Throughout hip hop history, there are a few albums that one can point to as watermark moments. The kind of albums that land on the collective consciousness and deliver a brand new way of thinking. LL Cool J’s 1985 debut album, Radio is most certainly one of them. Released on November 18th via Def Jam, Radio remains a classic from hip hop’s golden age. But LL is far more than just one album, he is a pioneer of the game.
The impact of LL Cool J on the hip hop world is immeasurable. Count everybody from Snoop Dogg to Eminem as fans. Working initially with Rick Rubin as part of a triumvirate of creative powerhouses on Def Jam, LL would become one of hip hop’s true greats. Below, we’re picking out three of his best songs and diving into the stories behind them.
Born in New York’s growing hip hop scene, LL was fresh-faced and absolutely overspilling with charisma. He would be one of the first hip ho artists to travel to the UK and became a focal point of the movement alongside Run DMC and N.W.A. as some of hip hop’s best and brightest.
It’s not easy to get the lowdown on an artist’s work. Trying to find out the secret notes and chords that make a song great can sometimes feel like watching sausage get made. However, thanks to a conversation with EW, LL Cool J has provided all the info we need on three classic songs.
LL Cool J explains 3 classic songs:
‘Rock The Bells’ (1986)
Without a doubt, the most iconic song of LL’s career, the track effectively launched him into the stratosphere. The track was inspired by his connections with the foundations of hip hop: “This came from hearing old-school rappers and old records in the street, mixtapes. It was a phrase that was creeping around. I didn’t love the original version we recorded, so I pestered [now-legendary producer] Rick Rubin until we redid it. He wasn’t busy, he had time.”
The song made LL a star and gave Def Jam their first real hit: “Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys played a tape for him, and I went and met him in his dorm room. Back then he only had Def Jam Productions. Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons and myself — they formed the label, and I was the flagship artist.”
‘Going Back to Cali’ (1988)
It may not be revered as greatly as ‘Rock The Bells’ but ‘Going Back To Cali’ provided a new version of LL for his fans. “This was a strange one,” confessed LL. “I went out of my comfort zone. It’s funny, because Rick Rubin always hated ‘I Need Love,’ and there was a time when I hated ‘Going Back to Cali.’ It ended up being something really special, but it took me a minute, it really did.
Later, the song would be taken in a new direction by Brooklyn’s finest, The Notorious B.IG.. LL says that Biggie’s riff on the track “was a great compliment — he took it back to the street, more traditional hip-hop. Whereas I did more of a dusty, bluesy, alternative version.”
‘Hey Lover’ feat. Boyz II Men (1995)
By the mid-’90s, LL Cool J was easily one of hip hop’s brightest stars. Though the coastal feuds were beginning to overshadow his output, the rapper quietly went about making some of his best music, including this perfect number featuring the biggest boyband of the moment: Boyz II Men.
It was a natural fit to include the group: “I wrote this hook and I just thought it felt like Boyz II Men. They were on fire at the time, but more importantly, it just felt like they were made to do it. We drove out to Philly, and I played the record for the guys. They got in the truck with me and some friends, and they loved it. We went right to the studio that night and did the entire song in one take. Everything. It was just magical.”
