AS GANGSTA RAP WAS STARTING TO TAKE OVER THE NEW YORK SCENE, WHAT WAS LL COOL J TO DO BUT FIGHT BACK? FIND OUT HOW HE PULLED OFF ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMEBACKS IN HOP HOP HISTORY HERE.

LL COOL J WAS FACING SOME SERIOUS BACKLASH AFTER THE RELEASE OF HIS THIRD ALBUM, “WALKING WITH A PANTHER” IN NINETEEN EIGHTY NINE. MANY PEOPLE WITHIN THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY THOUGHT LL HAD LOST THE NARRATIVE, AND WITH HIS SALES DWINDLING, HE NEEDED TO MAKE HIS NEXT MOVE A BIG ONE.

LL VOWED TO GET BACK TO HIS HARDCORE HIP HOP ROOTS, AND SINCE THE IN-HOUSE DEF JAM PRODUCTION SQUAD L.A. POSSE HAD RECENTLY LEFT THE LABEL, HE INSTEAD ENLISTED THE HELP OF DJ MARLEY MARL TO GIVE THE NEW ALBUM A MORE AGGRESSIVE, IN-YOUR-FACE SOUND. MARLEY MARL’S ABILITY TO CHOP AND REWORK SAMPLES WOULD END UP BECOMING A CAREER-DEFINING SOUND FOR THE PRODUCER.

RECORDING SESSIONS FOR THE NEW ALBUM WERE HELD AT LL’S HOME STUDIO, THE “HOUSE OF HITS” IN CHESTNUT RIDGE, AND AT CHUNG KING STUDIOS IN NEW YORK CITY.

FIVE SINGLES WERE RECORDED AND RELEASED WITH THE ALBUM. “AROUND THE WAY GIRL” PEAKED AT NUMBER NINE ON THE BILLBOARD HOT ONE HUNDRED AND BECAME LL’S FIRST TOP TEN SINGLE.

OTHER SINGLES FOR THE ALBUM INCLUDED “TO DA BREAK OF DAWN”, “THE BOOMIN SYSTEM” AND “SIX MINUTES OF PLEASURE”, ALL CHARTING AND GIVING LL SOME RECOGNITION ON THE BILLBOARD, DANCE AND RAP CHARTS.

HOWEVER, IT WAS ANOTHER SINGLE THAT WOULD GIVE LL’S NEW ALBUM ITS NAME. INSPIRED BY HIS GRANDMOTHER TO “KNOCK OUT” HIS NAYSAYERS, “MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT” WAS RECORDED AS A MISSION STATEMENT FOR LL COOL J, SILENCING HIS CRITICS AND ANYONE IN THE RAP GAME WILLING TO RUN THEIR MOUTH. THE SONG HIT NUMBER ONE ON THE BILLBOARD RAP SINGLES CHART, AND PROVED LL’S STAYING POWER IN THE FACE OF GANGSTA RAP.

RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH, NINETEEN-NINETY ON DEF JAM, “MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT” REIGNITED INTEREST IN LL COOL J, AND HE PROVED HIMSELF TO BE AS TOUGH AND FUNNY AS ALWAYS. FRANK MEYER OF YAHOO! MUSIC SAID LL HAD SET THE WORLD ON FIRE, AND THE EPONYMOUS SINGLE EARNED LL A GRAMMY FOR BEST SOLO RAP PERFORMANCE, BEATING OUT ICE-T AND MC HAMMER FOR THE AWARD.

“MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT” HAS SINCE BEEN DECLARED LL’S BEST ALBUM, AND HAS BEEN CERTIFIED DOUBLE PLATINUM BY THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA.

RECORDED AS A CLAP BACK AGAINST A CHANGING RAP LANDSCAPE, “MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT” SHOWED THE WORLD THAT LL COOL J WASN'T A RAPPER TO BE IGNORED, AND HE STILL REMAINS A HOUSEHOLD NAME TO THIS DAY.

ITS TIMELESS PRODUCTION, TOUGH AS NAILS LYRICS, AND ITS MESSAGE TO ALWAYS STICK TO YOUR GUNS IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION ALL SHOW WHY “MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT” BY LL COOL J IS OUR GREATEST ALBUM EVER...THIS WEEK.