Reviews (page 5 of 7)
only knew the title track here, but decent hip hop album goes light and hard at various times.
This album was pretty good. I wasn't as moved by it as I was hoping to be, but it's still very good 90s hip hop. Favorite track: Farmers Blvd
One of the few rap albums I have owned over my life. Mainly for Mama said knock you out, but there are several good songs off this album. Mama said is the best off this album and overall just a great tune that should pump up anybody with a pulse. Other favorites, include Around the way girl, Jingling Baby and 6 minutes of pleasure, The Boomin system and Mr Goodbar despite, the cringeworthy line of "And I can't make you, but I won't rape you." I mean WTF?? Milky Cereal is a fun song I use to play for kids just to see how many cereals they could hear. The song still makes me smile every time I listen. Have always been a fan of many LL songs, but this album did seem to be a bit long. It has been a long time, but I did like going back in my music history and the overall listening experience was enjoyable. Loved the New Edition/Bobby Brown references. 3.5 3.5 for me, but can't get to that 4 number. Just a few too many songs I didn't really enjoy. LL, especially his early stuff, remind me of hanging out with Melvin F and playing basketball on the north side of Ann Arbor, when I was in high school.
More dates than I remember, when it hits it’s great but there is a lot of clunk going on too.
Ladies Love Cool James!
Solid to start, trails off at the end. There's something about 80's/90's hip hop beats and scratches that just make me happy. Lyrics are kinda silly (Milky Cereal) with some serious themes (Illegal Search). Overall I would call this album "just for fun". Not dying to listen again, but not upset by any means.
not my jam, wouldnt bring to island but he tried his best
Classic 90's beats I liked the beginning and middle but kinda lost interest by the end The Boomin' System reminds of when me and the homies would ride around the mean streets of Cape St Claire bumping Lil Wayne in Leighton's Toyota Solara that had a an 18 inch subwoofer in the trunk Milky Cereals play on words is absolutely legendary I was laughing the whole song
LL Cool J natürlichen legendär aber diese Album ist jetzt nicht komplett überzeugend. Paar sehr gute aber auch paar cringe/schlechte. Im Bad fand ich insg besser Light 6/10
Nothing too special but certainly an enjoyable rap album
Catchy in some parts, good beats. Gets repetitive sometimes
Little on the long side but it's alright.
A fantastic listen. Some good, old-fashioned hip hop. I always enjoy hearing the moments that were borrowed by later tracks. It won’t be in regular rotation for me but it was properly good to hear.
Je suis touchée par certains thèmes sociaux, mais moins par les rythmes et la musique, qui me semblent moins originaux. Même la groove me laisse plutôt indifférente.
Wasn't expecting much from an album known for just one single featured in Kangaroo Jack, but left pleasantly surprised. Has a more modern production take on 80s hip hop, with clear influences from the likes of Run-DMC and Public Enemy. Samples are fun and funky with hilarious lyrics and a passionate vocal delivery that would surely touch Will Smith for his Fresh Prince performance. There's a lot of diversity here with many standout tracks, but some were pretty forgettable or sounded too much like their influences (e.g. Murdergram sounding like a Public Enemy B-side). Did not warrant the hour length.
It’s fine, but it feels dated. 2.5/5
The production stays out of the way on this one so the vocals take center stage. Despite its age it doesn't feel dated at all. It does begin to get old after Jingling Baby, but that is due to the album's length rather than how long it has been since its release.
I enjoyed the beats, but on reflection would not listen to the album again.
Couple of top tunes, but too long
I have this CD at home. The title track packs a punch, along with a few others ones (like "The Boomin' System" or "Eat Them Up L Chill"). Yet when it comes to timeless rap music, I'm not so sure this clearly dated example of hip hop can be said to be as relevant today as it seemed to be in the early nineties, and this either lyrically/vocally or musically. Producer Marley Marl still does a more-than-decent job, I guess. For instance, he nicely mimicks the layers of apocalyptic sounds favored by Public Enemy's The Bomb Squad production team on "Murdergram". But without PE's topical or political sense of urgency, the track seems to run nowhere fast, really. As for the smoother, more "seductive" side of LL Cool J's music, it cruelly lacks the jazzy subtlety of the Native Tongues crew (bands such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers). Hip hop amateurs already know what I'm talking about here... That said, *Mama Said Knock You Out* can still be a pleasant nostalgic listen for fans of old hip hop. Does that make the album an "essential" one, though? The jury's still out on this one... Number of albums left to review: 685 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 153 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 72 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 89
Favourite song: Around the Way Girl
One of the more popular east coast hip hop artists that I was never familiar with. Not that it's necessarily bad, Mama Said Knock You Out would be quickly overshadowed by other 90's hip hop. That being said, a few standout tracks make this more memorable, such as Murdergram and the album's title track. These hard-hitting beats combined with LL Cool J's boastful personality makes me wish the rest of the album was more like the title track. This is particularly true for the boring closer, which ends the album with more of a whimper than a bang.
It's fine hip hop, but not my favourite
не впечатлило
Fine, not my music
I didn’t mind this! I probably wouldn’t listen to it again but for a genre I dislike, it was pretty good.
Gangsta rap may have been conquering the charts, but a few lighter efforts like this one managed to slip by. LL sounds like he’s having fun, and the beats are mostly decent, but there are too many misogynistic and clunky lyrics to call this a truly classic album.
Reasonable hiphop but does not really grab me.
It’s just a really typical rap album to be honest I think it’s good but not brilliant 3/5.
Vähän liian gangstaa mun makuun, mut paljon parempaa ku mitä odotin.
A few really good tracks, and a lot of bloat. Nothing here really astounded me, but it certainly wasn't a bad or unpleasant experience. That cereal track was so stupid, it wrapped back around to hilarious though.
LL Cool J has charisma in droves. He's got some weird song topic choices here ("Milky Cereal"), and the beats are sometimes sparse, but his ability carries it. Favorite tracks: "Mama Said Knock You Out", "Around The Way Girl", "To Da Break of Dawn"
I'm not sure how I feel about this. His flow and voice overall is good, lyrics are a bit dated, and the beats are clear and crisp. It almost sounds over-produced and makes it feel a bit less genuine like LL isn't really a rapper, but someone that is pretending to be one (while still doing a good job at it). It's strange because if the music is good that should be the end of it, but that vibe just throws things off for me. I did like Murdergram, and the title track. The others were fine too not really any awful songs in there.
Helt bra men för långt
Some bangers on here, overall nothing too thrilling to me though. 3.5 rounded down.
Good
This album dates from the middle of my high school days, but I was too busy listening to God knows what (although this was also my Bangles phase, which I don't regret in the slightest). So besides the title track, I hadn't heard any of this album. "Second wave" rap like this - after the early pioneers ("Rapper's Delight", anyone?) but before rap took its hard "East Coast vs. West Coast" turn later in the 90s still really shows its roots as improvised street poetry from the Bronx. I mean, you still get lines like "your rhymes are so cheesy, you found them in a mousetrap", which would be unthinkable coming from Biggie or Tupac. It didn't take itself so seriously, but at the same time being serious. So while I don't LIKE most rap, I definitely RESPECT rap as an art form - I mean, the Illiad and Beowulf were basically "rapped" for hundreds of years before they were written down in their final form - as bards improvised their lyrical rhymes to tell the story. This stuff has a LONG history. So, because the day was so busy, I ended up listening to this in the car with the kids - as Claire aptly put it, "I don't know if I like this, or hate it" - agreed. I don't think I'll be pulling this up, but like Alex said, "it make sense that this would be on the 1001 list".
If you're in the mood for some rap then this is a good a place as any to listen to some
Good old school hip hop that gets kind of samey as the album unfolds.
Nice old school hiphop but not a masterpiece neither
This album is the exact definition of a 3 stars. Tracks are not bad, not solid, just enough to be good and enjoyable. Not a masterpiece, not a bad album. In fact, I have nothing to say about it, positive or negative.
Outside of the title track this album suffers from being a little corny. There are a few gems throughout this but otherwise it just doesn’t work that well.
Leuk werk met ritme. Ga nu niet nog 'ns luisteren ofzo
early 90's rap had great beats and nice mixing. LL was not bad as well. good stuff
Decent early rap release, but doesn't reach the heights of some of his contemporaries, like Tribe, De La Soul or Eric B & Rakim.
Lyrics didnt age well, beats were cool
Slick.
Historical artefact this, from I guess when major labels still wanted rappers to produce MTV-friendly fodder rather than controversy. LL is an engaging enough presence, but NWA were about to blow this kind of rap completely away. Only one track with an explicit warning! Bless.
I didn't know my earphones had such good bass. The album is just OK.
I like it, chill rap vibes decent lyrics and songs
Album is pretty good, but it was good to learn about LL Cool J's early career.
Rapsy, ale takie lepsze
He sounds "hard and funny" and raps about "crass materialism" and "life's simple pleasures". Okay... (5/10) FT: Mama Said Knock You Out, Around the Way Girl
Better than I was expecting.
90s hip-hop is just such a vibe. I've gotta be in the mood but when I am nothing else scratches the itch. Lyrically I'm kind of lukewarm on this album by and large but his flow and the beats are on point.
écouté d'une oreille
A few classics. Mama said knock you out is top notch.
3.5/5
LL Cool J kind of makes me giggle. I think it is something about his ?sexy? smile. Anyways, the album was fine but maybe not the most engaging. I mean, I found myself really wanting to skip to the end of some of the tracks, once I got the hang of how they sounded.
title track a banger. the rest not so much.
I don't really care for rap, but I do like LL Cool J. And I love the hook of the title track.
Ladies Love Cool James but I thought this was only ok. 90s rap gets pretty samey after a while. Ofc Mama Said Knock You Out is great
C'est OK. Les beats sont nices, mais overall c'est un peu cheezy
Only really heard the title song before. Meh. He's a better actor.
Dude was hungry while writing this album. Food references dropped everywhere
This was so edgy when it came out. Now it sounds like hip hop with training wheels on. It's so innocent, it's cute. The production still sounds great, and the title track still kicks ass.
Dobar je al se ne bi nikad vratila na njega. Mama said knock you out je klasik pjesma.
Beatovi jebeni i sve to, al iskreno mi je malo dosadno bilo.
No es malo, realmente no es malo... pero yo no soy de hip hop, ni rap. Me gustó pero solo eso
Hip hop
When it's good (Opener, title track, anywhere he's trying to start a fight) it's great, but there is a lot of filler on here. It's probably the first real attempt to make rap pop. Half the album goes from good to brilliant, but there's also some overlong attempts at romance or comedy, neither of which land particularly well. But again, at its height it's ace.
This is tricky to rate... I love Around the Way Girl love the beats love the energy in general and the samples. Howeverrrr I don't like the aggressive masculinity or the fact that that was so acceptable in the 90s. Hm I'll have to go in the middle I think but it's a shame because I feel super strongly on both negative and positive sides!
I actually got really into this by the end - and I enjoyed the variations of the samples. Fun and funkayy!
Wasn't sure at first, didn't sound like anything special but I was enjoying it by the end, got some funky fresh sounds. LL Cool Jay did a rap with Elmo on Sesame Street once.
Not a big rap guy so it's always hard to judge a genre I don't really enjoy. Still this had good beats. Wasn't always a huge fan of the lyrics, but the production was good although it suffers from that 90s era run-time length. It didn't need to be 60
I like this much more than I expected. There's some filler, but the combination of beats, samples and lyrics often works extremely well.
Some songs were very powerful (title track, Illegal Search) while others were dated and did not age well (6 Minutes of Pleasure that clocked in at under 5 minutes, casual sexist mentions.) A conflicted 3/5
Most rap albums get 1 or (rarely) 2 stars from me and I only listen to about a minute of the first 4-5 songs. This album on the other hand I found absolutely decent and only skipped forward once or twice and otherwise listened to the whole album. I'm still not a fan of rap and I wouldn't actively listen to this album again. But it was totally fine and I didn't mind it at all, which is more than I can say for 95% of all rap.
Better than expected. Some good ones up front but didn’t wow me.
3.3 - A commercial breakthrough for hip hop - "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "Around the Way Girl" were on constant blast, even in my white town. LL Cool J cultivated just enough of a bad boy image to appeal to the youth without scaring our parents. Artistically, this album sounds stale. Songs revolve around two themes: "I'm a great MC and a cool guy (PS: you're neither of those things)" and "I have sex."
Slightly dated pop rap album
Meh, nice beats but lyrics are just "what rhymes with (blank). No cohesion. No direction.
It's OK I guess.
just okay to me.
Not too bad but not mah thang
@runthejewels
Liked it a lot more than I thought. A couple of stand out tracks. Mr. Goodbar Murdergram
“I want a girl with extensions” (Around the Way Girl). Boy, nothing dates the album like this. (Although, to be fair, the diversity of hair clip use these days could give this line a new lease of life…) The very conservative use of samples and loops makes me realise, belatedly, that this album was pointed directly at the mainstream. Got there just in time too - The Chronic and Gangster Rap reshaped that landscape just a year or so later…) On the whole, a period piece rather than a classic. Mama Said Knock You Out is still banging, tho…
De old school vibe vind ik altijd leuk; maar het was weer iets te lang
Not super impressed apart from one or two songs.
Pretty fun album actually, a lot better than I thought it would be. I'm probably not going to go out of my way to put it on, but I enjoyed it.
It was ok
Good lyricist. Early 90s Hip Hop, but it isn't that memorable for me.
Good old skool hip-hop.
Classic hiphop
I liked some tracks as time capsules of 1990, but the whole album got too "cheesy" for me.
Decent instrumentals, but like a lot of the rap from this era, it feels incredibly dated now.
good, especially the title track
3.5/5 alright, good but not amazing
The title track and Jingling Baby still go hard but meh.
Not usually on my radar, but decent album
Pretty good
Not as good as I expected it to be.
Favourite Songs: Jingling Baby & The Power of God
A couple of stand out tracks buried amongst a lot of tracks where I struggled to connect with or even process the lyrics. The Power of God is a great song though and just about pulls up the album up to 3 stars.
Admittedly had this playing as more of a background album so didn't really take in many of the lyrics. Some solid early 90s hip-hop sounds, though. Best track: Around the Way Girl
First hip hop listen and I still only gave it a 3 🤣
Good fun, I appreciate the lighthearted style
It's all right -- catchy, good sound and rhythms. Can't say I really relate to the lyrics. Probably a 3; we'll see if there are more songs that jump out at me besides "Around The Way Girl" and "Mama Said..." It was pretty good. 3 is fine.
I’ve never liked LL Cool J’s persona, too much, “c’mon girl,” too cool for school swagger. But, I can’t deny this album, solid samples, great production, only a few songs dated and LL’s glow isn’t too bad. Quite a few catchy songs. I would say this album isn’t really my cup of tea, pretty straight forward and it was way too long. I found my ears creeping away and listening to other things. I would’ve cut out a couple of songs, the more dated ones, from the end. Overall I was impressed but not floored.
Actually not bad
ll cool j oder j rocs kuseng. nowateimsäin. Das Album schiebt den Hosenbund zurück auf den Hüftäquator. Olde schule, ziemlich fly und cool, j. Abseits des geglückten Inhalts spricht mich auch das Cover an. Können diese Lippen küssen? One can only dream.
Cool! Mama said knock you out! Dat is echt nostalgie. Rest van de plaat wel ok.
De titel-track is echt een geweldige classic. Maasr de rest van het album vond ik ook nog best te pruimen. Beetje gedateerd, maar niet zo schreeuwerig en van die stoerdoenerij als bij veel andere rap uit die tijd.
Viel me alleszins mee. Moest grinniken om teksten als ‘I’m hot like pastrami’. En wat was er de hele tijd met Fendi-tassen?
De klassieke hip hop
A real evolution of LL's craft as seen on "Radio" - lots of great beats and rhymes delivered with the utmost conviction.
Fairly middle of the road 90s hip hop - title track is the clear stand out.
Torn... I wanted 4 but just can’t. If MTV unplugged was in then it would be
I liked the R&B style beats but some of this was extremely corny and grating. 6
Definitely better than Eminem
Probably the first time I've given this dude an extended listen. Around the Way Girl is a classic.
At least 3 stars for the title track alone. The other tracks are a lot of fun. I love 90's rap, and I feel like this album starts to bridge the gap between old school and more 2000s-style gangster rap. I wish I knew more about the genre, I feel inadequately equipped to fairly appraise it.
No one of the great rap artists in my opinion, and not one of the greatest albums. This is actually LL's last good album.
Eh, not really my thing. For the first 5 tracks I was seriously thinking of awarding 2 stars because it just seemed like unreflective brag rap with fairly basic rhymes. It did approve a bit after that. Fave track - "Cheesy Rat Blues" - a much more interesting listen than most of the other tracks. Plus it's where Run the Jewels got their name! The title track is also a pretty good tune, tbf
No offense kinda corny but so were some of the early Beatles songs can’t fault LL for trying his hand at something that went from a fad to an institution.
Solid but nothing I’m obsessed about.
Selvästi paras listan tähänastisista amerikkalaisista rap-levyistä. Letkeän groovaavaa menoa ilman suurempaa angstailua ja uhoamista, vaikka levyn kannesta tulikin hieman pahat etukäteisvibat. Biiseistä jäi mieleen erityisesti Around The Way Girl. Tähän voisi jopa palata myöhemmin joskus!
Probably my favourite 90s hip hop album on this lost (so far) some good rhymes, beats, bass. Some annoying tracks. Not really something I'd listen to regularly.
Ihan letkeetä menoa ja en juuri muuta muistanut kuin tuon suurimman hitin.
Sounds like I'm 18 again!
Well, it's not as offensive as most rap from this era, but then this is more hip hop. LL Cool J seems like a decent bloke and I appreciate the artistry, but this albums problem isn't is genre, it's that most songs sound like demos or work in progress, like half the band didn't turn up. It's not multi layered or complex, it's a drum machine and rap, and if you're lucky, a fitting sample. It's very garageband. So not awful, but also not brilliant. There is however some hilarious rhyming in it. See "cheesy rat blues". 'Hurry' and 'leftover curry', 'edge is' and 'eating neighbours hedges', 'two faces' and 'tips of shoelaces'. Also, 'I'm top notch, I'm playing hopscotch'. Brilliant.
I can't see the point but I see the attraction. Stupefaction.
Outside of the title track, this album pulls its punches. It tries to sit in the uncanny valley between Young MC and NWA. Bump to a 2.5 just because of Momma Said Knock You Out
Bland. It lacks the charm of earlier rap and the technical edge of later rap. Completely a skip and only barely scrapes up to a 2/5 because it didn't actively offend or aggravate me. Cereal song was fun though.
Always pisses me off just a little bit every time these albums aren't on Spotify. That's on me. Overall this was pretty fun. Clear vision, good beats, and a couple seriously hoppin' tracks. Obviously L is iconic and incredibly important to the art form, so at the very least I'm glad I listened to him. Sadly I will probably rarely ever return to this. Fave tracks: - Eat Em Up L Chill - Mama Said Knock You Out - Illegal Search
I can't mesh too well with this one. It just sounds too basic for me. It's just the classic albums of the 90s being more than not way too long, especially hip-hop is quite a egregious in this regard. Obviously if you like the album, more is good, but if you don't it's so grating. It just feels to me that there's a lot of filler, "Milky Cereal" being the one that speaks to me the most in regards to filler. First third was fairly fine, middle third not great, last third bad. Favourite line: "I'm Uncle L, but you can call me Todd" I doubt I will be returning to this. Highlight Song/s: "Around the Way Girl" and "Mama Said Knock You Out"
This is album is mid and dated
He lived through Deep Blue Sea but he kinda sucks as a rapper sorry
Mama said knock you out ***** Everything else 0 stars
this was ok ! just ok !
Hey, Kool Thing, come here Sit down beside me There's something I got to ask you I just wanna know, what are you gonna do for me? I mean, are you gonna liberate us girls From male white corporate oppression? Also, Milky Cereal is probably the worst hip hop track ever written!
Title track is a banger, may one other decent track. The rest just wasn’t up to par, especially considering when this album came out and all the other rap and hip hop at the time. This doesn’t even come close.
i think i don't like 80's/90's rappers. (with some exceptions) There are some beats here that are interesting, but mostly, this flow of rapping boastfully over a repetitive beat, without anything else, feels anachronic and boring
Great flow and attitude on the mic. Interesting to hear how this represents the transition from 80s to 90s hip hop/rap. But my god some of the bars stink. Terribly dated. Some good tracks interspersed with nonsense, too long.
Outdated unfortunately. Decent flow and sampling
Litt morsomt til tider, men ikke det beste jeg har hørt!
From the Vault #16 (January 16, 2026) Back once again with another pre-written review. I've finally escaped the late-80s in my journey to clear out the remaining hip-hop albums and have broken into the 90s. We're getting there. I'm pretty sure my last.fm recommended this guy to me a few days back. The saturation of hip-hop albums lately has kind of broken my music recommendations. I don't remember what Cool J's sound was, but given the album cover and year of release, I'm expecting some gangsta hip-hop. Nope, just standard 90s commercial hip-hop. I guess this album marks the period where hip-hop albums started getting long as shit, because hoo boy. This album was dragging its feet for much of the runtime. LL Cool J is an adept hip-hop vocalist, but as far as musicians with distinct creative identities go, he's thoroughly unremarkable. Kind of a questionable inclusion for a book compiling important and influential musicians, innit? The instrumentals are okay, and I appreciated the more varied first half, but this thing is just way too fucking long and has too many tracks for me to engage with. I got lost pretty early on as a result. Book time. Revitalised Cool J's career. "...a hip-hop masterpiece" and his best album. Wikipedia reveals that this album had four successful singles, sold well and was well received by critics. Hmm. Not sure about this one. Apparently LL Cool J was one of the first hip-hop artists to achieve commercial success, but he doesn't seem to have had much in the way of a creative influence or a critically-acclaimed career. Yeah, we can probably snub this one. In place of this album, I humbly submit "Jordan: The Comeback" by Prefab Sprout for inclusion on the list.
Nah....not very good
Jesus fucking Christ what is it with early 90s rap and all the ass-raping lyrics. You’d think ass rape was a perpetual concern back then. Maybe it was, I don’t know.
As a small child I was wildly delighted whenever my older sister would sing “Mama Said Knock You Out”. It was also cool years later when Samoa Joe used it as his ROH entrance theme.
2.5
Classic hip hop style but the lyrics aren't great lol
Decent raps and a handful of decent songs, the title track is really good. Very repetitive and too long and way too much filler R&B stuff for my taste, though.
Heard Before? Only the title track. Notes: - these beats are fantastic. the drums are dusty, the bass is funky, there's (for the era) lots of variety between tracks, and the beat switches, drops and modulates enough to keep things moving and interesting. - his flow is fine, if dated, and he at least attempts some different styles. - i don't know how to describe the lyrics except as a goldmine of unintentional comedy. whatever he's going for comes off, most of the time, as the complete opposite. hilarious as that can be, i just end up feeling bad for him. did people ever take this seriously? for real? - but i should give Todd some credit, because the one posse cut is truly awful. he's at least better than his crew. Verdict: Cheesy rat indeed, but with sick beats. Listen Again? Nope.
Quite listenable for this genre
The YouTube link I used started with a couple of videos which were kinda fun. Went downhill after the title track.
We used to think this was cool.
Half of the album isn't on Spotify so it was only like 15 minutes
I can’t stand ll cool j now. Makes this album worse.
Know his sound, yeah sounds of it’s time which ain’t a bad in my book. Gotta except time and talk was of the time. It’s ok but The bravado, that whole American cultural exceptional mind wash b.s. even when at the bottom gets a bit tiresome particularly in ‘26. Better in shorter bursts and so goes on a bit, 3 star for the sounds but as a long album 2 Stars
So here's one in a subsequent string of SIX two and one star reviews. This having the marked disadvantage of being rap/hip-hop, which isn't my scene at all. Sounds old-school. And as such... Decent enough. But really listeneably to me, it aint.
Spotify version only 15 minutes long bless 🙏 Honestly not as bad as I thought it would be, but I think the Spotify version is just the singles, so it’s literally the best of the album. I am projecting a 2 for the full album based on what I heard in the singles
This album doesn't seem available to listen to anywhere but the songs I did hear, I did not like. No big surprise since it's not a genre I appreciate.
Wasn't the best representative of gangsta rap.
some nice sounds but hard to tell the difference between this and 50 other albums
2.5
The title track is decent…and that’s basically it.
dont think hes saying anything. the production and music is great, i just dont really like his lyrics i stopped tracking my thoughts on individual songs for this one bc i truly just dont think its worth it, mama said knock you out is good tho i think i couldve gone without this one. I'd give it a 1.5 but I think I'll round up to 2 I want to reserve 1/5 for actual dogshit
Love 90s hip hop and this album has plenty of good songs with great production but the lyrics are too often cheetos fritos doritos first word that comes to his head type rhymes. There's a lot of songs that I enjoy and would listen to again but I wouldn't listen to the album again so it has to be a 2.
Not a major fan and got bored. So much has been done with the genre since this, that this can be hard to come back to. Lyrics that are cliche by todays standard but the backing beats definitely carry them. Hasn't aged well for a first time listener, but can appreciate the influence it has had on the genre and artists since its' release.
I like hip hop but not that old, eventhough I had good tracks
3.5/10 An album that front-loads its best material and struggles to maintain momentum. The Boomin' System opens strong with a deep kick drum and wide sound stage, and Around The Way Girl has a lo-fi charm. But from there, it's a lot of the same: tight, repetitive beats and lyrics that rarely hit as hard as the delivery suggests. Lines like "your rhymes are cheesy, you found em in a mouse trap" leave you wondering if he's in on the joke. I'd never heard the title track despite its reputation, and it didn't land. Aggressive and repetitive without much substance. There are bright spots, but they're not enough to offset the filler. I kept wanting more variation, and for the lyrics to match the energy of the beats. A few standout moments in an otherwise one-note listen. Best track: Around The Way Girl Will I revisit?: No
This album didn't age well. It was a big deal when it came out, but compared to other hip-hop albums in that era, it just comes off as forgettable and average.
Not my cup of tea
Can’t find this on Amazon so I listened to the title track. Holy shit who let this dude make this?
Boy, this was a blast from the past, but I just don't think it's held up for me. It's not dreadful, but damn, it's not great.
Just a real disappointing album, with 5 minute lazy beats over lazier rhymes. I expected more from this given what a powerhouse the title track was but it seems like LL threw a solitary bone to the new sounds and then went back to 1985. Just a real boring record all around.
Definitely can’t get into rap
Milky Cereal was enjoyable. lol It is crazy I have never listened to LL Cool J, but I have been so familiar with him through his acting. Overall, his music isn't my style, but I can appreciate his talent.
Dette albumet faller litt imellom. På én side er det tydelige spor av det som skal bli East Coast-legender som Biggie og Mobb Deep, men på den andre er det fortsatt stødig plantet i mid-school hip hop. De La Soul og Public Enemy hadde allerede revolusjonert hip hop-bildet på hver sin måte, så jeg synes dette er too little too late. Det har noen bops, men det er jævlig ujevnt. Det er også for langt, om jeg får lov til å påpeke det åpenbare. Jeg nikket med i en stund, men så ble det bakgrunnsgrøt.
This album was fine, but due to either 35 years of music evolution or 35 years of decreasing attention spans, I found it kind of boring. Aside from the title track, not much stood out to me.
Poppy rap, oddly just OK given the other artists at the time.
This sounds so dated now and not in a good way. It came out my senior year of high school, so I guess I'm a little dated myself. Aside from the title track there's not much here to bring me back. 2/5
it's whatever honestly, kinda dated and there's better albums from this period of raP
It's overly long, but there's a few bangers on here
Some great tunes on here, not least the title track but I could do without the milky cereal misogyny - two stars.
Not the best but fun
Is this a bad album? Not at all. Should you really have listened to this album? Not at all either. 2/5
cool
Inget för mig. They tell me, "Don't drink and drive", I say, "What is this? Mind your business" Riktig cooling!
Nä, för tråkiga beats och en röst helt utan edge. Andefattiga texter. För långt också. Låten Mama Said knock you out är väl ok, och det finns smågrejer här och där som är lite småfeta. Men helheten är verkligen en riktig tråkfest.
texterna var…. något alldeles speciellt
Kinda butt? All sounds about the same. It’s foundational tho
I try and try, but I do not like Rap. I was able to get through more of this than most other rap albums but it doesn't mean I liked it.
Not sure why this rap album made this list. It's fine, but not especially good. Also not really my style.
Maybe its cause im listening 36 years later- but man this sounds hokey? Just a little late for old school and a little too early for gangster- it sits in this awkward spot. Social Conscious of Zulu, nope. Life of poor upbringing of gangster, nope. Just kinda feels like trying to be both while being nothing.
Some cool funky and soulful backing tracks but just a bit too much rapping on this one for me. He was ok in NCIS Miami too
I'm not a big hip-hop fan at all, and this album reminds me why. It's not a bad album per se, even though it is a bit dated, but I personally just don't like this music at all. Still solid stuff, just not my thing. 5 / 10
Boring. It got better when it ended. But for the genre not awful
This album has taught me that the number one thing I dislike about rap is an album stuffed to the brim with songs all about how great the rapper is. This album is an over long example of this format. There are some exceptions, such as the title song, but for the most part it’s mostly just 75 minutes of bragging about being the greatest, most self-reliant, most improbably powerful person. Even things that feel like they should be tongue-in-cheek come across as insincere because there’s no wink and nod, it’s just using brand names in the lyrics uncreatively. I will not listen to this again.
A few high points here for sure, but way too long overall. I was also surprised at how bored I was. The genre should be smacking you round and demanding attention, not fading into the background while I write my little reports in an open plan office.
Disappointing. The title track is a classic, but the rest largely fails to live up to that promise. Sleazy cheesy lyrics, and some selections that sound like typical R&B boyband fare. I can live without this.
Bailed after four tracks. My head wasn't really in the right space for this. Aggressive, posturing, dated.
Perhaps this star rating is unfair, because LL Cool J does have rapping skill, but I've never been a big fan of the type of 90s hip-hop that this album embodies. Cool J delivers his lines with energy but the lyrics are the typical braggadocio -- not inspiring or interesting to listen to. The comedy works at the beginning but runs out of steam over the course of this album's hour-long runtime. Most of these raps are about sex but it doesn't *sound* sexy at all, and I can't picture a woman ever choosing to listen to this, especially the date rapey "Mr. Good Bar". I listened to this album walking the streets of NYC which felt like the ideal way to experience it. High Point: I like the jazzy sample in "To Da Break of Dawn". Low Point: I truly hated the album closer "The Power of God"... he says something like 'time for something more smooth' but this song is horribly sluggish with a muffled background sample that sounds like your neighbors through the apartment wall are having a party at 4AM while you're trying to sleep, and there's even a crying baby thrown into the mix.
A few decent tracks but ultimately very repetitive. It feels like a bit of a backwards step from Public Enemy in it not really saying anything…
Expected to dislike this more than I did. Sone of the samples and beats here are surprisingly good (‘funky president’?!) but I didn’t find the rapping over it to be particularly engaging (the lyrics in ‘6 minutes of pleasure’ are downright awful at times - “Listen to the man, you have a plan, don't even risk it What do you want, a biscuit?”). Would have enjoyed it more as instrumentals.
Better than most of the Rap albums so far. 2 stars or D+.
My recollection of LL Cool J is that he was better than this. Pretty ordinary beats, flow and subject matter. Spotify went on to an earlier track that was much better.
It still has kitsch charm and some inspired moments, but this hasn’t aged nearly as well as many of is contemporaries
Fav track: Eat Em Up L Chill Least fav: Illegal Search
i wanted to like this but I didn't. Maybe it hasn't aged well? Maybe it's just me.
Its really not my thing But sounded fine
Se me suele hacer muy pesado este hip hop noventero, se tomaban demasiado enserio a si mismos. Aún así, hay algún tramo disfrutable.
joder, como les pasa el tiempo por encima a las cosas que en su momento se consideraban guays. Como por ejemplo, la palabra guay
Boring as shit
No se que se le da peor si ser MC o actor madero. Mas generico que el pan de semillas del Mercadona.
- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM
Highlights: The Boomin' System, Jingling Baby. In a nutshell: "I've been here for years" 22 years old. Fourth album. Whoa. First thought: "how did he come up with LL Cool J anyway?". Looked it up and I eye rolled: "Ladies Love Cool James" Anyways... The music's alright. Great loops. Traditional flow(?). Reminds me of RUN-DMC. A long running time for a hip hop album. Perhaps deliberate so people don't leave the dancefloor. Overall: 3/10
LL Cool J is so sexy, damn. Couldn't tell you much about the music. It's old-school hip-hop, it's fine. Key tracks: Mama Said Knock You Out
Not bad, but I like it less than other albums I rated a three. Wow great review Mr. Chomby! Thanks Jimmy. ... Mama Said Knock You Out is quite good, almost feels like a different record, but you know not rly tho. Haha sure
I can see how this fits into 90s hip hop but it just didn't click for me. Very bouncy, lyrics are packed in, all the makings of a solid album. Nothing against it, not my thing.
I don’t think that LL is tha great of a lyricist.
Title track is great but the rest just all sounds the same and monotonous
Mama Said Knock You Out The title track is genuinely great, but he is a rather pedestrian rapper, and not in a laid back tempos and drawling delivery way. On The Boomin’ System it feels like he’s trudging monotonously through lyrical mud, indicative of the general feeling of characterlessness across the whole album. Along with his delivery the beats and samples all feel a bit lacklustre and it all just feels uninspiring, particularly when you look at what else was going on elsewhere in Hip-Hop; 3 Feet High and Rising and Done by the Forces of Nature the year before, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and Fear of a Black Planet the same year, Step in the Arena the year after, EPMD releasing albums in the same period. In comparison, and even though he namechecks some of those people, this all feels rather generic and stuck in 1986, while everyone else has moved on. Although Mama Said Knock You Out is really the only track with noticeable energy and dynamism, there are a couple of good tracks - Mr Good Bar, aside from the Dennis reynolds-esque ‘I sure wouldn’t rape you’, Milky Cereal, and the nice jazziness of 6 Minutes of Pleasure. But that’s slim pickings in an album over 60 minutes long. It’s not worthy of 1 star, but I can’t imagine listening again. 2. 🥊🥊 Playlist submission: Mama Said Knock You Out
As the kids would’ve said back in the nineties…not my jam.
I listened to the album twice in its entirety, I just cant get into it. After a while, it just started becoming background noise. I saved 4/15 songs, “Mama Said To Knock You Out” was the best by far. 2 stars ⭐️
Really boring and repetitive. Couldn’t wait for it to be over
Recognized a couple but this genre in this era just feels a little generic to me.
I can dig the more minimalistic approach with production here. And sure…some of the lyrics are witty, clever and even articulate at times. But then it got cringy and rapey. When are these hip hop artists gonna learn that longer and more songs does not mean better. Outside of the title track, there wasn’t much to remember here.
I thought I’m this would annoy me more than it did, but it was ok. Def corny/horny.
I like LL’s voice and flow is pretty good. I liked the bass on this too. Felt really low and good beats. But man, on the whole this just felt cheesey, thin and just not that interesting. I liked LL so I’ll give a 2.5 but rounding down.
Was dreading another corny 90's rap album but found myself enjoying the first couple tracks...until this "gem" from Mr. Good Bar: I'm in the mood for a tuna melt And I can't make you, I sure wouldn't rape you Cool. 2.25/5
Delightfully terrible! 😂
Despite being into hip hop quite heavily during this time, I never got along with LL Cool J. I can't say that my opinion has changed too much over time. Some of the beats are cool, the production is good, but he's just so cheesy.
Noisy, abrasive. Lyrically somewhat catchy but not my favourite choice. No favourites
I'm feeling like the fatigue of listening to so much hiphop in this list is creating a bias that bleeds between ratings. The formula of rap lyrics at the time of being braggadocious about a grand total of 3 subjects makes it hard to justify so many similar albums on the list. All-in-all I ended up enjoying 'Illegal Search' and not much else
He talks a lot about having not having cheesy lyrics for someone who refers to himself as Mr. Goodbar.
Not my style, but a name I recognized. Almost 100 albums into this journey I’m appreciating the exposure to new artists and styles, but for some of them I really look forward to the album being over… and that says to me I should probably knock my rating down to 2 stars instead of my average of 3.
Honestly not what I was expecting from this. For some reason I was thinking LL Cool J was more around the late 90's/early 2000's, so was expecting more complex rhyme schemes. As it stands, this is just not working for me. It's that old school, style of rapping that I don't really care for. The instrumentals are solid, but not particularly standing out to me either.
I vaguely remember the release of this album.
I liked the samples for the most part and LL has a good flow, but his lyrics either didn’t age well or weren’t good in the first place.
This is like the music equivalent of being stuck with the guy at a party who brags about himself nonstop and no one really gives a shit. Nah idk it's not awful, I just think it should be like half the length and lean more on the more melodic stuff towards the end of the record 4.5 / 10 Best track/s: 6 Minutes of Pleasure, Mama Said Knock You Out
Classic but boring
You're pretty much here for the title track. The rest is kinda whatever.
Entertaining, but doesn't feel groundbreaking to me, but I don't know the context of when it was released.
did mama say "knock him out" or was it more like "bore him to sleep?"
Ok. Kind of long. I only knew Mama Said Knock You Out. I liked the song Illegal Search.
2/5
Fine I guess. Honestly boring to me at least right now. I'm sure the lyrics are full of intelligence but it is boring to listen to.
This album is like being the star running back on a successful football team. You’ve made a couple of nice plays, but you’re more focused on your marketability and your contract than you are the success of the team. Your teammates know it, and the fans know it. Deep down, you know it to. You’re not about this life.
I wish I could enjoy this era of rap but it's like nails on a chalkboard to me Fav song: Mr. Good Bar (interesting beat, strange lyrics)
Corny as hell
Sits at the transition from hip-hop as fun party music to the social commentary of hard-hitting, technically demanding gangsta rap. With its simple rhymes and beats and fixation on lame puffery, this is not the best of either world. I was tempted to give this album a three because it represents an important moment in hip hop. But it’s not enjoyable and i wouldn’t want to listen to the whole album again. A 2.
I didn’t hate it.
Album was alright, I really only liked and remembered the title song. Everything else was just kind of there for me.
2.5
I had a huge crush on LL and the crazy way he moves his mouth in his music videos when I was little but I won’t allow that to bias this review. This sounds so epically 90s. The need to put on a drum track and just loop it drives me nuts about all rap in this era but I think this album adds some fun samples and other beats. The raps aren’t too innovative but he’s got some fun lines. Thank god rap has evolved to Kendrick and Vince and others because a lot of things are silly in this album. But “your raps are cheesy. Must have got em in a mouse trap” is golden. “Couldn’t bust a grape in a food fight” is going to be my new insult. I want to give it 5 stars for that alone.
Very ok hip-hop from a very ok rapper. There’s better stuff from this era.
Milky Cereal could be the worst song I’ve heard in my life. Despite some heavily controversial lines most of this album plays like radio friendly 90’s rap, and not in a good way. I’ll stick to Ice Cube et all for my 90’s rap fix. Favourite: Mama said knock you out (even if it’s cheesy) Least favourite: most of the rest Rating 3/10
It’s fine I guess… but not for me. I would never listen to it voluntarily. I never listen to hip hop
Had to listen to this album way too much when I worked at UO. It’s fine but not my vibe of hip hop. Respect tho
Old school rap sounds so slow compared to modern efforts AND you can understand the words. So, that's good and bad, right? I like some of it, obviously the title track and while "Milky Cereal" is a bit of a reach for a metaphor, it's fun enough. "Murdergram" and "Farmer's Blvd" are weak and a bit annoying. Dropping these 2 and maybe one of the other middling/nothing songs would bring the time down to 40-45 minutes which would be perfect. Overall, it does feel a bit dated and I don't think I'll dive into it again. But LL is a decent rapper for the time. Wish it had a little more musical experimentation, though. Worth somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but I'm going to have to round down on this one.
No más rap, por favor.
Not my speed.
Some songs are annoying (Milky Cereal, Jingling Baby) and others are not really my thing.
Nice try, but no.
Not getting along with this album at all.
Had this album back in the day. Hasn't aged all that well.
No thank you. Filling a gap between 80's gangsta rap and before the explosion of east cost vs west coast rap of the late 90's this was a bad time for rap. Beats lack variety, lyrics aren't sure what they want to be.
Me ha entretenido pero no logro destacar ningún tema en particular.
Absolutely no world in which this is a must listen. A part of me wants to applaud this album just for being so early in the development of the genre, but there are just so many other hip hop albums from the same year and even earlier that have aged so much better than this. It might have been something special at the time, but now it's completely dated and uninteresting.
uma tentativa de ser old school, e conseguindo nos piores aspectos possíveis o som até vai, mas as letras.......... meu deus
Day 42 This was fine as background music, not one I’m likely to revisit 4/10 Highlights Mr Good Bar Mama Said Knock You Out
Ladies may well love cool James, but I don’t. It’s like Will Smith found out about sex and some almost rude words and wanted to make a record but wasn’t quite brave enough. Humdrum, pedestrian hippity-hop that hangs around far too long.
This ain't it fam
Some of it was pretty good but now I'm just anxious LL Cool J is going to steal my girl.
Oh, I don't know. I'm not really into hip hop, it has to be top notch for me to get into it, but so much of it is filled with mysogyny and hate. This wasn't really that bad, but it was also just fine. It is just a 22 year olds guide to hitting on women. It wasn't too demeaning, he still felt like he was trying too hard though. Like the first word is him trying to say the word funky, but still sound like some kind of hard guy. I can't really take the machismo of it. There were a couple which felt worse than the others, there were some with naffer lyrics, like the one about milky cereal, but overall it was fine... Fine in a way that I didn't hate it but I have little want to hear it again.
Not my cup of tea.
My main exposure to LL Cool J is his role in NCIS: LA because my brother loved that show. It’s kinda funny to imagine he’s probably more well known nowadays as a cop. Anyway this album is okay, his lyrics are pretty shit but the beats aren’t too bad. Milky Cereal was fucking atrocious though and the line in Mr Cool Bar where he says “I sure wouldn’t rape you” is wild, like Mr Cool J that is the absolute bare minimum.
A few good ones the rest was meh.
I really don't appreciate all 90's rap, it is too raw and i did not listened to anything interesting, i'd rather put NWA or something else instead
This is LOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNG. The ladies may have loved him, but for me he wears out his welcome. Best Tracks: The Boomin' System; Mr Goodbar; Mama Said Knock You Out
Fine for a 90's rap break. Not groundbreaking in any way, except maybe he's being all chill and sexy lyrics instead of "aggressive" like other rap acts. Wouldn't put it as a must-listen.
Titelnummeret står ud. Det er et klassisk Hip-Hop mesterværk. Resten er trælst at høre på.
Cover 4 Meh. The radio hits. That's it.
2.5 - aight
Some of this is a little creepy. Maybe it seemed fine in 1990. Some of the beats got a bit samey too; I swear multiple tracks sampled Funky Drummer.
Quelques tunes que j'ai apprécié mais globalement ce n'est pas trop ce que je réécouterais.
Once again hip hop just isn’t my thing. There are some inventive rhymes and rhythms. But never once was I enjoying the listening experience. 2/5
A bit long and boring
The song Mama Said Knock You Out holds up, but the rest is like the Run-DMC stuff we had recently. It’s too basic. Some of the lyrics are pretty crap too.
Back in the mid-80s, when hip-hop still had a strong underground component, LL Cool J was one of the first rappers to go mainstream and make the genre popular. But in 1990, the hip-hop scene was already firmly established, and I’m not sure this album brought much novelty to the genre. It’s a pleasant enough listen, it was good for his time, but quite a lot of tracks now sound very dated. He’s a good emcee, no doubt about that – tracks like Eat’em Up L Chill, Mr Good Bar or Mama Said Knock You Out are still classic examples of old-school NY rap. But it’s not something I’d really want to listen anymore except for the historic value.
The tracks are an occasionally interesting collection of early 90s cliches. LL’s rhyming style hadn’t evolved since 1985 and generally he comes across like someone who’s more interested in being famous than making music; who’s more magnetic than creative.
Ok, I’m starting to think this list might be deliberately messing with me. After saying that I sort of enjoyed a hip-hop album yesterday, it immediately throws me another one, but this time we’re back to the tedious bragging over tired beats. The only track that I really enjoyed was an ode to the joys of eating cornflakes, and I realised that the hip hop albums I like are the ones that have a sense of humour and don’t take themselves too seriously.
LL COOL J: Mama Said Knock You Out: This shit sucks. Its really long, boring, and repetitive. I don't really see any appeal outside of the title track which is good and has a lot of energy. Was honestly really disappointed even though rap and hip hop are not genres I typically enjoy. 3/10
4/10
This album didn’t age well. Some songs seem too tame (around the world girl) most tracks are built around one sample loop and get boring around the 30s mark. Compared to Dr. Dres Chronicles album (got this last week) this sounds lame.
Not too bad but the beats are all the same and not the most interesting.
Maybe it was more revolutionary back in the day, but it's kind of boring.