![]() With its themes of putting men down for their inadequacies relative to himself and explicit statements like “I’m doing your girlfriend,” it was a direct middle finger to the fellas. In many ways, the song was the antithesis of what had endeared LL to both men and women in the past. The lead single, “I’m That Type of Guy,” retained the slow flow of “Going Back to Cali,” and was widely-viewed as a misstep. Subsequently, LL’s next album in 1989 was a head-scratcher for many Rap purists, at the time. While neither parted for reasons related to LL, it did not change the fact that the two were among the most important in shaping his sound to date, and their absence left a void. In many ways, it was the perfect metaphor for an identity crisis the vaunted MC likely was experiencing, as he wavered between being the baddest MC on the planet and the tender sex symbol that was born on “I Need Love.” That sonic ambivalence likely was heightened by the departures of producers Rick Rubin and Bobcat from his camp. The song was neither a ballad nor one of LL’s pumped up fight anthems, and it featured a slow and lazy flow that took some longtime fans aback. Although the song fared decently, commercially, it was a radical departure from much of Cool J’s previous work and was received with mixed reviews. He did not release an album, but the year did bring a reunion with Rick Rubin on the song “ Going Back To Cali,” which was initially released on the soundtrack for Less Than Zero. However, unbeknownst to him, his career was about to take a turn that would alienate his base.ġ988 was a relatively quiet year for LL. At the age of 19, he had reached Rap’s pinnacle, with seemingly no limits on his potential. The song and album made LL Hip-Hop’s first solo worldwide superstar. “I Need Love,” Rap’s first mainstream ballad, opened up an entirely new fan base for Cool J, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and achieving success internationally. While Radio solidified the image that LL portrayed in Krush Groove–a cocky and ferocious MC who did not take no for an answer– Bad fortified the first portion of his name, by building on his reputation as a ladies man. Though Rubin would not produce on LL’s follow up album, Bad, the album maintained the same aural template Rubin set on Radio, added in the influences of fresh talent like DJ Pooh and Bobcat, and catapulted LL to the stratosphere with sales of more than 3 million copies. The new sound and LL’s good looks and swagger garnered the respect of the fellas and earned his name (Ladies Love Cool James) with the ladies, making him the new King of Hip-Hop. LL, with his irrepressible confidence and vocal fury, was the perfect complement to Rubin’s sonic landscape. Cool J also became the franchise artist for the up-and-coming fledgling record label called Def Jam.ĭef Jam co-founder, Rick Rubin, teamed with LL on his first album to hone a new sound for Hip-Hop one that stripped away the melody and synths that drove the music by predecessors like Whodini and The Fat Boys, in favor of thumping 808 drums, aggressive DJ cuts and scratches, and little else. ![]() James Todd Smith’s authentic B-boy swagger cemented the new direction in which fellow Queen’s peers, Run-DMC, had taken Hip-Hop two years prior, shedding the furs and feathers of acts like Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five for what everyday youth were actually wearing in the streets–Kangols, jeans and, in LL’s case, Pumas. One month after the Krush Groove cameo, LL’s debut album Radio was released to critical acclaim, described by the Village Voice as “the most engaging and original Rap album of the year,” and selling over a million copies.
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