isbell@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (06/17/91)
What up, G? Someone requested this, so, being the completely
smoov Brother that I am, I've complied.
(Oh, and YES this does belong in NJReviews. He's still releasing stuff off
the CD. Geez, it just came out in December or something.)
This time: _Mama Said Knock You Out_ by LL Cool J
Next time: _Lifers Group_ by Lifers Group (EP)
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Distinctiveness: He's original in some ways, but not distinctive, if that
makes any sense.
Dopeness Rating: I'm surprised to hear myself say it, but this is a pretty
dope album. After that last effort, I was going to write
your boy off.
Rap Part: Good stories, nice lyrics.
Sounds: This is for your Boomin' Systems, definitely. The sounds
mostly jam. They thump a bit too much sometimes, but
that's why you have a bass dial.
Message: None.
Tracks: 14 tracks at 62 minutes
Profanity: None.
LL's an interesting character. This is his fourth album. He began his
album career with _Radio_ which pushed him to the top and followed that
with _Bigger And Deffer_ which took him even farther. Somewhere in
there he let his ongoing feud with Kool Moe Dee (as well as brief
falling out with Ice T) get out of hand, culminating in his complete
lyrical destruction at KMD's hands (IMHO). My brother, the barometer
of Black teen thinking in music, said it best, "Man, LL's become nothin'
but a chump." He didn't help matters any with _Walking With The Panther_
which my brother had to dis even harder than I did. It was weak as
hell. Looks like a standard rags-to-riches-to-rags-again story. I'd
written him off anyway. I am pleasantly surprised with his latest
effort.
Well, LL starts off well with "Boomin' System." This one is for "all
the brothers who like to front in their rides." Man, what this would
do to those wobbly bass-monster autos. I've had a harder time than
usual trying to record the thing. Normally, my oh-so-dope system loves
to record loudly, but this thing saturates the tape (the first Soul II
Soul CD has this problem, too). In any case, the track is really good.
The sounds thump (literally) but don't go too minimialist. The words
sound well and his voice fits the rest of the mix. Good start.
"Strictly for frontin' when you're ridin' around
Twelve o'clock at night with your windows down.
Headlights blinkin' 'cause you're battery's drained
Amour-all on your tires and a big gold chain.
Parking outside all the hip-hop stops
Push the EQ and play connect the dots."
He continues to impress me with more dopeness, albeit not thump-thump
dopeness. If you've heard anything off the CD, you've probably heard
"Around The Way Girl." LL has always had these two types of songs:
hard thump-jams with plenty of "ImsodopeIdontknowwhattodo" and these
slower story things. This track has a nice backtrack and chrous. He
dedicates this one to "all the cuties in the neighborhood." Nice to
see "Big 'Ole Butt" himself say something nice to the sisters.
"I tell ya come here, you say meet me halfway
'cause Brothers been talkin' that yang all day."
Well, we go back to standard fare with "Eat Em Up L Chill." He's not
talking about anything in particular here, just talkin' himself up.
Of course, he does that well. This track is pretty representative of
his newest sound. For those of you who recall _Bigger and Deffer_
or _Radio_ and liked them, this is a sound shift. Not as hardedged,
but then, not as simple either.
"Mr. GoodBar" is a pretty relaxed cut. He's talking here as much as
rapping. Of course, he's still talking himself up, but he's also
talking about something. Namely, he's trying to talk this already-attached
woman into leaving the unnamed homeboy (at least temporarily) for a, uh,
diversion. I like this one.
"Who, my girl? I don't know.
Your man might be with her, you
know what I'm sayin'?, but I'm here with you."
So, we've done pretty well so far, hmmmm? Naturally, LL has to disappoint
me with "Murdergram." For his standard-fare to work, it has to grab
you. This just doesn't. It comes close, but, I dunno, there's nothing
to remember. On the other hand, "Chessy Rat Blues" does reach out
and grab you. It's a riches to rags tale, with Our Hero surrounded by
lots of people until he loses all his rap-cash. It ain't a great
track, but I like it.
"When you're broke, your middle name is 'So What?'"
Hmmmm. Well, then there's the seventh track: "Farmers Blvd (our
anthem)." LL goes back to his old haunts (hence the title) allowing
some of his old rap partners to lay wax.
He shouldn't have. I hope none of the boyz back at Springdale Circle
expect me to let them in on my record when I finally get around to it.
I'm getting disappointed. Hmmmmm. Let's try the title track. As of
this writing, this is the current release. It's pretty nice. It's
closest to his old, harder style. It's hardly a complex Bomb Squad
dope track, but it'll do until something better comes along.
"Don't call it a comeback--I've been here for years!"
Like "Chessy..." and "Mr Goodbar," "Milky Cereal" grabs you. Hmmmmm. He
seems to do pretty good with foods. It's a bit faster than the other food
tracks but so what? Anyway, it's fun-with-cereals-as-women. Hmmmmmm.
No, no, it's tastefully done.
"That's my daughter, so stop you're croonin'
Find another cereal bowl to stick your spoon in."
We are treated to the same sampled voice from "Milky Cereal" in "Jingling
Baby," a remix of a previously released single (you've probably heard this
one before, too). This is LL at his self-centered best. I like it, anyway.
"Play ya like a poker chip--that's what you get
I betcha fret, sweat, and regret ya met
The titan of fightin', excitin', one right'n
you're triflin', toy boy, I gotta enlighten so stop bitin'"
"To Da Break of Dawn" is another previously released single. Dope sounds.
He matches them well. Still going strong. Let's see what "6 Minutes of
Pleasure" has to offer. Hmmmm, singing and humming in the chorus. A
somewhat subduded thump with nice horns and piano. Hmmmmm. Pretty damn good.
This is like his talk-as-much-as-rap style from "Mr Goodbar." The theme
is different, but not by a whole lot.
"Hey, yo baby, I know you don't love me.
I know why you're here, but I ain't sayin' nothin'."
"Illegal Search" is another previously released single. It's the last one.
Nice enough. This one is a bouncy dis to the cops. Hee, hee. I like it.
"What the hell are you lookin' for?
Can't a young man make money anymore?
Wear my jewels or like freakin' on the floor?
Or is it my job to make sure I'm poor?"
"I call it nice--you call it a drug car.
I call it a disco--you call it a drug bar.
I've made progress--you say not that far."
We wind it up with "The Power of God." Even if the lyrics weren't worth
it, the sounds would be on this one. Luckily, the lyrics _are_ tight.
Well, that's it. _Mama Said Knock You Out_ is my surprise of the year,
so far (although your boy Kool Moe Dee might surprise me soon). I really
wasn't expecting that much, but it is a very nicely put together CD.
Of course, if you're an LL fan, you've probably already bought this. If
you could care less one way or the other, like me, you might want to
give this one a fresh listen. But if you don't have access, let me
sum it up this way: if you like the title track, "Boomin' System,"
and "Around the Way Girl," you'll like the album. If you don't, give
this one a pass.
But that's just one Black man's opinion--what's yours?
Peace.
"Those who make non-violent revolution impossible
make violent revolution inevitable."
-Dr Martin Luther King, Jr