have a pretty good idea.
This album isn't on Tidal, but they did have a link to video for the title track. I watched it. It was good. My impressions include: - The man seems fond of his physique,and I would be, too, if I was similarly physiqued. - He has an impressive, semi-aggressive near growl in his rapping style that seems to predate similar sounds in hard-core rap. - I would probably listen to the rest of this album and, if it didn't include any execrable interludes, might even enjoy it.
Of the OGs, LL Cool J's flow is one of the few that held up. Run DMC is fun to listen to, but they can't really hang with most rappers post the early 90s. He's still a technician, and the songs are pretty fun, though maybe empty. I might have gone to 4 stars, but there were too many annoying songs like Milky Cereal.
3/5 - At the time, I only knew the title single because it was played at literally every college party my first 2 years. The rest of this was fine, and easier on the eardrums than Public Enemy, which was also popular at the time, even if this has far, far less to say.
Generic samples & beats, weird food based lyrics.
Some hits and some misses, but by and large great representation of the genre at the time
I have a fun time with old school rap like this, it's cheesy in all the right ways
A solid rap album that sounds very much of the era it was created in. Nothing revolutionary for me but a good album through and through.
Not interested in you or your mama
Better than I expected. Really good beats and the lyrics are cheeky enough to get away with a lot.
I got nothing, good stuffs
Golden-age hip hop built from punchy drum machines, hard samples, heavy bass, and confident vocals feels like watching a boxer who keeps telling everyone he could knock them out, but never quite gets around to stepping into the fight. The confidence is clear, yet the relaxed, repetitive flow makes the album feel more like a prolonged warm-up than an engaging bout. The beats have plenty of swagger, but for me the record stays too comfortable and predictable to create much excitement.
ok if u tune out the lyrics, its fine, HOWEVER- nah if u think this is sexy rap, u should listen to my man Sir Mix-a-lot <3
Ako sa hovorí:"jedným uchom dnu a druhým von" . V rámci žánru pre mňa ešte stále ako tak počúvateľné.
Rhymes are alright but the flow is average for the era. The beats are pretty good.
Not sure I’d listened to this one before, was impressed with the Marley Marl production but underwhelmed with LL himself. The title track is a banger, but more misses than hits among the rest. 2.5
2.7 LL Meh J,
To Da Break Of Dawn
“Everybody laughing at my corny jokes.” I would say I found the album corny. It wasn’t the worst. But it was not good. I would say at best it was incredibly forgettable.
I didn't hate it. I actually think it aged better than the RUN DMC stuff on the list.
there were occasional beats/production I liked, but they would often go on for too long, and the rhyming and vocals over top never did them any favors. nothing here compelled me to listen again. curious it's not licensed to stream since LL Cool J isn't some obscure artist -- had to find a YouTube playlist to listen.
late-80s/early-90s east coast hip hop is so boring to me.
Sucker
Spotify only had 4 songs, which was lame. But I liked them.
The Boomin' System 3.3 Around the Way Girl 3 Eat 'Em Up, L Chill 3 Mr. Good Bar 3.1 Murdergram (Live at Rapmania) 2.6 Cheesy Rat Blues 2.8 Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem) 3 Mama Said Knock You Out 3.2 Milky Cereal 2.5 Jingling Baby (Remixed but Still Jingling) 2.7 To da Break of Dawn 2.5 6 Minutes of Pleasure 2.6 Illegal Search 2.5 The Power of God 2.4 Score: 2.8
This lady loves cool James - the whole album is a lot of fun and the title track is an all-timer.
Nice but not my thing.
One of LL Cool J's greatest contributions to music was not this album. It was him being the person that Kim Gordon was singing about on Cool Thing off of Goo.
He isn't bad, just slower than most.
I definitely had a 90s crush on him, particularly because of Going Back to Cali and Doin' It, which sadly aren't on here. Ah well. This was ok. It kind of had a corny factor, but he's still spittin' funky rhymes and the title track is a classic.
I love hip hop beats and some of the rhymes are phenomenal. I’m just so tired of this womanizing, violent, money hungry archetype.
I didn’t like the previous Cool J album I got on this list. And as for this one I can’t even give it an honest review since I couldn’t find the full album. 6/10 because I enjoyed what I managed to find.
Amongst all the rap and hip-hop that my friends and I listened to on tape in the 90s we never had any LL Cool J on there. This is why. It’s terrible. Not much, if any, of it has aged well, but the lyrics here primarily rhyme before being coherent. A try hard that tried too hard and ultimately made something completely forgettable.
Marley Marl is the man.
cool mais pas spécialement mémorable
Three rap albums in a row. Are you trying to get me to quit the project. Sigh. Another rap album. Typical rap music. No song really stands out. The rap songs sound the same. Not annoying like most rap. No F bombs. No N words. An average album. Three stars. Not bad for rap.
I enjoyed this album
What few people are commenting on is how damned funny this is. I’m usually pretty so so about rap, but I was fully on board for this one.
[4/5] hip hop. exuding confidence with excellent production and use of samples. unfortunately some of this album, particularly mr good bar, is painful to listen to. 3.5 // boosted for my love of the jingling baby remix and giving a benefit of the doubt for the dated songs. track notes: 1. bass city big beats bumpin. my man has bought a new stereo 2. interesting production and sample use from the start. naming people like mambo number 5. looking for baddies round the block 3. good flow but telling someone to chill may just unlock reactance 4. telling someone you won’t do the most despicable thing to them, what a rizzful gentleman and infidelity advocate. yuck. mama please knock me out 5. chaotic, feels like traffic. spitting tho 6. when the honey is gone, the bees fly away 7. sharing the mic around 8. punchy with nice scratchy mouse production. sparring with his words 9. fingers in my ears assuming this is a song about hitting my macros, your honour 10. really nice production, whole song feels so smooth 11. big diss track. but i have respect for moe dee’s sunnies tbh 12. six minutes is impressive work, big flex cool j 13. playing on the NES while being racially profiled 14. the concept of shaping babies frightens me having just watched the odyssey. smooth wind down
First listen Saved 0/14
A little long, but each track kept me focused on some great wordplay
Some memorable songs, many memorable samples, dated lyrics, classic flow, very fun album. I listened to LL in the 90s, mostly his new work and his hits from the 80s, funny how this fell in the middle of all of that.
buen disco de rap, me hizo acordar un toque a illmatic de nas, salvando la terrible diferencia que hay entre estos dos, pero buen disco sin mas
Really fun. It feels kind of like the bridge between 90s and 2000s hip hop. Old School vs. Contemporary. Cool serious songs, fun silly songs. I really like this beats and flows.
Only a few songs from the album available on Spotify but it's okay.
Saturday, 1 August, 2026 I remember first hearing the title track when I was 8 or 9. Great beats. A few songs are good…mostly just ok.
"I'm in the mood for a tuna melt And I can't make you, I sure wouldn't rape you"
Beast coast 🐺 baybee. The production quality was pretty all over the place, some tracks stuck out, others really brought it down ngl. I know there are much better hip hop albums on the list so I'll be harsh but fair. Favorite(s): Around the way Girl Farmers Blvd. Least: Mr. Goodbar Milky Cereal 2.5/5
Eh I guess it's okay. It's one of those where a friend/acquaintance starts playing it and you bear with it because it's not annoying enough to ruin their mood but it's close. 2/10
Fav: to the Break of Dawn L: Jingling Baby 2 Having the lines I’m in the mood for a tuna melt and I swore I’d never rape you right next to each other is wild. This guy was really hungry. Shame cheesy rat blues wasn’t better. Cereal song is almost a weird al parody
Mad Verse City Album. Just takes itself too seriously for me I think. Hello, Mr. Cereal? I'm top-notch, you're playin' hopscotch W: Eat Em Up L Chill L: Mr. Goodbar, Milky Cereal 2/5
So good
Another album on this list which is just too long for its own good. I thought I was going to love this album, but then more and more disappointing tracks showed up. The tracks I liked I really liked, but a lot of this album was a slog.
Aight, prefer nwa tbh
i liked it ig, not that good tho
Na, muy buenoo, le tenia muy bajas expectativas por el estilo y eso, pero la pasé bien escuchandoloo. Around the way girl la mejor.
Title track is very good but the serial so g was not about cereal apparently. Probably three stars.
The whole vibe of the album is "What if the Fresh Prince thought he was hard" The title track is an classic, I'll always remember it as Samoa Joe's entrance music The beats on this album still hold up, but geez some of the lyrics are super dated. I'm sure promising not to rape someone was probably a bit on the nose in the 90s too. 3.25* Rounded down to 3*
Enjoyable, I liked Murdergram and the title track most
Only 5 of the 15 tracks are available, so maybe I'll try and revisit this later. Partial rating. In the meantime, Bootsy's metal album with Buckethead just dropped, so I'm gonna listen to that.
Geinig, maar wel simpel
If you can't get down with some 90s cornball hiphop, we can't be friends. It's like when metalheads listen to Iron Maiden and complain its not heavy enough.
mid hop
En skön lyssning även om jag inte tar med mig så mycket efteråt.
Asså överlag skönt sound men inte så mycket mer än så för mig. Känns också som en viss överrepresentation av sån här musik i projektet :-)
Härlig lite lugnare form av hiphop!
Started a 3 ended a 4. Was grea
Classic hip hop album.
I could only find the song. Lowk a vibe tho.
Cheesy, annoying and a bit icky
Good to know for the history and to get educated
Really close to a 4, but not quite. Classic 3.5 rounded down.
Not feeling this.
Washy
Some of it was ok
I thought this was great when it came out. It didn't age well at all. 2.5
I listened to the five song version on Spotify. I felt that was a perfect introduction, and if I needed more I could’ve gone to YouTube. I recall the titular song being everywhere back when it came out. I felt I should like it and care, but I didn’t. He’d already felt dated at that point, and was a much better lover than fighter. I felt the same way today. Five songs did the trick.
Can’t find anywhere to listen to. Very familiar with it from when it came out. A few big hits. The rest is meh.
I do think a some older rap albums (including LL's earlier work) sound a bit dated and haven't aged the best, but that's not the case for this one right here. It has that old school flair with the hard drums and loop heavy beats, but it still goes hard and sounds good after the years. The production is actually a lot more advanced than on a record like Radio. It's still the early stages of hip hop so of course there are some of those pop crossover songs but they're actually not so bad either and the songs where he's straight spitting are fire.
Wasn’t looking forward to this but what a great album. Quite funky for its genre and intelligent and sometimes humourous lyrics. Enjoyed the slightly cheesy vibe and eighties samples. Listened twice and will come back to it.
only was able to listen to a few songs due to label dispute
If you were looking for a weak hip hop album that explained the birds and the bees in terms of breakfast cereals, I might recommend this. Still wish I died first. 3/10
Album not available on streaming. Listened to available songs but not entire track list.
LL is, no doubt, an icon of hip hop. This album, while amazing for its time, doesn’t hold up as well as one would think, though.
Pretty good music, terrible lyrics that ruin it.
Dated beats, dated flows, tired delivery, it's way too long, and maybe it's just me, but the mixing is really bad too. The title track saved bros career.
Eh—it was ok. I respect that it probably was luminary. The cereal song was funny. Some of the samples seemed ahead of their time. But prob won’t listen again.
Another album based on one good song.
Not a hip hop fan. But you know what... I fuck with LL Cool J. There is a good diversity of tracks on this album and he performs all of them (these were the days before all the "feat." that we see on albums today) and his delivery is smooth and easy to listen to.
the bar needs to be higher for this list smh. mama said knock you out is a jam
Sounds like this album sits squarely at the transition from 80s style rapping to the more 90s style of gangsta rap. Good album
Perus hipedihopedihoppia. Kyl se tuos sivussa meni.
Perustuttua east coast hipitihoppia. Kuulostaa samalta ku kaik tämän ajan itärannikon räppi. Ihan menevät biitit, kuunteli aivan hyvinkin kertaalleen.
Good beats and flow but the lyrics aren't great, mainly very disjointed couples, appreciate this is early in the history of rap but it's been so far surpassed by now I doubt I'll listen to this again
Old skool hiphop, but I like his debut better.
It is a fun and unapologetic collection of songs from rap extraordinaire LL Cool J. While undeniably the role that LL Cool J had in rap's infancy, it does suffer a bit from being dated and repetitive. 7/10 [DROP]
It isn’t for me but I can recognize that some people probably really enjoy this
Sounds like I'm 18 again!
ll cool j hasnt been Erased from the proverbial history books, but his presence is definitely shockingly small given that he was early to the Massive Commercial Success of hip hop right along with run dmc. this particular record is kinda caught between production and ideas that could have come out in any year of the following decade, maybe even two, and ll's rapping being uncanny sort of "dated" where its obviously post-rakim but there's still a little bit of that old school bluntness in it. i dont say that as a criticism for what its worth!!! it might explain why some modern listeners dont quite know what to make of this one, but i think it absolutely deserves to be remembered for all of its qualities. ll fills the room, and the production is basically nonstop killer...i especially like the sweet proto chipmunk soul on around the way girl but thats merely a productive outlier on a record thats brash and sweaty. more of a Fun Bad Boy record than the harsh grit of gangsta rap , its a type of thing u rly dont get anymore. its been referenced by everyone from nicki minaj to homestar runner, maybe it never actually left...
Not on streaming. Production is dated but I like it. Could be more bass. Singles off this are bangers definitely.
Meh
DON'T CALL IT A COMBACK
Did not realize this is just banger after banger. Incredible album.
Well, it's not as offensive as most rap from this era, but then this is more hip hop. LL Cool J seems like a decent bloke and I appreciate the artistry, but this albums problem isn't is genre, it's that most songs sound like demos or work in progress, like half the band didn't turn up. It's not multi layered or complex, it's a drum machine and rap, and if you're lucky, a fitting sample. It's very garageband. So not awful, but also not brilliant. There is however some hilarious rhyming in it. See "cheesy rat blues". 'Hurry' and 'leftover curry', 'edge is' and 'eating neighbours hedges', 'two faces' and 'tips of shoelaces'. Also, 'I'm top notch, I'm playing hopscotch'. Brilliant.
I can't see the point but I see the attraction. Stupefaction.
I loved this. Heh.
Read every other thing I’ve said about this genre and this time period. I’m sick of it at this point. At least bowie’s 8 albums all sound different SHANE
Outside of the title track, this album pulls its punches. It tries to sit in the uncanny valley between Young MC and NWA. Bump to a 2.5 just because of Momma Said Knock You Out
PEAKANUMA SAMPLE SPOTTED
Bland. It lacks the charm of earlier rap and the technical edge of later rap. Completely a skip and only barely scrapes up to a 2/5 because it didn't actively offend or aggravate me. Cereal song was fun though.
Always pisses me off just a little bit every time these albums aren't on Spotify. That's on me. Overall this was pretty fun. Clear vision, good beats, and a couple seriously hoppin' tracks. Obviously L is iconic and incredibly important to the art form, so at the very least I'm glad I listened to him. Sadly I will probably rarely ever return to this. Fave tracks: - Eat Em Up L Chill - Mama Said Knock You Out - Illegal Search
I can't mesh too well with this one. It just sounds too basic for me. It's just the classic albums of the 90s being more than not way too long, especially hip-hop is quite a egregious in this regard. Obviously if you like the album, more is good, but if you don't it's so grating. It just feels to me that there's a lot of filler, "Milky Cereal" being the one that speaks to me the most in regards to filler. First third was fairly fine, middle third not great, last third bad. Favourite line: "I'm Uncle L, but you can call me Todd" I doubt I will be returning to this. Highlight Song/s: "Around the Way Girl" and "Mama Said Knock You Out"
After a strong first impression this album becomes the hip-hop equivalent of asking “when are they getting to the fireworks factory???” The titular track is the only real standout for me beyond the openers and this album suffers with some of the worst excesses of 90s hip-hop/rap misogyny that I’ve heard yet. “I sure wouldn’t rape you” isn’t the reassurance Mr Cool J thinks it is, and even considering the context of the 90s and the tropes of the genre and form this one line brought the entire album down at least one ranking during my listen.
Spotify only gave me five of the fifteen songs on this album, so that’s all I can review it on. LL was never my favorite old school rapper, but compared to what rap has become, he’s phenomenal. With that in mind these five songs are probably a solid 4/5.
Nothing ground breaking but nice and breezy
This is album is mid and dated
He lived through Deep Blue Sea but he kinda sucks as a rapper sorry
Mama said knock you out ***** Everything else 0 stars
lala
Vamos hoy martes con un completo desconocido, como me son la mayoría en este género. Gratamente, me sorprendió. Tiene varios temones que me recuerdan a Beastie Boys. Otro disco de hip hop que va a mis favoritos del reto. Gracias y hasta mañana, gente
This was a great bridge to where modern 90s hip hop was going. That being said, there are many more mcs with better lyrics and rhyme schemes
Grew a little on me. The first song did not impress me.
Couldn't find this on streaming, luckily I had it from an old CD i burned.
Your generic run of the mill old school hip hop album
Pre Listen: Eh, not feeling the album cover on this one. Looks kinda lame. Expecting mid-tier rap, but I have been wrong before, so who knows. Notable Tracks: Eat 'Em Up L Chill - Least favorite song on the album. The refrain is lame as shit, the lyrics boringly self-congratulatory, beat is bland. Cheesy Rat Blues - My favorite song on the album. Weirdly funky, and funny lyrics. I know people like Cheesy Rat in real life! Farmers' Blvd - If the concept of this song is legit, I really dig that. Going back to the old neighborhood to give you pals a shot in the light is respectable as fuck. Milky Cereal - An entire song with cereal allegories? Very creative, very bold, very nice. Post Listen: I was wrong. That rap was pretty aight. The B-Side of this album was strong as hell, carried this thing from a 2 or 3 right up to a 4. Huge shoutout to the DJ they got making these beats, they were clean as fuck. The sample work was good too, never got tiring or annoying across the board, showed restraint in most songs. The lyrics ranged from a little boring to pretty damn creative. Enjoyed this a lot more than anticipated. Putting them right next to Public Enemy, 4/5.
Thought this was gonna be a 4 but it just kinda started to drag for whatever reason? I don’t know. It’s a solid album, especially instrumentally.
Hip Hop Favorite Songs: Around the Way Girl, Mama Said Knock You Out, Illegal Search Least Favorite Song: Mr. Goodbar The album feels a lot braggadocious in terms of how LL Cool J is the best rapper in the world, and in some aspects, I kinda get why he would do that. From what someone else said online, this is in response to his previous album “Walking With a Panther” was criticized for being a bit too poppy. If true, then I can see why LL Cool J wanted to showcase that he still has it in this album. That said, what’s drawing me back from liking this album is with most of the songs that mentions about him with another woman/women. For example, 6 Minutes of Pleasure showcases LL Cool J and a woman wanting to sleep together, even though the woman already has a different boyfriend and is being tempted by wanting to cheat on LL Cool J. I feel like he should just convince her that she should just dump him, even though in the lyrics, she doesn’t love the rapper. Like, why do you wanna cheat, and why is he going along with it? And then we get to Mr. Goodbar, where LL Cool J is convincing the woman to leave her man and be with him. It’s the same issue as the last example, but this song I got a bit creeped out on when he mentioned, “I’m not gonna rape you.” Like, this isn’t the best wording to use as, if I were to be in this woman’s shoes, I would’ve find that as a red flag. It didn’t help that not only did she have champagne, meaning that she might’ve gotten drunk to the point where she might not legally give out consent, but that I’m a guy. But I think the biggest issue for me is when he uses the fact that he bangs with more women than any other MC does, such as when he raps at one point how the other MC just lost his virginity while LL Cool J was already banging multiple women left and right and is still doing it. Honestly, even with me being an atheist, I’m still the type of guy who wants to treat sex as more of a sacred thing, and when someone brags about how many women they slept with, I felt like they’re a bit too immature for my liking (and a bit perverted, not gonna lie). Like, if I were a rapper, and while I’m not saying that having a good time in bed is not something that I don’t care about when finding a partner, I would just roll my eyes when someone say that, because to me, they’re just treating another human being like an object. Overall, the album’s okay when he doesn’t talk about women most of the time. I’m contempt that I’ve listened to the album, but I also wouldn’t want to have most of the songs in my rotation. 6/10
That's some old school hip hop.
this was ok ! just ok !
Hey, Kool Thing, come here Sit down beside me There's something I got to ask you I just wanna know, what are you gonna do for me? I mean, are you gonna liberate us girls From male white corporate oppression? Also, Milky Cereal is probably the worst hip hop track ever written!
Couple of good ones on here, surprised how 'jazz rap' it gets in places, some tracks have not aged so well, on balance as an album ⭐⭐⭐
This was ok. I checked out after Bigger And Deffer so never heard this until today. Nice old skool HipHop, but nothing that particularly excites me in 2026.
not bad kind of a hybrid between 80s and 90s raps 💥around the way girl 💥mama said knock you out 💥to da break of dawn
Title track is a banger, may one other decent track. The rest just wasn’t up to par, especially considering when this album came out and all the other rap and hip hop at the time. This doesn’t even come close.
Comme souvent avec le rap fin 80/début 90, c'est sympa mais ça tourne vite en rond.
Listened to titular track. It was just so old school. Maybe I'll revist later, but to me it just felt very plain.
Oh no, another hour of dull repetitive rap music.
i think i don't like 80's/90's rappers. (with some exceptions) There are some beats here that are interesting, but mostly, this flow of rapping boastfully over a repetitive beat, without anything else, feels anachronic and boring
Pretty alright like a 3.5
Day881 - not a great overall album but “around the way girl” and “mama said knock you out” do some heavy lifting
Tbh I accidentally missed a ton of songs because Spotify didn't have them, but the ones I did listen to were fun and energetic.
Enjoyed the few songs that were available
I do enjoy some old school hip-hop, but don't listen to it very often. LL certainly embodies a lot of what I think of as old school, and this album is certainly famed. Having heard it all the way through, it's a little bit corny, and a lot of the tracks don't really stand out, aside from the title track that bestrides the album like a Colossus.
I understand some of the negative reviews. But sometimes you just had to be there. It was a cultural moment. LL, Marley Marl, Herc, and the rest are still cited as key influences on just about every successful hip hop album in the past 35 years. It sounds like 1990 in every best way.
I like his flow and sound a lot, it feels timeless and "newer" than I would have expected. Sometimes the lyrics are cheesy, or the rhymes overly predictable. But for its time the rhymes are denser and more interesting than I expected. Very fun funky beats (Illegal Search, To Da Break of Dawn, The Power of God).
Fun and retro. Felt kind of samey after a while.
This was pretty solid. It wasn’t on Spotify so I won’t revisit it soon, but it was fun to see LL Cool J being a cool rapper instead of an NCIS cast member.
Great flow and attitude on the mic. Interesting to hear how this represents the transition from 80s to 90s hip hop/rap. But my god some of the bars stink. Terribly dated. Some good tracks interspersed with nonsense, too long.
Outdated unfortunately. Decent flow and sampling
Litt morsomt til tider, men ikke det beste jeg har hørt!
My only real experience with LL Cool J is the song that named this album, but I know he's a rap legend. I was a bit surprised to hear LL's vocal range, but it is funny that the album mostly sounds like any other mixtape, except for Mama Said, which sounds completely different.
Only a few tracks are available for streaming so I wasn’t able to listen to it all the way through, but realized it was a gap in my collection - so I’ve ordered the record 👍
Really fun album! I want to listen to this again for sure
This is a lot of fun. Some songs that are great to dance to and others that show his lyricism and flow.
Seemed like fairly standard late 80s/early 90s hip hop.
From the Vault #16 (January 16, 2026) Back once again with another pre-written review. I've finally escaped the late-80s in my journey to clear out the remaining hip-hop albums and have broken into the 90s. We're getting there. I'm pretty sure my last.fm recommended this guy to me a few days back. The saturation of hip-hop albums lately has kind of broken my music recommendations. I don't remember what Cool J's sound was, but given the album cover and year of release, I'm expecting some gangsta hip-hop. Nope, just standard 90s commercial hip-hop. I guess this album marks the period where hip-hop albums started getting long as shit, because hoo boy. This album was dragging its feet for much of the runtime. LL Cool J is an adept hip-hop vocalist, but as far as musicians with distinct creative identities go, he's thoroughly unremarkable. Kind of a questionable inclusion for a book compiling important and influential musicians, innit? The instrumentals are okay, and I appreciated the more varied first half, but this thing is just way too fucking long and has too many tracks for me to engage with. I got lost pretty early on as a result. Book time. Revitalised Cool J's career. "...a hip-hop masterpiece" and his best album. Wikipedia reveals that this album had four successful singles, sold well and was well received by critics. Hmm. Not sure about this one. Apparently LL Cool J was one of the first hip-hop artists to achieve commercial success, but he doesn't seem to have had much in the way of a creative influence or a critically-acclaimed career. Yeah, we can probably snub this one. In place of this album, I humbly submit "Jordan: The Comeback" by Prefab Sprout for inclusion on the list.
Apart from the title track, nothing really interested me too much on this. Pretty average
Ladies love cool James
Nah....not very good
Spotify only had a bit of this album, but from what I heard of it, it was fine. I would say it’s a very 90s hip hop album, and the lyrics don’t always hold up. Not something I would reach for personally, but not egregious to listen to. 3/5
Another one of those classic hip-hop albums. "Around the Way Girl" and the titular "Mama Said Knock You Out" tracks are well-known hits. Every song just felt good to listen to.
Perhaps the most fun Hip Hop along with Eminems
Canon early hip hop. Good memories of replaying “Around the Way Girl” ad nauseam at Henry Warren’s house when he got the cassingle. I was raised on this stuff. Love it.
a comeback album of sorts by ll cool j; apparently his last album release was seen as "safe" and uninteresting by critics so this was basically him saying "okay, you want me to not hold back here? aight, bet." lately the platform has been recommending me both east-coast and west-coast hip hop samplings, and i'm going to be honest with you, i'm not sure which one i prefer just yet. i love these beats. the samples, scratches, breaks and other additions are probably some of the most seamless hip-hop beats i've heard in a long while. it's not too loud nor monumental, but like a lot of rap i listened to this past week or so it holds its own well with the already large and consistent world of hip-hop from this era.
Jesus fucking Christ what is it with early 90s rap and all the ass-raping lyrics. You’d think ass rape was a perpetual concern back then. Maybe it was, I don’t know.
As a small child I was wildly delighted whenever my older sister would sing “Mama Said Knock You Out”. It was also cool years later when Samoa Joe used it as his ROH entrance theme.
1.5
2.5
Was not knocked out. Was there even a fight.
Starts like Will Smith, ends like Kanye. Gets progressively more mysogynistic as it goes. Shame - some very funky beats on there
Almost sounds quaint nowadays...
i couldnt listen to half the album but the part i heard had good beats even though i didnt pay much attention to the lyrics
Classic hip hop style but the lyrics aren't great lol
Decent raps and a handful of decent songs, the title track is really good. Very repetitive and too long and way too much filler R&B stuff for my taste, though.
Heard Before? Only the title track. Notes: - these beats are fantastic. the drums are dusty, the bass is funky, there's (for the era) lots of variety between tracks, and the beat switches, drops and modulates enough to keep things moving and interesting. - his flow is fine, if dated, and he at least attempts some different styles. - i don't know how to describe the lyrics except as a goldmine of unintentional comedy. whatever he's going for comes off, most of the time, as the complete opposite. hilarious as that can be, i just end up feeling bad for him. did people ever take this seriously? for real? - but i should give Todd some credit, because the one posse cut is truly awful. he's at least better than his crew. Verdict: Cheesy rat indeed, but with sick beats. Listen Again? Nope.
Quite listenable for this genre
Not my fave hip hop out there but it was ok when it got going
Vermakelijk, redelijk divers, verrassende nummers, maar te lang
Its fun and some songs sound still good. I felt weird when he shouts out Africa Bambataa tho.
Almost a perfect album from LL, but it does run a bit too long. If he could have trimmed this down to like 45 to 50 minutes, it would have been a 5 out of 5, but it gets a 4.5 from me
This album has Mama Said Knock You Out. Around the Way Girl was good too and Milky Cereal was funny.
3.69
The YouTube link I used started with a couple of videos which were kinda fun. Went downhill after the title track.
We used to think this was cool.
Nope. Rapper. Crapper.
The beats are really interesting across the whole album but to be honest, the lyrics get a little “lyrical miracle” for my taste. It does seem like he’s self-aware about that, and there were definitely exceptions. It’s understandable that this continues to have its fans and I’m glad I listened.
Gangstah
For some reason Spotify didn’t have all of the tracks for this album, but I did enjoy what I listened to. Mama Said Knock You Out, Around the Way Girl are classics, and I liked Boom Chill a lot too. The other two songs were meh (Eat em Up Chill, Milky Cereal). Found the rest of the songs on YouTube and found the lyrics of the remaining songs to be kind of corny and the music a bit repetitive, so (3)
Half of the album isn't on Spotify so it was only like 15 minutes
Title track is one of the best ever made. Solid throughout. Tightrope between the serious and silly.
It was fine.
I've been on a 90s hip hop kick recently, so I had high hopes for this, but unfortunately this was pretty disappointing. It's not the worst thing ever, the beats are pretty good, but the tapping is pretty subpar and a lot of the songs are kinda lame. Like what's with Mr goodbar or that cereal song. The title track was good, and there were some other beats I enjoyed so it wasn't the worst thing ever. High 3.
3,2/5
This is a classic for a reason. The only real knock on the album is LL just annoys the fuck out of me. I grew up in the MTV era and anytime his songs come on all I can see is him incessantly licking his lips, flexing and over emoting everything.
very good surprise
I can’t stand ll cool j now. Makes this album worse.
Probably telling that the album isn't available on Tidal. I sourced the songs, in order from the track list, but this is the first album, among over >300 so far, that I didn't finish. The juice was not worth the squeeze. I'm giving it a neutral rating because I don't intend to revisit. From what I did manage to get through, not good, not bad, just meh. Seems appropriate.
average
78/100. A fun hip-hop boom-bap record. Some goofy lyrics, nice flows. The record has aged well over time, I would say. One of LL Cool J's better records.
Spotify didn't even have the proper album but based on the corny ahh lyrics and couple of songs I listened to this is probably a top 15 early 90s boom bap record for me most likely
Some good parts and some annoying parts
Great hip hop with legitimate lyrics
Know his sound, yeah sounds of it’s time which ain’t a bad in my book. Gotta except time and talk was of the time. It’s ok but The bravado, that whole American cultural exceptional mind wash b.s. even when at the bottom gets a bit tiresome particularly in ‘26. Better in shorter bursts and so goes on a bit, 3 star for the sounds but as a long album 2 Stars
So here's one in a subsequent string of SIX two and one star reviews. This having the marked disadvantage of being rap/hip-hop, which isn't my scene at all. Sounds old-school. And as such... Decent enough. But really listeneably to me, it aint.
Yet another Hip-Hop album, although this one isn't as bad as the others, it's still boring as far as I'm concerned.
I fear I don’t listen to enough hip hop to appreciate its nuances but I enjoyed this album. 6 Minutes of Pleasure and the title track stood out as highlights.
Spotify version only 15 minutes long bless 🙏 Honestly not as bad as I thought it would be, but I think the Spotify version is just the singles, so it’s literally the best of the album. I am projecting a 2 for the full album based on what I heard in the singles
Not on Apple Music for some reason? Sample related I assume. Solid old school hip hop.
If I close my eyes, this is the beastie boys
Radiates 90s, both in the good way and in the bad way. Nice for a sunny afternoon walk, though.
Some excellent stuff here - obviously the title track and Around the Way Girl, but I could listen to a lot of this pretty happily most of the time.
01) The Boomin' System - 7,5 02) Around the Way Girl - 7,5 03) Eat 'Em Up, L Chill - 7,0 04) Mr. Good Bar - 6,5 05) Murdergram (Live at Rapmania) - 6,5 06) Cheesy Rat Blues - 6,5 07) Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem) - 6,5 08) Mama Said Knock You Out - 7,0 09) Milky Cereal - 6,5 10) Jingling Baby (Remixed but Still Jingling) - 6,5 11) To da Break of Dawn - 6,5 12) 6 Minutes of Pleasure - 6,5 13) Illegal Search - 6,5 14) The Power of God - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,71 (67/100) Current ranking: 575/890
Milky Cereal lyrics earned it a star
This album doesn't seem available to listen to anywhere but the songs I did hear, I did not like. No big surprise since it's not a genre I appreciate.
Less than half of the album is on Spotify, and frankly that would have been plenty. He does have a way with words, but the whole routine gets a little tiring.
Wasn't the best representative of gangsta rap.
This one exceeded my expectations. I assumed I'd only be interested in the title track, but Mr.GoodBar and To Da Break of Dawn caught my attention. While sometimes the lyrics got cringey, the flow was pretty solid throughout.
There were some really good tracks but as a whole, it didn't rise above a 3 and at points, it was a solid 2. 6 Minutes Of Pleasure was as bad as any Bell Biv DeVoe track. Milky Cereal only slightly better. On the flip side, Mama Said Knock You Out and Boomin' System, despite their extraordinary stupidity, were still fun tracks.
6.5 / 10
Didn’t quite knock me out but LL floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee with the skill of a seasoned pro
I was a bit sceptical when this popped up but in fact I rather enjoyed it, some good flow and music/beats to accompany his rather smooth delivery. Perhaps it’s a touch long but it’s sequenced well and he doesn’t feel the need to pad out with loads of skits, which I appreciated.
4.4
some nice sounds but hard to tell the difference between this and 50 other albums
3.07
I need to add this to the rotation. This is my rap sweet spot
Not my thing
2.5
The title track is decent…and that’s basically it.
if it wasn't for "Around the way girl" and "6 minutes of pleasure" I would've given this album a lower score.
This is a great rap album. The title track goes unbelievably hard. It doesn't appear that this album is currently on streaming, but you can find it easily on youtube and its well worth the effort despite the fact there are multiple ads between each song.
Good
Like it 3/5
"Truncated Spotify album should be knocked out." - Mama
Jesus Christ, was ein beschissenes Album
nicht ganz mein Ding, aber auch nicht schlecht.
Ich mag wenig 80s Hip Hop und wenig 90s Hip Hop, das ist irgendwo dazwischen und ich finds eigentlich ganz ok.
Title track gets some fair amount of play for me, but the whole album was pretty good listen for me today. Overall 3.25/5 I like this older style rap more
I liked it, but I’ve also heard better rap albums from the same era
No sé qué decir exactamente, meh
LL Cool J is so tough on this album.
dont think hes saying anything. the production and music is great, i just dont really like his lyrics i stopped tracking my thoughts on individual songs for this one bc i truly just dont think its worth it, mama said knock you out is good tho i think i couldve gone without this one. I'd give it a 1.5 but I think I'll round up to 2 I want to reserve 1/5 for actual dogshit
Love 90s hip hop and this album has plenty of good songs with great production but the lyrics are too often cheetos fritos doritos first word that comes to his head type rhymes. There's a lot of songs that I enjoy and would listen to again but I wouldn't listen to the album again so it has to be a 2.
lyrics were slighly stupid but i enjoyed listening to this
Not a major fan and got bored. So much has been done with the genre since this, that this can be hard to come back to. Lyrics that are cliche by todays standard but the backing beats definitely carry them. Hasn't aged well for a first time listener, but can appreciate the influence it has had on the genre and artists since its' release.
This album is almost all fire except for the song Milky Cereal. That song is corny as hell and sucks. His flows on here are great, the beats are fun, and the lyrics are clever and quotable. High quality hip-hop album. Favorites were Around The Way Girl, Eat Em Up L Chill, Farmers’ Blvd, and Mama Said Knock You Out.
This is not for me. This is also not a great album
Good song. But a single does not an album make (at least on YT Music)
I like hip hop but not that old, eventhough I had good tracks
This was fine, a little long. Didn't really love it or hate it
Classic 90s rap
Ladies Love Cool James
Ik had recent al Grandmaster flash and the furious five. Mijn issue met hun is dat de flow echt zo hard is achtergebleven met de vernieuwing qua hiphop. Denk dat er weinig genres zijn die zo ontzettend zijn vernieuwd als hiphop. Misschien elektronische muziek, maar dat is dan weer zo gefragmeerd dat je niet echt meer van een genre kan spreken. Maar goed, we hebben het in dit specifieke geval over het album van LL Cool J. En eerlijk? Ik vind het nogal saai. De beats blijven niet tot nauwelijks hangen, de verses en bars van LL Cool J zijn echt achterhaald en eigenlijk is er ook qua delivery weinig waarvan ik echt zeg "ja, dit is een album dat je moet horen voor je doodgaat" Zal vast en zeker liggen aan de tijdsgeest en dat dit vernieuwend was toen het uitkwam, maar zelf als groot hiphop liefhebber kan ik dit echt geen heel hoog cijfer geven. Ja nee, ik heb het geprobeerd maar dit is gewoon niet een heel sterk album, laat staan een sterk hiphop album. Mama said knock you out is een banger, maar heel eerlijk? De rest van het album komt niet in de buurt van dat ene nummer. Ach, na alle matige rock albums mag er best eens een matig hiphop album tussen zitten. FAVO: Mama said knock you out
3.5/10 An album that front-loads its best material and struggles to maintain momentum. The Boomin' System opens strong with a deep kick drum and wide sound stage, and Around The Way Girl has a lo-fi charm. But from there, it's a lot of the same: tight, repetitive beats and lyrics that rarely hit as hard as the delivery suggests. Lines like "your rhymes are cheesy, you found em in a mouse trap" leave you wondering if he's in on the joke. I'd never heard the title track despite its reputation, and it didn't land. Aggressive and repetitive without much substance. There are bright spots, but they're not enough to offset the filler. I kept wanting more variation, and for the lyrics to match the energy of the beats. A few standout moments in an otherwise one-note listen. Best track: Around The Way Girl Will I revisit?: No
I like that the first song is a beat for cars.
I'm having a hard time finding the entire record to listen to, but I like what I hear so far.
Not many rappers where the bravado, reputation and talent are so mismatched. Mostly uninspired and boring but the title track still rips.
A moment in time.
I put Dr Octagon at 1 star this week, and LL Cool J's flow is significantly worse than Kool Keith's. I think it's only fair I rate them similarly. This was corny and Cool J kind of can't rap. Cringe lyrics. I wanted to stop listening a couple times.
The beats and rhymes were entertaining enough, but I didn't think this album was anything special.
Standard sounding rap of the era. Musically unexciting, lyrics ranging from inoffensive rubbish to the very macho right up to misogynistic and celebratory of violence. Not the worst on that front but it's the lack of musicality that makes it so dull.
I didn't pay close attention to any of the rhymes as I listened to this, but I thought the backing beats and production were solid enough. Nothing spectacular, though.
This album didn't age well. It was a big deal when it came out, but compared to other hip-hop albums in that era, it just comes off as forgettable and average.
I think I am learning through this journey that rap isn't really for me. It doesn't tend to age well and it doesn't resonate with a middle aged, middle class white guy. This is fine, I do think it goes on too long, but it is fine. "Mama Said Knock You Out" is a ripper. The rest i can take or leave
Not my cup of tea
Like many hip hop albums of this vintage, it's a little too long and a little too corny. And this was his big, edgy comeback! The title track is a classic, but then you've got a song that seemingly exists to demonstrate LL's encyclopedic knowledge of breakfast cereal. It's a mixed bag and there needed to be some editing, but still a decent time.
Review - classic hip-hop album, but patchy. There are songs that make you go "wow why isn't LL Cool J more popular today?", where it feels like his music should have had mainstream Zeitgeist staying power, where it seems inconceivable that most younger "music but not necessarily hip-hop" fans don't know him. And then you hit a track like Milky Cereal and go ah right ok yeah no that makes sense. Rating - 7.5/10 Need to hear? YES
Pretty innovative for a 90's rap record.
Pulled back in a classic skatergame! The guy looks like 50cent but his music is very ny hiphop, love it
not my taste
Can’t find this on Amazon so I listened to the title track. Holy shit who let this dude make this?
So weird. I couldnt tell you one thing I liked about this album but also couldnt tell you anything that I hated. The lyrics were weird and the repeated mention of a fendi bag was so confusing.
Some of these lyrics were so ridiculous but I kind of liked that because it was funny like milky cereal. Definitely liked the title song the most but other than that nothing spectacular yet still enjoyable.
Pretty sure I've heard of the guy but never heard his music before. The beats are fine but the rhymes are awful. Worst thing is 3 songs into the album he raps "Your rhymes are cheesy, you found them in a mouse trap" as a diss. Look in the mirror 2/5
Some okay tracks, but this album has dated and could be retired from the list
Just decent hip hop. Pretty fun but not too special.
Album #1,084 I liked LL Cool J when I first heard Rock the Bells. Of course, I liked all rap back then. Over the years I started liking him less and less as it became apparent he was a hands-together, lip-licking douchebag that started the stupid trend of pulling up one pant leg (remember that?). Just look at him on this album cover with the giant chain, flashy jewelry with his name on it, shirt off, sweat glistening, duck lips out. Or maybe it was all just his hip-hop persona, who knows? Let's listen to this thing... Well, it wasn't great, but it wasn't awful either, and surprisingly it was fairly clean. I knew the title track -- after all these years, somehow I knew exactly when he was going to say "Breakdown." There's good: Around the Way Girl There's annoying: Eat Em Up L Chill There's awkward: Mr. Good Bar There's weird: Milky Cereal There's cheesy: The Power of God I'll have to give this one an average rating, which is probably above average for rap albums on this list.
Boy, this was a blast from the past, but I just don't think it's held up for me. It's not dreadful, but damn, it's not great.
3/25/26. Love the energy on this album, a lot of pulsing beats and samples, plus LL's flow is infectious. Happy to hear more of his songs outside the well-known Mama Said Knock You Out.
Just a real disappointing album, with 5 minute lazy beats over lazier rhymes. I expected more from this given what a powerhouse the title track was but it seems like LL threw a solitary bone to the new sounds and then went back to 1985. Just a real boring record all around.
108. nice
Man does this album take me back. I've never been consistently into rap throughout the years, though I have appreciated it enough across time to listen to it a decent amount. This was never more true than in the late 80s / early 90s, especially with the Def Jam artists like LL, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys, all of whom I loved. This record is great, though not a cover to cover listen to me. The title track is amazing, as is Around The Way Girl, Jingling Baby (remix), Mr. Good Bar, 6 Minutes of Pleasure, and others. Hell, I even like Milky Cereal, which is kind of different for LLCJ but is intelligently constructed. The reality is that rap started to become popular because of artists like LL Cool J, whose style, grooves and rhymes helped launch rap into the mainstream. Given this, this album is super important in the music landscape and it surprises me that it is rated below average, as this record is anything but average. 4-stars. Well worth the listen.
Great album of early 90s rap with one of the OGs. Highlights: "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "To Da Break of Dawn"
Wow, this was fun as hell. I'm one of those that knows LL Cool J mainly as a TV personality. I enjoyed this quite a bit. Must-listen #314.