Dude wasn't even 30 when mr smith dropped though.The thought that.... even when the shyt was out and the singles were dropping.... the thought that LL Cool J dropped something like Mr. Smith was fukking crazy.
Hey lover dropped, had nikkas madder than a motherfukker. "if his love real he gotta handle competition. ANd you only knew him 5 months. Plus he drink too much. And smoke too many blunts. And I be working out every day, thinking bout you."
Doin' It
Loungin remix..... I don't care if you ain't heard it in years. Play that shyt when the sun going down and you about to go out somewhere. God forbid your girl doing makeup in the mirror with the bathroom door open. I damn near teared up just thinking about it.
I Shot Ya remix.... These rappers coming on and burning the shyt up.... then LL coming on and talking shyt to the nikkas he on the track with
Like damn.... this old nikka really dropped an album like this and he came out in like 1985!?
then.... I remember him collecting some award and looking coked up.... No, I don't remember which one is was. he had a white escort looking broad on either side of him. Not no famous broads. He gave some wack, rambling speech and at the end he was like "PHENOMENON! PHENOMENON!!!!!
Phenomenon single dropped a few months after. shyt was wack. It went platinum, yeah. But what didn't go gold or platinum back then? It was a wrap.
They never shoulda tried to repackage a HUGELY successful repackage.
He never recovered.
Why and when did LL Cool J fall off?
- Thread starter Carlton Banks
- Start date
DoomzdayzV
Banned
Phenomenon was the first legit HORRIBLE album he ever dropped.
Yeah, but you gotta look at the perspective of rap being a "young man's game". It didn't really matter how old you were when your album dropped, it was "When" your album dropped.
KRS wasn't coming out taking your girl and shytting on Kieth Murray and foxy brown.
Remember when "Rev" Run showed up on the Let's Get Married song? DMC did an interview talking bout "He trying to keep up with these young cats"
Or when Kane showed up on Big L's posthumous album, or better yet when the vid of him dropping the mic mid freestyle showed up
Mr. Smith was an album full of those.
Yeah but they were damn near 10 years older than ll was for mr smith.
yeah, but
Nobody cared how old LL was when Mr. Smith came out. It's what year Im Bad and I Need Love came out.
Contrast somebody like Bow Wow dropping a track today. Lotta cats would wonder why this old nikka still rapping.
iLLusoYuN_Da_Adidas_King
Psn illusoyun
After the goat album he had some repackaging that was corny.
Then he became a tv star / small movie star that's it 25 years as top 10 was enough.
Then he became a tv star / small movie star that's it 25 years as top 10 was enough.
some good points in here. growing up LL was my favorite rapper for quite a few years. some things that contribute IMO...
at one point LL was considered the best rapper alive and no one was close. Kool Moe damaged that notion. At one time LL truly had no lyrical equal and then the lyrical landscape changed once again. the Juice Crew MC's were considered the youngins in the game even though they were about the same age as L, simply because he had been out for years already. Kane, G Rap ushered in new multi-syllabic style and as far as lyricism they were far out of LL's range. Then you had the drug raps like Big and Jay who were lyrical yet mass appealing with their styles.
LL went Hollywood, and that was great for him but his music career suffered and you cant really dedicate yourself to being an up and coming actor yet keep the same work ethic and integrity when making albums. Also for a kid who made his name doing rugged street raps, now his audience questions his commitment to making those types of records (like 4, 3, 2, 1) or just crossing over completely.
Lyrically he never really fell off and he should ALWAYS be considered a GOAT based on how long he was able to put out successful records. Back then before social media, a rapper could age in dog years. He got old really fast in terms of he wasnt able to keep up in spots in terms of hit records, clothing, etc...the artists he paved the way for ended up being his biggest competition.
all in all Hip Hop records come down to A&R and you can tell which of his later albums had the focus and direction musically.
at one point LL was considered the best rapper alive and no one was close. Kool Moe damaged that notion. At one time LL truly had no lyrical equal and then the lyrical landscape changed once again. the Juice Crew MC's were considered the youngins in the game even though they were about the same age as L, simply because he had been out for years already. Kane, G Rap ushered in new multi-syllabic style and as far as lyricism they were far out of LL's range. Then you had the drug raps like Big and Jay who were lyrical yet mass appealing with their styles.
LL went Hollywood, and that was great for him but his music career suffered and you cant really dedicate yourself to being an up and coming actor yet keep the same work ethic and integrity when making albums. Also for a kid who made his name doing rugged street raps, now his audience questions his commitment to making those types of records (like 4, 3, 2, 1) or just crossing over completely.
Lyrically he never really fell off and he should ALWAYS be considered a GOAT based on how long he was able to put out successful records. Back then before social media, a rapper could age in dog years. He got old really fast in terms of he wasnt able to keep up in spots in terms of hit records, clothing, etc...the artists he paved the way for ended up being his biggest competition.
all in all Hip Hop records come down to A&R and you can tell which of his later albums had the focus and direction musically.
Nah Laugh Now, Cry Later and Raw Footage were dope. Hell Everythang's Corrupt from Last Year was even pretty good
West side connection- terrorist threats was a classic also. Underrated as hell
I disagree with most of this.
1. Moe Dee did nothing with LL. Its actually stupid Moe is even an Icon with 4 classic songs.
2. Hollywood had nothing to do with LL's music down trend.
3. 80's hip hop was very accessible content wise. Once the 80's pioneers entered the 90's, it was going to naturally be a problem just based on image and content. I give LL more credit than Ra, Kane for actually being able to survive musically longer despite his more accessible image during the 90's.
This thread taking a shot at LL. Dude dropped in 84-85. like wtf kind of respect is this for what he did?
This is the debate! This is the debate!
LL is a cultural icon. You don't come out the side of your mouth, you don't ask to borrow nothin'. You lucky to be on the RECEHHHHHHD!
I am not taking a shot, I said he was my favorite rapper, probably my only clearcut favorite ever. Did you grow up from his very musical beginning? If you were a fan all through that, then to say Moe Dee had nothing to do with it is erroneous at best. it helped Moe more, and it also helped L some too but this was an old school vs new school battle at this time and it had old heads debating with young heads in the street. it kinda pit generations against each other but not like today, more in a friendly matter than one of disgust.
He got old (in terms of rap years at the time) and every thing else I said played some role in why he lost potency. He lost lyrical potency once you had a lot of the guys like Kane and G Rap come in because they were lyrical heavyweights and Jay and those guys were charismatic. you also had the pro-black movement. the landscape changed pretty rapidly as far as lyrical content and as far as subject matter, there was a good deal to choose from as at that time that was like the first major business boom for rap with new artists and rap record labels entering the game.
I was around for his beginning.. and to say Moe Dee vs LL was Old vs new is kinda wrong they were only 5 yrs apart in age and maybe 4yrs career wise. Moe Dee made a name beatng bum ass Busy. Thats 81. LL was 84-85.
LL didnt just fuhking fall off. What, HeadSprung was 2004 I think?? Think that album went Gold???
it was a natural progression of it just not being his time past that. Dont bring up Kane and Rap. Kane career was basically trash after album 2. G Rap is G Rap, but he wasnt a factor on anything related to LL. NOTHING
