Reviews (page 3 of 7)
LL Cool J is probably one of the more underrated rappers in hiphop. He did not seem to make a grab at the headlines as much as his contemporaries did, but that does not seemed to have made a negative impact on his resume. Disclosure: First exposure to LL Cool J was his song with Boyz II Men "Hey Lover". Late night radio on the local Top 40 station for the win. "Hey Lover" is on another album though, but it serves as the blueprints for how this review approaches "Mama Said Knock You Out". Rap music and the wealth of catchy phrases and quips that make it into the modern lexicon are on full display here even thirty years later with "Don't call it a comeback!" on the title track. LL Cool J has an amazing voice with near crystal clear clarity. While the lyrics are not complicated, the delivery by LL Cool J is rhythmic and on time. This is a fairly great representation of what may have been hiphop's most appealing era where it was a balanced mix of fun and inviting with stories happy, sad, and socially aware. A key example of where this album remains socially aware is "Illegal Search" where LL Cool J chides the stereotypes by which the black community is essentially punished for being successful, or even just appearing to be. Crossed T's, dotted I's notwithstanding, he laments angrily the sort of gauntlet that they have to navigate just to verify that. Interestingly enough, the following track "The Power of God" contains a message of hope, an exhortation of sorts acknowledging the struggles and temptations of his early life but documenting his commitment to stay above those things, to maintain focus on the "power of God". Overall, the album is a great listen on par with his 90s contemporaries where messaging and storytelling take precedence on the whole over the single. These days are truly missed.
Historic and influential.
Åter igen. Old school hip hop är det coolaste vi har. För bra! + tänker bara på kultklassikern Kangaroo Jack när jag hör mama said knock you out. Mm helt sjukt hur bra smak jag kan ha?
I thought the album was fine, never really cared for LL but the rhymes are nice. Still has a very 80s sound of hip hop. "Around The Way Girl" is my favorite song on the album. 7/10.
Ladies Love Cool James manages to nut a commodious autonomic album full of great tracks
A hot slice of G-funk. Didn't expect to like this as much as I did but I got right into it.
Pretty killer rap album. Couple off tracks here and there. The title track is 10/10. Album holds up.
Fun flows and lyricism, production got a bit repetitive for me
Because the opening line of the title track is "DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK!", I had assumed this album came a considerable amount of time after LL's last. It was little more than a year - and in the 80s/90s, that was short. But when gangsta rap reared its head in the late 80s and Ladies Love Cool James's loverboy schtick was looking dated, perhaps it felt like a cultural comeback. The album proved that LL could navigate the new hip hop landscape and deliver something as hard and defiant as the title track. But at the same time, he showed that he could make the ladies love him in a way that those gangsta rappers could only wish. (Case in point - when I was 15 I was OBSESSED with "Around the Way Girl" and had a dumb crush on LL. Hey, he had it!) The Mama Said album is LL Cool J in his imperial phase, showing his skill as an MC, a lyricist and his (and his producer's) ability to deftly mix rap with pop stylings.
Solid 3.5 for me
LL Cool j is next level
LL is the original rap star. Good album. Lyrics are a little corny for 2021 standards, but for this time LL comes off original and sells his identity well.
Really dug it
Knockout
Some songs I wasn't a big fan of, but overall this is solid '90s hip-hop. I will say I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I feel like I'm saying that about a lot of albums here, but preconceived notions are TOUGH to overcome!
Thanks to albums like this one is that I’m starting to really apreciate hip hop.
ll cool j doesn't hold back rapping over funky beats. mama said knock you out is such a great tune, if you don't like it, there's something wrong with you. bit too long though
mmm
LL is the man
Big fun 90s hip hop vibe, absolutely banging backing tracks with some tasty bass lines.
Classic
Funky hip-hop humour.
This is terrific. Classic beats (praise to Marley Marl), entertaining lyrics, smooth delivery from the one and only LL. The influence of this album on hip hop was massive - you hear beats and lyrics later ‘borrowed’ by other artists but also the style and swagger. LL raps about anything, broadening rap’s horizons. Such an enjoyable, fun album. Groundbreaking. Loved it. Stand outs - Mama Said Knock You Out, Around the Way Girl, Mr. Good Bar
This album was more fun to listen to than I was expecting and I really liked finding a rap album that didn’t overly rely on cussing throughout each song.
Love me some 90s hip hop complete with hilariously cheesy lyrics. Wicked.
Okie doke
90s
Classic Hip-hop. Uncle L's flow is unmatched in today's era of rap where you can barely discern the lyrics, LL enunciates every line beautifully. A man before his time, this album doesn't sound like it was made in 1990. Best songs = Mama said knock you out & Round the Way Girl.
I really liked the samples on this, overall it was a fun listen. Even when it’s corny (which is often), it’s still pretty entertaining, although Milky Cereal would be an easy skip . 8/10
always liked him
This is a solid groove right between the gangster hop of later rap albums and the older sounds of earlier hip hop. Murdergram is a nice change from the more laid back rhythms. Mama Said Knock You Out is one of those cultural touchstones with a huge reach. Illegal Search is 31 years old and still applies to today.
Fun to listen to
I had two songs favorited on album. I favorited a new one when listening to the entire thing, for the fist time. So, pretty good but not life-altering.
4 - Top Album, gefällt mir sehr gut.
Solid album. Better than I expected. Got some classic bangers. 7.5-8/10
Definitely a time piece, but still sounds great today
very solid overall, couple weird songs but definitely golden age hip hop
always wanted to listen to this as an album
Much better than I expected. Several gems on this record.
Verrassend goed album eigenlijk ondanks dat ik over t algemeen niet de grootste LL cool J fan ben. Duidelijk uit onwetendheid en dus misplaatst.
Tiukkaa settiä ja yks tuttu klassikkokin mukana.
I can hear how much this influenced. Some great tracks
Classic hip hop stuff, really good flow
Not on streaming. Production is dated but I like it. Could be more bass. Singles off this are bangers definitely.
PEAKANUMA SAMPLE SPOTTED
Nothing ground breaking but nice and breezy
lala
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Seemed like fairly standard late 80s/early 90s hip hop.
Apart from the title track, nothing really interested me too much on this. Pretty average
Ladies love cool James
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
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
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.
This album has Mama Said Knock You Out. Around the Way Girl was good too and Milky Cereal was funny.
3.69
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)
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
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
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
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.
Radiates 90s, both in the good way and in the bad way. Nice for a sunny afternoon walk, though.
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
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.
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
3.07
if it wasn't for "Around the way girl" and "6 minutes of pleasure" I would've given this album a lower score.
Good
Like it 3/5
"Truncated Spotify album should be knocked out." - Mama
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
lyrics were slighly stupid but i enjoyed listening to this
Good song. But a single does not an album make (at least on YT Music)
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
I like that the first song is a beat for cars.
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.
The beats and rhymes were entertaining enough, but I didn't think this album was anything special.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
108. nice
Great album of early 90s rap with one of the OGs. Highlights: "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "To Da Break of Dawn"
Tittelsporet og åpningssporet er knalltøffe. Det er noen topper her og der, men altfor ujevnt til å tåle timen.
2.6 2x it's pretty good but besides the title track I don't know if I will listen again.
It’s fine, nothing crazy, but I lack the perspective of how groundbreaking this would’ve been since rap has improved greatly in the decades since this dude held a mic.
LL Cool J probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for shaping the sound of hip hop, mostly because he became big sexy sex man, but also not my favorite.
Fun but don't think I'll be back.
Heard of LL COOL j Never heard the album in full Had heard a couple of singles. Hip hop/rap not really my thing. Rapping and backing tracks were ok. Lyrical content... Ok, pretty cringey at times (milky cereal).
Late 80s hip hop just hasn't aged well. This is one of the better examples of that era but you can just hear the age.
I wouldn't be surprised if I come back to this. Classic hip hop.
The self-titled song and a bunch of okay moments.
Old school hip hop, could've been worse
Old New school rap with words I can understand. I liked the songs that were not released as singles best.
Just no strong feelings either way to be honest
it’s long and sometimes boring, but that was ok 3.5
Some good songs others have no aged well
Didn’t know LL Cool J was so horny.
LL Cool J comes correct. The beats are on point, and his laid-back flow is infectious. While the lyrics might not be poetry, they're engaging enough to keep you nodding your head. It's a party starter, plain and simple. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - The Boomin' System - Around The Way Girl - Mama Said Knock You Out
6/10.. 90s hip hop / rap / *1990
he say "don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years"... when he was 22. LOL. This came out when I was almost 12. Never heard anything but the hits. Decent for what it is and the era.
Це десь на трієчку максимум. Непоганий продакшн, є супер хіт однойменний, але самого ЛЛ місцями не дуже цікаво слухати, типовий олдскульний флоу.
До того як лл кул джей став другорядним актором, він мав оцей мега хіт. Пісня звісна супер відома, та і загалом альбом слухається адекватно зараз. 3 або 3.5, хз
Sonically, LL Cool J is where the past meets the future. There's plenty of shout-out's and allusions to the rap-styles of the past, while, sonically, the songs on Mama Said Knock You Out sound like they could be Wu-Tang tracks. Lyrically, LL Cool J sounds like an 'older brother'. He's the older guy at the YMCA, getting ripped, showing off for the ladies, and mentoring the younger kids. He's wholesome in ways that N.W.A. and gangsta rappers are not, but don't mistake him for a squeaky clean Will Smith or a goofy Sir Mix-a-Lot. Cool J is also into rapping about being sexy and picking up women ("Mr. Goodbar" is hilarious) For whatever levels of cringe exist on this album (and there are a few "Milky Cereal") there are just as many cases for how cool and technically proficient LL Cool J is as an MC. He's probably not going to end up on any 'Best Of-' lists, but this is a snapshot of a transitionary period in hip-hop.
Ganska trevliga lekfulla beats men texterna är ju tyvärr lite för cringeiga ibland för att man ska kunna digga med gott samvete.
Rätt funky, hyfsat driv. Lyssnade inte så noga på texterna
Fun record. Title track by far the stand out
Title song is awesome, rest is solid
Oh, Ladies Love, you sexy-lipped, sexy-talking, bare-chested sex god of my youth. I loved “Radio” so much when it came out. This album, the comeback? Uneven. The title track is fire. The funk samples cool. The sexy tracks are sexing. The gangsta stances are laughable. The rhymes are simple. The length is bloated. I appreciate you, LL. You know. For certain things.
Bueno, con un montón de personalidad. No es mi onda, pero no me la pasé mal.
Full on 90s rap album that feels like a sexier, slicker version of Will Smith. It doesn't have the hard boiled and angry edge of NWA or Public Enemy. But it does have a lot more humour. I was surprised by how funny LL Cool Js lyrics are, how can you take a song like "Milky Cereal" seriously? But then again you have a much more serious feeling in "Illegal Search", showing that, even when rap is not taking itself too seriously, it is still the songs of the discriminated against. I can honestly say that I feel like I have only ever heard "Mama said knock you out" from this album. But I feel like I will be back to enjoy a little Jingling Baby. (3.125)
I didn’t know many of these songs apart from what was on the mainstream radio at the time. They’re all right.
This one was quite good, and oddly enough didn't feel as if it went on as long as it did, which is always nice. I don't mind it being "dated" since a decent chunk of hip-hop from around this time was too. The songs towards the end were the better ones I think. It's nothing mind-blowing or greatly spectacular, but it's pretty good otherwise. On the higher side of a 3.
vibe
Hørt bare litt på
Geri rimai, beatai.
This came out when I was in about grade 10 or so, and at a time when I was pretty staunchly anti-hip hop. “I wanna knock you awwwwout…” reminded me of a lot of irritated grumbling at school dances. But I’ve changed and grown, and gotten so much better as a person that I was a bit excited to listen to it. I was a bit disappointed in the early going, but I gradually warmed up as the album rolled along. In the end I’m giving it a solid three, but it may get another listen or two before I die.
Ive always had an image of the 2000s from LL Cool J, but the sound of this album did surprise me. Early 90s rap had more soul and rhythm and I really did enjoy most of this album. I would never have guessed it would be him doing so much of 90s sound rap. Overall fun album would give a 3.5 but it is a 3 instead .
It's not a knock-ouf, it's barely even a victory by technical decision but it's a solid 3.
I was on the fence for this one. It's not great, but there's some level of charm there.
He's great. A true OG. Couple of all time tunes and a lot of very solid old school vibes. Respect, I'm just not personally throwing it on for a listen.
Never heard of this guy before, but found this album quite solid. Sounds very much like it was before its time, and more like something that would've come out during the 2000s. The beats sounded good, and so did the rap. 'Around The Way Girl', '6 Minutes Of Pleasure', and 'The Power Of God' were some of my favorite songs on this album. Not sure if the lyrics are the most thought provoking, but I overall really like the tone and sound of the beats. Strong 3 or weak 4, could potentially grow on me if I kept listening to it.
Only knew the title song which is a great song. Listening to the rest I think it sounds like it would be recorded in later '90s than 1990. The beats are quite god and the raps ok. Felt like a decent 90s rap record though nothing really comes close to the title track. Mid 3.
it was pretty good
1/31 A couple of okay moments but not something I would listen to again. Just not a fan of rap
Some good lyrics to be sure, and I always found LL Cool J charming as an actor, but the pace is a little slow and simple for me in most cases. "Milky Cereal", as silly as it is, had a lot of fun rhymes, and none of this was bad, just not something I'd especially seek out. Favorite tracks: "Murdergram" and "Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem)".
Meh. Not terrible. Just not that great either.
Parts of this are good and parts of it have aged pretty poorly. I’d say the good mostly outweighs the bad but there isn’t anything groundbreaking here. Playlist track: Mama Said Knock You Out
Wouldn't have been the LL Cool J album I would have picked (14 Shots to the Dome), but it's okay.
interessante ma un po’ ripetitivo
ну бля сложно такое слушать в 2026 году. рифмы максимально простенькие, но вот биты прикольные есть
3/5
It's pretty fun. The production of the tracks here really outshine the lyrically content, which is alright at best, and poorly aged at it's worst. Either way, this is a fine record. Not quite hall of fame status, but it's cool.
Hmm some intros are actually not bad. But when it’s looping it gets boring very quickly.
There were a couple of really good songs and the title track is a classic. But the biggest thing that sticks out after listening to this on Friday and writing the review Monday morning is that a lot of it just sounded corny. Nothing against LL Cool J, that style just aged out for a reason.
A couple of hits that I knew, but most of the album felt too much the same. Even "Mama Said Knock You Out" is better sampled and remixed. Overall it was fine.
The beats here are often slow, the sampling minimal, leaving a lot of focus on the rap itself. At its best it's laid back 90s rap, with Native Tongues insouciance. On the flip side, the music can become soporific and a bit nondescript, such as 'The Boomin' System' or 'Eat Em Up L Chill', The rhyming is on the less sophisticated side of the hip hop greats, offering up such classics as: "The cards on the table and the deal is dealt, I'm in the mood for a tuna melt; And I can't make you, I sure wouldn't rape you". That's comforting to know, thanks for confirming. 'Milky Cereal' explores the metaphor of sex being cereal, and yet he fails to reference the milk turning chocolatey, and that's a shame. Overall the album is a lot less gangster (as in not really gangster at all), and a lot more laid-back and funky than I anticipated (in spite of a bit of it being a little boring, and 90% of it being obsessed with the puss). At its best it has a De La Soul swing.
It’s okay. Fairly basic rhymes and beats. Doesn’t really hold up as much as other albums from the early years. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
I liked the beats and lighter vibe of this album compared to other harder hip-hop albums. I think musically it has aged quite well, lyrically not so much. The album suffers a bit from being too long.
I listened to this album over a couple of days, and I don't have a lot to say about each individual song. However, I did enjoy this album. LL Cool Jay's rapping is consistenly fun to listen to, and most of the songs had really good beats. Favourite song: Mr. Good Bar
Title track is goated, rest of album was alright.
Was LL Cool J actually meant to be cool? A lot his bars were really corny and pretty lame. Beats were sick tho
I like the flow on a lot of tracks here, but I'm not pulled along with it. The title track is the best track by far IMO, and as a single it gets a higher rating. Unfortunately it's held down by the rest of the pretty long album which dramatically reduces its rating Standouts Mama Said Knock You Out 3/5
Not the best rap album I have heard, nor is it the worst.
Cringe but still enjoyable.
I see why this is on here. It's very ahead of its time? 1990 is craaaaazy. Barely out of the '80s and sounds so modern. It's pretty corny lyrically, not just for its time, but just... corny... "I sure wouldn't rape you" as a lyric... okay... but yeah definitely a big shift from '80s style hip-hop so cool to hear
Is okay. Good beats but it’s the same for the entire song. I guess I like bridges and variety. Not a rap fan really and every song is 4:30-5:00 my attention span is too short.
I recall in 2015, one of the radio stations in Houston briefly had a format of classic hip-hop. I heard two beats that had me hooked but it took me years to find them. The first one was The Notorious B.I.G. and Junior Mafia's Get Money which took until 2023-2024 for me to find. And the second happened to be found this past 1/10/26 when I found Around The Way Girl. That "you got me shook up, shook down, shook out" sample fascinated me and I was so happy to finally have an answer to that mysterious song after more than a decade. As for the album, Marley Marl's production is exquisite and there's a lot of fun stuff. Sometimes though the lyrics can be too corny or unintentionally uncomfortable. Hearing an entire rap song making cereal references to sex was not too enjoyable. I do like the beat on Mr. Goodbar but the tone LL takes on it sort of creeps me out. Then it just suffers the late-album fatigue, but when it's good, it's real good. Boomin' System, Around The Way Girl, Farmers, Murdagram, Jinglin' Baby and of course the classic title track. I'm gonna chill out on the rating, but overall, I think it deserves its place as a good representative of this era of hip-hop (7/10, 3/5 on this scale).
Classic rap r&b hip hop still not sure what the difference is between the three
Definitely one of the top 90s hip hop albums, this ones got a few huge hits that get referenced a lot.
Yeah, I enjoyed this more than I thought I might. It was fun and upbeat and he's a decent vocalist. Outstayed its welcome, as is the general way with these things, but as a way to round out 2025, I've heard worse.
I can’t imagine ever playing a rap album for my own entertainment so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself grooving away to a couple of the tracks. Much better than I thought it was going to be, which I guess is the power of this 1000 album journey- listen to stuff you wouldn’t normally listen to and give it a chance to surprise
Couple great tracks, but really washes over me otherwise. Lyrics are great but I would probably need like 6 more listens to get into them more fully.
Fun, classic, educational.
Ladies love cool j I like cool.j I dont like milky cereal. The rest is decent
some good tunes
Good jams 3.5/5
Post-old school? Is that a rap genre? I like this for the same reason hardcore hip hop fans hate it: LL Cool J appeals to the mainstream, and you can actually hear what he's saying. There's not as much lingo and obscure inside jokes in these, unlike a lot of other hip hop. The west coast stuff that was getting popular around this time was especially incomprehensible and unrelatable to most of us, whereas LL Cool J talked about girls primarily, and how he knows he pissed of the "community" because of the above and sorry he's just more popular than you (not sorry, he will knock you out). The mainstream always eats the underground. Here's an example. It's entertaining to someone like me. A lot of other albums from the genre are difficult at best. This is more fun. It doesn't seem like anyone died.
It’s fine, I’m not a huge LL Fan, I find him a bit corny overall. But production is crisp and the bravado is fun at points.
Don't you call this no regular jam.
Ok, but way too long. Curse of the CD era.
Definitely not my type of music but it’s fine Some of the songs suck though
Buen álbum me recuerda o es que escuché primero a NWA
booming system- 5 around the way girl- 5 or 6 eat em up L chill- 5 mr good bar- 4. um murdergram- 5 cheesy rat blues- 5 farmers boulevard- 5 mama said knock you out- 6 or 7. what we're all here for milky cereal- 5 jingling baby- 5 im good
yeah im not very well versed in rap or hip hop so I guess its only fitting that I expand my horizons into it through the most caucasian music project of all time. Anyway, what can I say about this. I was surprised it was made in 1990, that's just amazing. The sound is so much more modern than the release date in my view. Another thing is I really like LL Cool J's voice - he has a lot of range. Smooth on one track to aggressive on the next. Overall I liked it a lot.
Fun, but inconsistent. Album "Mama Said Knock You Out" is still the best song.
- Smooth, bassline-driven hip-hop from the golden era. Title track is brilliant. - A bit more RnB adjacent than I personally like but it fits with the style and lyrics. That said, the lyrics haven’t aged brilliantly. - Overall plenty of good tracks but it’s about 20 mins too long (1hr 5min). If he’d cut it down a bit, I’d probably have awarded an additional star.
Im more into this than i would have expected but I had pretty low expectations to be honest. LL is a dork. He had always been a dork as long as I can remember. And here he does a hard af type thing. Like hes trying to compete with he gangster rappers. And it doesnt really work. Not to me at least in the big 25. Maybe at the time it worked better but as of now it seems disingenuous as hell. Maybe I have the wrong context but thays what it feels like. Now the good stuff is actually pretty good. He does do a slower song pretty good. I mean ladies love him right? Around the way girl and 6 minutes of pleasure are the best tracks by far. But milky cereal is one of the most offputting songs ive heard in a minute. Nasty in the worst way possible. Im throwing out my rasin bran asap. The title track is OK but thats about as good as the harder tracks get. The beat selection on everything is pretty good though, I do have to say. Its an OK record. Not really my thing but good enough all things considered. I just can never hear milky again without dry heaving
Old but funny
Some good. Meh.
Another hiphop album, it’s fine ig
Marley Marl's production has aged gracefully. While LL Cool J is charismatic and flows pretty well for 1990, the album has this dated sound that bothers me a bit. 6/10
Around the Way Girl and Mama Said Knock You Out are great, but the other songs left me underwhelmed. I do like the sounds of early 90s rap, and it is a good throwback album
LL morphing out of his 80s loverboy/party guy image and towards something harder and more 90s, but feels like it has feet planted on both sides of the decade. The high points are very high - the two classic hits are great, and Murdergram is also fantastic, the kind of hip hop song I love with just a frantic beat and straight bars. A decent amount of filler on the rest though which holds it back from a higher rating for me.
As far as rap albums go, I kinda like this one. Not enough to listen to it a lot. But I don't hate it
LL Cool J is a decent rapper, but my god the lyrics on this album are bad. They're all corny as fuck or grossly misogynistic or just gross. They also do him no favors and don't show off his actual rap skills. The rhymes are often weird and stilted, filled with awkward pauses. "Mama Said Knock You Out" is far and away the highlight, and "Illegal Search" is pretty good too, but the rest of the album is a mess. The production isn't outstanding or groundbreaking either. I don't know enough about LL Cool J to say whether or not a different album of his deserves to be on the list instead or if perhaps he's another singles artist who doesn't need an album on here. All I know is that he can be a really good rapper, but it is rarely shown on this album. But also, I implore folks to check out LL Cool J's version of "Mama Said Knock You Out" from MTV's Unplugged. Really interesting and groundbreaking. If they made an album of the unplugged session, it should probably be on the list over this.
Good moments
Not for me, though the title track rocks
This might be the only hip-hop album I've ever listened to that doesn't have the n-word in its lyrics once. I'm not saying that's good or bad. I'm just pointing it out. Anyways, let's talk about this album. Despite his influence on hip-hop as a genre, I feel like LL Cool J isn't discussed as much as his peers when it comes it classic hip-hop discussion in online music circles. I don't see him or his albums talked about like how I see people talk about albums from artists like Public Enemy or even Beastie Boys. Despite that, I think this album here is actually pretty interesting from a historical standpoint. This album, to me, represents the transitional period from 80s hip-hop to 90s hip-hop, which makes sense seeing as this was released in 1990. I'm not saying that this album ushered in the sound of the 90s or whatever. Acts like N.W.A. beat them to that. However, Mama Said Knock You Out is almost like two albums in one, in a way. Some of these songs show off more of the hardcore side of LL Cool J, like the ever-iconic title track. Great song there. However, some have a stronger funk or even soul influence at times, like "Around the Way Girl" which I also really liked. The production on this album is somewhat varied, but is good all through out. LL's rapping is alright. It's definitely one of those aspects that carries over more from 80s rap, but it's not bad. The writing could be better overall. There are some pretty good lines in here, don't get me wrong. I'll always appreciate a line like "Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years," but other songs are kinda corny. "Milky Cereal" especially just didn't do it for me. The album's a little long as well, but it's not too bad in that regard. Overall, this album's kinda neat. It's flawed, sure, and I get why LL Cool J isn't discussed as much as, say, Public Enemy, but this album shows that he's not bad by any means. Good album. High 3/5.
Started well and enjoyed the first song. Strong air freshener, who need cologne being a great line. But kind of went down hill after that and never really caught back up
Funky beats
It wa okay.
Pretty fun hip-hop in that classic 90s style, but some songs were corny (Mr. Good Bar, Milky Cereal) and it felt dated overall. Favorite: Mama Said Knock You Out
Pretty entertaining but the beats were lacking.
Funky, fresh, fun and flowing. Totally of its time and place! Superb bass. Favourite tracks: The Boomin' System, Murdergram, Mama Said Knock You Out, 6 Minutes of Pleasure
A good album
Not bad
Has a few classic singles. Otherwise, not that interesting.
Some nice tunes - lots of funky bass and a big sound - but I ended up being more interested in a lot of the source material than the end product. Lyrically not my thing.
There's a good mixture of slower and higher tempo tracks that range from sombre to energetic. Favourite Track(s): Mama Said Knock You Out, Jingling Baby, Murdergram Least Favourite Track(s): 6 Minutes of Pleasure
The ladies loved LL. I like him enough, I guess. Definitely a culturally impactful album, and still listenable this many years later.
A classic for sure, just not really my thing. It’s fine though
Fine in parts, but some of it veers too far into pop for my liking. Three stars for a decent effort.
6/10
Could be shorter, but otherwise pretty good 90's rap album
my only exposure to him was feature on the brad paisley song "accidental racist". so highkey i didn't trust him after hearing that. this alright tho. just alright though
It was interesting - a lot of the stuff I listen to seemed to come from this; stuff from Lonely Island, and some other hip hop. Interesting to see where some of it came from.
Highs and lows. I genuinely do like Ladies Love Cool James. I think it's funny that he plays both the Heel and the Babyface in rap and maybe was one of the first to treat it like a wrestling star in a way? I like his flow for the era. That said it gets to be a little stale in places on this album
I love hip hop. But I'm very particular about it: I adore that sweet spot of 90s boom bap (A Tribe Called Quest; Wu-Tang and that run of RZA-produced solo projects up to Ghostface's Supreme Clientele; Preemo productions), and then alternative figureheads MF Doom, Madlib, Dilla, etc. I find early hip hop a bit meh. I never experienced the era first-hand and, to my 2025 ears, the subsequent decades haven't been kind to it. This album is no exception: from the sample selection and to Marley Marl's hit-and-miss production, and LL Cool J's staccato-ish rapping so remnant of 80s rap. (I much prefer the smoother flow Q-Tip pioneered, and it's mad to think Tribe's The Low End Theory was released just one year after this one).
solid album but some of the lyrics were really really really corny 7/10
I enjoyed but didn’t love
Fairly catchy and fun.
Something is wrong with this album on Spotify, for one reason or another. It says there's 15 songs on the album, but only 5 of them are available to listen. I didn't notice until the end, but I don't care enough to find the rest of the album, nor do I think it was good enough for that kind of effort. It's a fine rap album. Albeit maybe a little too 90s. I don't really think it's special, and I don't think it belongs on this list. Favorite Song(s): Mama Said Knock You Out
This album holds up really well. Some of the diss tracks go hard.
Actually enjoyed the arrangements if not all the rapping
When my (very white) dad was a teenager he wrote down the lyrics of the title song on a piece of paper so he could rap them to himself whenever he wanted and thought that made him cool. How sad.
This is a 3.5 for me, but I can't round up to 4. I just think there are too many other great classic hip-hop albums. This one feels like it sits in an awkward phase where it lacks a lot of the fun and personality of the early hip-hop but also doesn't have the refinement of the later stuff.
Not bad, but not my cup of rap. Not enough variation
It’s ironic that LL Cool J raps about people calling his lyrics corny because I was thinking the same thing on a lot of these songs. I like old school rap but some of these songs are just dumb. The ones that work, work great though so overall, pretty decent.
A bit dated but not horrible. 3stars
More rap. Better than most. Rap I more about the lyrics than the music. Just don’t identify with the genre.
Rating: 3.1 LL Cool J is such a cultural institution at this point (not quite to the point of Ice Cube or Snoop Dogg or whatever) but I think his music is getting less and less praise with time compared to his peers and I feel like that’s not necessarily fair. He had some pretty weird misses (Milky Cereal wtf) but I felt most of this album was appropriately bombastic, very easy to follow lyrically (maybe less talking about killing people would be nice but that comes with the territory) and had a varied beat selection that gave birth to one iconic song (Title Track) and almost 10 good ones.
??????????????? DO NADA O MANO LANÇA AS PIOR LETRA DO MUNDO QUE ISSO, pelo menos são poucas partes horríveis!! mas os beats e samples tão em dia, pelo menos. 6 minutes of pleasure é bem boa, na real, mas é isso só
I wanted to like this. The man is fiiinne and the title track is a good time. But the longer this album went on the less I could ignore that he’s an awkward rapper. The album is too long and the quality of the tracks gets worse as it goes on.
Solid early hip hop. Only knew one song, kinda raunchy, which I forgot he had the reputation for.
Definitively his best album. A real great variety of diferent types of rap songs, hardcore, love, r&b, funky. Kind of like he covered all the bases. The gansta songs are raw and powerful. He shows his control over slow and fast beats and shows he cam donwhatever needed at that recording studio.
This album really feels like the transition from 80s hip hop to 90s rap. Some songs really blend the two styles, others go one way or another. I'm not upset that I listened to this, I just don't think I will ever need to ever again, and I'm not so sure I had to listen to this before I died.
Old skool rap - better than I expected.
some absolute great, some absolute cringe. 3
Decent album.
7/10
I can see why the Ladies Loved Cool J. corny as hell but it still has its place in this time. Its right at the turning point of the sillier fun rap that turned into gangster rap and r&b later in the 90's. it shows its age but its still fun.
It’s fine! Old and corny (following at times but his flow is stellar and overall it’s an enjoyable album. But this list really prioritizes early hip hop and largely ignores modern stuff. No Acid Rap, no Hell Hath No Fury, no Trilla or Deeper Than Rap?!?! Time to revise and get some of these oldies off of the list
This was... Fine. I prefer this style of hip hop and the lack of skits was a godsend. It wasn't all self aggrandisment too but I did wonder the mindset of putting some of this to tape and how you must have... Such a high bar for embarrassment in how cringey some of the lyrics were. Hardly unique here but given I didn't hate this I listened a bit more than I did for some others. There were some catchy bits and few annoying bits but everything sort of sat in the middle as being... flat and repetitive. Around the Way Girl and Farmers Blvd probably the best. Low 3.
301125 13:18 3 / highlights: murdergram, mama said knock you out
I liked this album more than the other 90s hip hop/rap I’ve heard through this project so far. It was playful and even goofy at times but I think that’s part of the charm.
65 minutes is a long album.
A pretty good album altogether, though sounded a bit dated and I didn't like how they removed most of the profanity. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
Very cool album that I have not actually heard before today. I remember hearing the hit songs when I was young and I remember the Mama Said Knock You Out video on MTV. Brings back some great memories and I think the lyrics and beats are great. I'm sure I will listen to the hits on this album again but probably not the whole thing again.
The Boomin' System - 3/5 Around the Way Girl - 5/5 Eat 'Em Up L Chill - 4/5 Mr. Good Bar - 2/5 Murdergram (Live at Rapmania) - 3/5 Cheesy Rat Blues - 5/5 Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem) - 4/5 Mama Said Knock You Out - 5/5 Milky Cereal - 2/5 Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling) - 3/5 To Da Break of Dawn - 3/5 6 Minutes of Pleasure - 2/5 Illegal Search - 3/5 The Power of God - 3/5 Average score: 3.4/5 (rounding down) there's a couple tracks i thought were fine, but this was some cornball shit for the most part. but that's to be expected of most 90s hip hop i guess
Får lyst til å reposesse biler i Los Angeles av å høre på denne.
Overstayed its welcome, but like only a little; most of this was great. LL has a great flow and the production rides a fine line between 80s and 90s. Title track is a classic of course, but others like Around the Way Girl, 6 Minutes of Pleasure, and Milky Cereal were a great listen as well.
Liked the sound and vibe, but not enough of the individual songs
KL Cool J
I always knew LL Cool J but never had any idea what his music was like. Never in a million years would I have guessed he was the Mama Said Knock You Out guy. Every song was too long and some were really annoying but overall I still enjoyed it.
- pas ma came - tounes intéressantes - à réécouter 5.5/10
While this was not my jam when it came out back in 1990, I always enjoyed the tracks "Around the Way Girl" and "Mama Said Knock You Out." Upon revisiting those tracks, along with everything else, this was much better than I was expecting. Is it a bit sexist? Yes, but LL Cool J is one of the only hip-hop artists that actually looks like he could get the trim he boasts about here.
This was silly at times, but overall a nice listen.
Maybe rap’s first superstar and deservedly so but he’s right on the precipice of the golden age of rap. It’s a little dated but the title track is an all timer (2.5/5)
I always put LL into the 90s hokey hip-hop category along with the likes of The Fresh Prince and The Digital Underground. However, after listening to Mama Said Knock You Out, I give a little more respect to Cool J. This album packs a punch much harder than I expected. Title track is a classic with some good support from others like "Eat Em Up L Chill" and "Illegal Search." I got a kick a out of "Milky Cereal" and had some when I got home. I may need to check some more material out by James T. Smith. 2.82 stars for this record.
Weird to think that I'm more familiar of LL Cool J as an actor than a rapper. I'm aware he his a highly touted rapper but his discography is never anything I paid attention to. I went in not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. Mama Said Knock You Out is a nice taste of the old-school rap hip-hop style that I prefer to modern gangster rap. Pretty simple production but LL's lyrics and flow are catchy throughout. It's got a couple higher energy tracks that I enjoyed. It's got style and smartly avoided a lot of the annoying aspects of stupid rap albums skits or contributions from a background MC's. I found this more polished than some of the Public Enemy or NWA entries that have appeared on this list. Seems LL Cool J's reputation as an early rap icon is deserved. 3.22 stars
Pretty damn good! Loved some of the songs and the production aged super well. Love early 90s New York hip hop. 3.5
Only gripe is the song called 6 minutes of pleasure is only four and a half minutes… bro finished early!
It's a very uneven album, with good songs (good flow, good background music), with some meh songs (kinda laid-back, way too repetitive music) and some huge WTF (Milky Cereal?! at least it shows some sort of self-deprecation).
La transición del rap de los 80 a los 90 en forma de álbum, con temas claramente old school (por ejemplo, Cheesy Rat Blues) y otros más funky/R&B (6 Minutes of Pleasure). Una producción simple pero de calidad y unas bases muy buenas llenas de samples de temas conocidos al estilo de su época. Las letras, por su parte, son más ochenteras que otra cosa, típicas en plan "soy el mejor y tú no" y muy sexistas aunque, por lo general, sin llegar al estilo gangsta, no tan burdas y con un pelín más de sensibilidad. Pues no sé, creo que es un álbum importante dentro de su género, pero a mí me ha dejado algo frío. Lo que más me sigue sorprendiendo cuando escucho álbumes de esta época es lo tremendamente atrasada que estaba la escena del rap en España por aquel entonces.
Ladies Love Cool James Around the Way Girl and Mamma Said Knock You Out are the standout tracks on this album. The Boomin' System is also pretty good. The rest of the album is not bad, but is probably 10 or 15 minutes too long. LL Cool J is not my favorite hip hop artist, but he definitely has his moments.
"Pumpin up the funky beat until the break of day..." good summary of opener The Boomin' System. LL's flow is on point, promising start. Around The Way Girl her a somewhat dated-sounding chorus but the verses are just as strong as the opener. I'm enjoying the darker beat on the next track. This straddles a couple decades of hip hop but the overall sound is more 1980s for me. Title track still goes aggressively hard with a classic drum break and simple melody. Not sure there's enough standouts after that, but the consistency is there with plenty of variety in the beats and samples. Earns at least an extra half point for not having any skits or interludes.
Pleasantly surprised by the banger beats and his flow. His lyrics are witty and full of finesse. I found myself nodding along to the songs.
6.4/10 A lot of it sounded the same to me. Good beats and flows, but needs more variation
Liked: Farmers Blvd, Mama said know you out, and milky cereal. Ice-T diss track
Milky cereal is hilariously unhinged. I also thought illegal search was pretty funny as well Jingling baby was catchy the title track Mama Said Knock You Out is probably the best one
Around The Way Girl // Mama Said Knock You Out // 2.5/5
A handful of bangers with decent lyricism and flows. Could’ve benefitted from a few slower cuts tossed in to break it up from just constant rhymes which kind of wears me down. 6/10