Mama Said Knock You Out

Ladies Love Cool James? Nah. Men Love Cool James.

Lit

You got me shook up shook down shook out oonnnnnn your lovinnnn

Chance generating another run of Rap and Hip Hop classics for me out of this list. Like the Queen Latifah album from a couple days back it's just wild that someone so young could so consistently deliver with such confident swagger.

Just last weekend, I was talking to my dear friend and DJ-ing partner, Peter, about the fact that we haven't had any LL Cool J on this list so far, and, voila, here he is! "Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years". The majority of hip hop albums on this list are gangsta rap, which was emerging in 1990, and LL was feeling threatened. "Don't worry" said his grandma, "just knock 'em out". hence the mission statement of this record. I love LL, and spin a lot of his singles regularly (special shout out for Going Back to Cali), but this is his best and most consistent album. His flow is a bit old school, but I like his laid back confidence. At his best, he almost whispers. He is so confident, he doesn't need to shout (unlike much of the genre) although on occasion he will raise his voice. The production is funky and varied, great work by Marley Marl. Six singles from this record, all pretty damn good, and the title track is an all-time hip-hop classic. This record is a corner stone of hip hop, and a real classic.

Cool as for something a bit different

4 Man, what a childhood throwback. And by childhood throwback, I’m referring almost exclusively to the track Milky Cereal. How is that one of the least popular songs on the album?? I thought all of the wordplay and callouts to my favorite cereals were so cool as a kid, and I still could probably recite the whole thing for you today. Anyway, despite that track being a childhood staple and my dad owning the album on CD, I don’t think I’ve heard anything else from it prior aside from the title track. So, I really wasn’t sure what my opinion was going to be, but with the first song in I knew that I was in for a good time ahead. The charm of Milky and Mama is present in every song, and I really don’t think I could find anything unenjoyable if I tried. Beats are catchy and delivery is smooth - this is among 90s rap at its best. How was LL never featured in a Tony Hawk game?? Murdergram in particular stood out to me as fun and skateboard-able, though of course I have to call out Mama Said Knock You Out as a banger. Special shoutout to the line “Don’t call it a comeback, been here for years” - my Dad’s been saying it for probably just as long, and I may have once or twice as well in my lifetime. However, what I never realized till now? Another catchphrase from my Dad, “I gotta thank God, 'Cause he gave me the strength to rock hard” also comes from the song. Anyway, great tune. I also noticed LL kept repeating the phrase “run the jewels” on Cheesy Rat Blues, so I had to look it up, and yes, the rap duo got their name from the song. However, despite the number of iconic bars that stood out to me, I saw a few other users call out the lyrics overall as having not aged well. So, I tried following along with a lyrics site on a subsequent listen, and for the most part I personally didn’t hear anything that seemed more provocative or offensive than anything else of the era. There is one questionable lyric on Mr. Goodbar (“And I can't make you, I sure wouldn't rape you”), but as far as the history of sexual references in music goes, I feel like it could be a lot worse. This was very nearly a 4.5 from me, but ultimately I feel like I have to dock half a point for runtime - really think this could have ended after Jingling Baby without anything feeling lost. Not that anything after is bad, but they’re by no means highlights, and as a result the runtime is definitely felt. Still, really good album through and through.

Golden age hip hop genre on parasta kun kappaleet kuullostaa siltä että kappaleet laitettu kokoo viidessä minuutissa heh.. Nopee biitti vaa soimaa ja jotain ramblee päälle häpästään koko länsimainen taide pienessä hetkessä

I love LL I really like the 80s and 90s rap. Not all of it but definitely some artists. There was just something about that time in music. favorite song around the way girl and of course mama said knock u out. Nothing like rolling down the highway and rapping out when u know all the words lol

This is probably going to get in into trouble. I associate Mama Said Knock You Out with the movement that took rap from an indie art to the mainstream. It's undeniable that this is a powerful album. The music is outstanding. The rap performance is tight.

The ladies sure do love cool James. The Kev does too. So many bangers and great lyrics on this one. Lost count at the number of cereals in that milky one. This deserves a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.

3,8/5

Really good album. A little longer than I would have wanted, but the production is solid. His lyrics are legendary. Overall a good listen.

This is what old school hip hop is all about. Solid music, great rapping, and not too much of that misogynist crap.

He certainly had and maintains a voice

I can’t call this disc a regular jam. Bonus star for the MTV Unplugged sessions stemming from this album. Damn.

Simply too long

Pretty solid for a 1990 album

Pretty fresh and funky hip-hop, quite accessible and easier on the ears than most.

What a staple album for hip hop. Not the pioneer but one of the OGs. Great album. Easy 4. T3B 1. Around The Way Girl 2. Mama Said Knock You Out 3. Eat Em Up L Chill

Dope

I like this kind of rap, just that late 80s/early 90s thing before G-funk took over the entire genre. I've never heard this album but it really ticks the box. Would be a full score except it's just that bit too long. 4/5.

Finally, some hip hop! After trying to get through fancy pants Rush for a few days, the steady beats of golden age early 90s rap is just what I needed. I’m learning some things about myself with this whole processs - namely, I don’t want my music to be some sonic journey, I want my music to be simple. Simple simple simple but you know, simple but interesting isn’t so easy! Enter rap! Give me that beat, that hook, and let’s not let go of it for four minutes! Old school rap just scoots me along, pushing me forward through the haze of tween sleepovers, dirty dishes, dog diarrhea, and unread email. Just like in the streets! So, now we see why this era of rap is the ultimate culmination of all greatest music - peak melodic perfection, boiled down and distilled into… um, peak melodic perfection. But let us now come to Ladies Love Cool J. If only I could sexually harass women the way he does and have them laugh and tell me I so crazy. If only I had the swagger to rap a song comparing women to breakfast cereal. For the entirety of the song. LL is not one finds himself at the emergency vet at 6am on a Saturday, LL probably has a perfectly calm and dangerous Rottweiler that never eats garbage and that the ladies equally love. I have emotionally neurotic belle, who growls at small children. But me and belle both have LL, and his masterful collection of pop rap gets us through. We don’t need to actively listen to innovative artistry that push’s the bounds of music, we need to listen to music. Good music that sounds even better around the way with the jinglin babies in a booming system while eating milky cereal and telling every female that my name is Mr. Good Bar.

LL Cool J isn't my thing sadly.

Never knew how far back in time LL had music! Old school style for sure. Pretty clean overall, beats and lyrics.

Nice listen.

the name LL cool J reminded me of a C tier famous person in bad mtv shows, but this album is surprisingly good. Lyrically very nice and the beats are also creative enough.

Used to listen to this albums quite a bit back in the early 90’s but admittedly, it’s been at least over a decade since my last full listen of it. Great beats, dope rhymes. Still a great album all the way through. The fact that Run the Jewels took their name from a line in “Cheesy Rat Blues” tells you how influential this album was.

Really enjoyed the first two and a few of tracks near the end but got a bit bored in between. I like his smooth sound.

Wasn’t looking forward to more rap, but this was good! Got a little bored here and there but mostly into it. I liked the smoother jams like “Around the Way Girl” and “6 Minutes of Pleasure” a lot!

Fun 90s hiphop. Some good beats, some good rhymes, some total cheese, but it's all good.

It pretty good album. I am not the biggest LL Cool J fan but this album does have his best overall song. I would definitely listen to some of the songs again

I love this album. Early 90s had more fun than a lot of modern rap. LL Cool J was a really fun rapper before he turned into a "meh" actor.

Nek sam se ja na MSN-u zvao LL Cool L, ah. Dosta sam njegovih albuma preslušao, nisam detaljno većinu, ali se uvijek znalo nać par pjesama koje sam si stavljo na plejliste, ali to je davno bilo kad sam ga baš slušao. Mama Said Knock You Out je izvrstan klasik, spot, uvijek slika ostaje te boje spota. Nisam očekivao da će album biti malo udaljeniji od njegove klasične r&b/love story + hip hop sheme (za kojom bome nisam lud). Album definitivno može biti kraći, pjesma-dvije definitivno ne bi falile ako bi se izrezale. Sve u svemu, drago mi je da je malo skrenuo sa svoje rute glazbe pa izbacio malo jači hip hop album što se tiče samog sebe.

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

Somehow this album is not available on Apple Music, so I only listened to the title track, which I found on a compilation called “Mom Songs.” My head canon is going to continue to be that the song originated on Jock Jams and other 90s TV infomercial compilations, and this album never actually existed. I enjoyed this tune and I’m going to extrapolate that the rest of the imaginary album was probably a lot like this so it’s a vibe call. ***

When I saw this album come up today, I kind of raised an eyebrow. It’s funny because LL Cool J has become such a familiar, affable television personality that he almost reminds me of Michael Strahan. Strahan went from terrorizing quarterbacks on the football field to being this warm, perpetually smiling morning-show host, and LL has undergone a similar transformation. It’s easy to forget that the guy who now seems like everyone’s lovable TV personality was once genuinely on the cutting edge of hip-hop. But I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting something closer to the more rudimentary, old-school hip-hop of Grandmaster Flash and that first generation of rappers. Instead, a lot of this sounds much closer to the early-‘90s East Coast hip-hop that I actually enjoy, particularly A Tribe Called Quest. It’s got that same emphasis on rhythm, groove, and musicality, although there’s a harder, more aggressive edge to LL’s delivery. There are a few moments that veer dangerously close to Fresh Prince territory, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. What really surprised me was how musical the whole thing is. Marley Marl’s production is just relentlessly funky. There are these great, thick bass lines, terrific drum grooves, and occasional bursts of scratching, but nothing feels particularly cluttered. It’s actually a pretty sample-heavy record, drawing on funk and soul artists like James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone, but the samples are assembled so seamlessly that they almost sound like a live band. A lot of the time, it’s just this great fucking rhythm section laying down a groove while LL raps straight over it. There’s something refreshingly uncomplicated about that. And LL himself is genuinely impressive. He’s got a terrific rhythmic command of the language, and a lot of his rhymes are clever, playful, and surprisingly funny. You can hear why he was such an important figure in the development of the genre. There’s a swagger and confidence to the whole thing that feels earned, particularly considering this was something of a comeback record for him. Ultimately, I enjoyed this more than I expected to, even if it’s not necessarily an album I’m going to find myself returning to very often. There are stretches where the material doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but the grooves are infectious, the rapping is sharp, and there’s more here for me to appreciate musically than I anticipated. A pleasant surprise. 5.8/10

Pretty good at points but what the hell is milky cereal?

It's fine. I didn't know any of these apart from Mama... Sounds a bit dated now

This is a pleasant suprise - I enjoyed the album - in the end not quite enough for a four but very close.

Fun but cheesy as expected

Ok

Spotify doesn't let you hear the full album, and that's fine.

Mama said. Great album

That title track is so darn iconic. Sure, LL Cool J's other material is fine, but man, Mama Said Knock You Out is just pure hip-hop perfection. The same goes for two or three other songs here. The album as a whole presents listeners with a pretty deep chasm between the best and worst songs, but it all balances out to 3 stars in the end. The Boomin' System starts us off with the lo-fi production that we've come to expect and love from the golden era of hip-hop. And that bassline is so damn good (not to mention well-recorded) that J even shouts it out in the lyrics. Around The Way Girl is even better; the bassline jumps around like nobody's business, and now we get a serious melody. At least, in the chorus. A high drone synth plays a suspended chord in the verses, setting up that release in tension in the chorus. I'm not fully convinced by the "chilllllllll" hook in Eat Em Up L Chill, though the verses admittedly slap. Not sure if the guitar line is sampled but it's very strong. Mr. Good Bar, unfortunately, doesn't have much going for it. All the various features repeat to no end (well, until the end of the song), particularly that alarm-like thing. Kind of annoying. Murdergram has a similar issue. J gives us little in the way of melody – or really anything memorable to make the listener want to return to the song. And Cheesy Rat Blues, too. A rough streak on the album, for sure. Fortunately, Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem) closes side 1 on a pretty catchy note, with a couple of groovy guitar and piano lines sharing the spotlight. Like I mentioned above, the title track represents everything great about early golden era rap/hip-hop. It seems a select few rappers have recognised that countermelodies in backing vocals (Ah, ah, ah, ah) make all the difference. The angry baby in each bar of the chorus, much like the horrific triangle part in Yeah! (Usher), is very annoying but also so iconic that it almost works to the song's benefit. Plus, the hook lyric is hilarious. No notes. Milky Cereal is pretty funny too, though considering the lyrics go "Milk / Cereal / Milk / Cereal (baby)" (etc.), the title is slightly wrong. Still solid. Or liquid, I guess. Jingling Baby starts off fairly unconvincing, but wow, that instrumental break. I think it's a keyboard/synth sound? Regardless, very catchy, and I completely understand why it's one of the more popular tracks. Then To Da Break Of Dawn comes in swinging with a repetitive yet sexy guitar line. Nothing much else of note there. 6 Minutes Of Pleasure has a bit of a scammy title, seeing as the song's length is only 4:35, but the sound itself is surprisingly soulful, kind of Marvin Gaye-esque. The use of mainly real instruments makes for a great choice here. Illegal Search, while a bit frenetic, contains a great bass groove and drumbeat that contrast nicely with the silky smoothness of the previous track. The Power Of God is a little repetitive and lacks the bombast needed for a closing track. 3/5 Key tracks: Around The Way Girl, Mama Said Knock You Out, Jingling Baby, 6 Minutes Of Pleasure

Good but overall not as good as his contemporaries. LL Cool J's flows are enjoyable but not terribly inventive and his samples tend to be somewhat more repetitive and less interesting. His rhymes tend to rely on a great deal of repeated rhyming endings, seemingly changing it up when he runs out of steam; it's a bit old-school. Similarly, he's rhythmically straightforward: he raps along at the same rhythm and time as the sample. There's no no half-time, no double-time, relatively few triplets and just no wandering off on something polyrhythmic for a brief jaunt. To some extend, Cool J is a good example of why Snoop Dogg was such a revelation: rhymes everywhere, rhythmic tension and release, etc. Still, a nice rap record that stands up to 36 years of aging (it is currently 2026). Good, not great. But spare a moment to consider the balls required on a guy to perform under the name Ladies Love Cool J and to make that true every show.

so apparently this guy put out like a really good album in 2024? isnt that so random. Hes pretty good and has a very entertaining cadence. kinda makes sense that hes an established actor now eh.

The title track literally blows every other song here out of the water

It sounds like something to build on.

I’ve used these reviews to explore my own history with music and the whole idea of enjoying music. Drawing on my experiences and views. This well.. it’s fine. I’ve never listened to it before and I’ll never listen to it again

With the exception of the title track (which is great), solid if not spectacular. Loses a point because an artist of LL Cool J’s cultural standing and sellouthood should really have all of their albums on streaming.

1077 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

5/10 I've not heard much from LL Cool J in the past to be honest, and I'm more familiar with his work as an actor. His music career straddled the early days of mainstream hip-hop, which I often feel doesn't age all that well, particularly from a musical point of view, with limited variety and a slight over reliance on short sampled loops that repeat ad nauseam. To be fair, that's more a symptom of the limited equipment available to those early producers, but it hasn't necessarily helped the music to stand the test of time. This record does suffer a little from that issue, but not quite as much as I'd feared. There are some great grooves scattered through the tracklist and I often found myself bobbing along to the beats, even after they started to become a little stale. As a rapper, Cool J is a little on the limited, Will Smith end of the scale. There's not much in the way of rhythmical inventiveness, with a fairly consistent cadence and bounce to the flow that, while pleasant enough in small doses, does feel a bit too on the clean and poppy end of the spectrum. As the record progresses, we do get a bit more range, and the live track jumped out as an example of him giving things a bit more drive and aggression, which worked really well. From a lyrical point of view, things veered between moments of seemingly self-aware wit and humour to some that were toe curlingly cringe worthy, with the odd dose of flat out misogyny and off hand references to sex crimes. It's a real mixed bag and I wish he'd stuck more to the light hearted approach that gelled more successfully with his vocal style. So it's a bit of a mixed bag, all in all. There are moments of quality in there, but there are also times when things lull or drag a bit too much, which is an issue that's exacerbated by the over long runtime. I think this probably stood up far better in 1990 than it does today, but there's still enough in there for me to appreciate, if not completely get on board with. I probably won't be digging much deeper into Cool J's work, but this was worth a listen from a historical point, if nothing else. The Boomin' System - Well it’s a pretty cliched late 80s/early 90s hip-hop track to kick things off. The grooves are of course decent, because they’re pinched wholesale from some great funk and soul records (with James Brown’s Funky Drummer as the main beat), so that’s to be expected. Aside from that, there’s not a lot of range or excitement to be found here and Mr Cool J very much sounds like he’s going through the motions, which is a bit weird. Around The Way Girl - Now I want to listen to the Mary Jane Girls. Again, some great samples and at least our main man has bothered to get up off the sofa to deliver his vocal this time. He does remind me an awful lot of Will Smith in his delivery, and this feels a bit like that kind of pop-rap stuff that Smith excelled at, but with a bit more dirt to it. It’s not bad, even if it’s not the kind of thing that really floats my boat. Eat Em Up L Chill - We’re solidly back in the mid 80s with this one. It’s pretty repetitive and while the central groove isn’t bad, it does get pretty stale fairly quickly. Lyrically, he feels quite limited too. Not much to get worked up about here. Mr. Good Bar - It’s another that has a good groove that gets old fairly quickly. Cool J gives a bit more bite to his delivery here, but you’ve got to question a guy who, in writing a song in which he’s chatting up a lady uses the lines “I’m in the mood for a tuna melt” and “I sure wouldn’t rape you” within about five seconds of each other. Yeesh. He’s not a good lyricist and there’s not even any real charm to this either. Murdergram (Live At Rapmania) - Ok, so he can actually rap. Suddenly, in a live environment, Cool J steps it up with pace and rhythm to his delivery, and a bit more passion and inflection to his vocal. Musically, this does sit very much in the repetitive late 80s/early 90s hip-hop school, but it’s a pretty good example of the genre and he’s getting me back on board a bit now. Cheesy Rat Blues - Ah, so this is where Run The Jewels got their name? The groove here is solid and there’s a bit more drive and bite to the vocal, which is good. It’s helped with a bit of backing vocal work that adds depth to the mix. He’s still working in the clean, rhythmically unadventurous style that I most associate with Will Smith, but I can understand why that style of rapping works with a mainstream audience. It’s just a bit safe for me. Not a bad track though. Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem) - We get some guest rapping performances no that give this a bit more zip and interest. The underlying groove is solid yet repetitive as usual. It’s got enough quality and funk to it to keep your head bobbing, which is good, and there are some little breakdowns to break up the sections a bit. Not too bad. Mama Said Knock You Out - The fact that the main sample just loops round and round for the entire duration of this song really doesn’t help it at all. It’s a shame really, because it’s a good groove and the extra scratching and other sound design work does give this more range. Cool J has also upped his game too and brought some of that live energy from Murdergram to the studio party. It’s pretty decent stuff despite that main loop doing its best to drag down the quality. Milky Cereal - Ok, fair play to him, this is quite silly and charming. It’s got a good wit to it and, while the main groove is fairly limited, the lilt and punch to the vocal delivery sells it completely. While this may not be something that’ll go on my regular rotation, it’s pretty enjoyable stuff. Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling) - It’s easy to get stuck into the same repetition that I moan about in music when reviewing some records, particularly hip-hop ones that rely so much on sampled musical content. I’ll try and avoid it from hereon in. This isn’t bad, and there’s at least a bit of range between the sections and the rapping performance has a bit of zip to it. It’s not bad stuff really. To Da Break Of Dawn - It’s a cool, funky groove and the sax work breaks this up really nicely. There’s a nice bit of bounce to the groove and the vocal delivery has a nice bit of pop to it too. While it’s not the most rhythmically interesting of tracks, it has a bit of charm and playfulness that works pretty well. Not bad really. 6 Minutes Of Pleasure - There’s a bit more musical range to this and, while it’s a bit poppy and lightweight as a rap song, it’s got a bit of charm and a decent groove. The synth sax bit is fucking awful though. Hilariously so, actually and I can’t quite tell if that’s what they were going for. Aside from that, it’s another fairly unremarkable, but decent enough bit of work. Illegal Search - We’re back in the land of fairly bland 80s hip-hop stylings. The groove has decent bounce to it, but it’s all a bit safe and rhythmically, it doesn’t really offer a vast amount in the vocal. I don’t dislike it, to be fair, but it’s not the kind of thing that I’m going to ever fall in love with, I don’t think. The Power Of God - It’s a fairly slow jam to finish off and I can feel that LL is trying really hard to be deep, but he doesn’t seem like it’s something that he can pull off at all. It just comes of as insincere and, frankly, it’s pretty boring too. This album is too long already, and this really doesn’t help it.

Ladies love Cool J because he used to have some hits! This is a solid hip hop album from the golden age. Top tracks: "Around the Way Girl," "Mama Said Knock You Out," "Jingling Baby (Remixed but Still Jingling)"

"The Boomin' System": fun bass line driving the action "Around the Way Girl": solid. "Eat 'Em Up, L Chill": head bopper "Mr. Good Bar": cheesy but the beat sustains. "sure wouldn't rape you"? uh, good to know, LL "Murdergram (Live at Rapmania)": I don't buy his "hard" attitude but the beats hit "Cheesy Rat Blues": "Run the Jewels"?! I appreciate the self awareness but the beat has fallen off here "Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem)": here we go. head bopper. this hits hard "Mama Said Knock You Out": I need a My-Mom's-Favorite-Rapper celebrity boxing match between LL and Ice Cube "Milky Cereal": the beat is good again but this is way too cheesy. was he trying to get a licensing deal? "Jingling Baby (Remixed but Still Jingling)": I definitely don't buy everything LL says lyrically, but the dude has good musical instincts "To da Break of Dawn": solid but nothing special "6 Minutes of Pleasure": appreciate the saxophone. also appreciate this is not actually six minutes. I like this, real smooth. my flavor of cheese "Illegal Search": both wholesome and based "The Power of God": don't really relate to the religiosity but the sound is sleazy. I dig it

Around the way girl and mama said knock you out are 2 of the best songs of the 90s. Unfortunately the rest of the album suffers from being meet in comparison. As the 90s drew on ll cool j would release better albums but no songs would top the aforementioned barnburners

Mr. Cool J doesn't seem to want me to listen to this full album without putting down cash for it so I can't really review it. The scraps I found on YouTube seem fine so uh 3 I guess

L has a great flow. This is still dated, but fun!

1990 east coast hip hop, Everyday detail w remorseless rhythm Around the way girl Mama said knock you out %o the break of dawn

Can't find the full album on Apple Music and Spotify has several tracks missing. The title track is an all time banger. The songs I can hear on Spotify are solid early 90s rap. Feels like this is here because it's an artifact of the time, not really because it's a great album.

pretty good

Everybody loves this early 90s classic

Better than Coldplay

Album is not available via Apple music! what!? anyways I know how legendary of an album this is. WOuld've been nice to listen to it

Title track is a tune

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

Fine

Some good stuff here. Call it 2.5 rounded up to 3.

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 …”

Not on Spotify. Power of God was a good one

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.

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.

Better than I expected. Really good beats and the lyrics are cheeky enough to get away with a lot.

I got nothing, good stuffs

Rhymes are alright but the flow is average for the era. The beats are pretty good.

2.7 LL Meh J,

To Da Break Of Dawn

Sucker

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

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

i liked it ig, not that good tho

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

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 :-)

Classic hip hop album.

I could only find the song. Lowk a vibe tho.

Really close to a 4, but not quite. Classic 3.5 rounded down.

I thought this was great when it came out. It didn't age well at all. 2.5

only was able to listen to a few songs due to label dispute

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.

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.

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.

Old skool hiphop, but I like his debut better.

It isn’t for me but I can recognize that some people probably really enjoy this

Not on streaming. Production is dated but I like it. Could be more bass. Singles off this are bangers definitely.

PEAKANUMA SAMPLE SPOTTED

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.

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.