But the remix version is a classic in my book. Like many of Marley Marl's other productions from the late 80s/early 90s, there's an "everything and the kitchen sink" approach to assembling this groove. For instance, the shiny synth line that serves as the song's bridge comes from the 1981 post-disco track "Walking into Sunshine" by the London-based band Central Line. (Kind of a left field choice for a song that's a essentially a diss.) But the real mind blower to me is that the bass and rhythm lines come from flower-power rock band The Grass Roots, specifically the band's 1967 song "You and Love are the Same." (Fans of The Office: that's Creed Bratton laying down the bassline on this song.)
Showing posts with label ll cool j. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ll cool j. Show all posts
Saturday, December 6, 2014
"Jingling Baby" (LL Cool J)
So there are two versions of "Jingling Baby": the original from LL Cool J's uneven 1989 album Walking with a Panther and the Marlon Williams (a.k.a. Marley Marl) remix that appeared on 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out. What's the difference exactly? For starters, the original feels more like an unfinished demo than a full-fledged song; it's basically just LL rapping over the breakbeat from "Hihache" by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band. (You might not recognize that sample by name, but you will when you hear it.) It's also a little less "radio friendly" than the remix because there are a few f-bombs in his flow.
But the remix version is a classic in my book. Like many of Marley Marl's other productions from the late 80s/early 90s, there's an "everything and the kitchen sink" approach to assembling this groove. For instance, the shiny synth line that serves as the song's bridge comes from the 1981 post-disco track "Walking into Sunshine" by the London-based band Central Line. (Kind of a left field choice for a song that's a essentially a diss.) But the real mind blower to me is that the bass and rhythm lines come from flower-power rock band The Grass Roots, specifically the band's 1967 song "You and Love are the Same." (Fans of The Office: that's Creed Bratton laying down the bassline on this song.)
But the remix version is a classic in my book. Like many of Marley Marl's other productions from the late 80s/early 90s, there's an "everything and the kitchen sink" approach to assembling this groove. For instance, the shiny synth line that serves as the song's bridge comes from the 1981 post-disco track "Walking into Sunshine" by the London-based band Central Line. (Kind of a left field choice for a song that's a essentially a diss.) But the real mind blower to me is that the bass and rhythm lines come from flower-power rock band The Grass Roots, specifically the band's 1967 song "You and Love are the Same." (Fans of The Office: that's Creed Bratton laying down the bassline on this song.)
Saturday, August 16, 2014
"Mama Said Knock You Out" (LL Cool J)
So back in the late 80s, pretty much everyone had written off James Todd Smith, a.k.a. LL Cool J. The words "commercial" and "sellout" got bandied about quite a bit in reviews of his 1989 album Walking with a Panther, a glossy collection of songs that included one too many poppy ballads. After he got booed by the crowd at The Apollo in late '89, he was considering packing it in.
But the person he looked up to most, his late grandmother Ellen Griffin, convinced him to go back into the recording studio and prove his detractors wrong. Her advice was simple: "Knock 'em out."
The result was one of the rawest tracks and all-time best song titles in hip-hop: "Mama Said Knock You Out."
LL delivers an unrelenting lyrical beat down, addressing both his critics and his nemesis, rapper Kool Moe Dee. The two had been trading blows since Dee threw the first punch in 1987's "How Ya Like Me Now," a track that took LL to task for his young lion swagger. In fact, LL name-checks "How Ya Like Me Now" as well as his own rebuttal, "Jack the Ripper," in the lyrics of "Mama Said Knock You Out." I don't think there's any doubt by the end of the track, though, who delivered the knock-out punch.
But the key to the track is Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams's production, which surrounds the rapper with a hip-hop version of the "Wall of Sound"—not unlike The Bomb Squad's productions for Public Enemy in that same era. Samples are interwoven and layered on top of each other in surprising, "how did he pull that off???" ways. Case in point: the backing track primarily is a mix of two Sly & The Family Stone songs ("Sing a Simple Song" and "Trip to Your Heart"), "Gangster Boogie" by Chicago Gangsters, "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, and LL's own "Rock the Bells." Thing is, the samples are so intertwined and beefed up with bass, it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends; it's as if they were meant to go together, all along.
In short, the atmosphere of the track is about as far from poppy balladry as you can get. And although LL famously announces Don't call it a comeback at the beginning of the song, it was exactly the comeback his career needed at that moment.
But the person he looked up to most, his late grandmother Ellen Griffin, convinced him to go back into the recording studio and prove his detractors wrong. Her advice was simple: "Knock 'em out."
The result was one of the rawest tracks and all-time best song titles in hip-hop: "Mama Said Knock You Out."
LL delivers an unrelenting lyrical beat down, addressing both his critics and his nemesis, rapper Kool Moe Dee. The two had been trading blows since Dee threw the first punch in 1987's "How Ya Like Me Now," a track that took LL to task for his young lion swagger. In fact, LL name-checks "How Ya Like Me Now" as well as his own rebuttal, "Jack the Ripper," in the lyrics of "Mama Said Knock You Out." I don't think there's any doubt by the end of the track, though, who delivered the knock-out punch.
But the key to the track is Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams's production, which surrounds the rapper with a hip-hop version of the "Wall of Sound"—not unlike The Bomb Squad's productions for Public Enemy in that same era. Samples are interwoven and layered on top of each other in surprising, "how did he pull that off???" ways. Case in point: the backing track primarily is a mix of two Sly & The Family Stone songs ("Sing a Simple Song" and "Trip to Your Heart"), "Gangster Boogie" by Chicago Gangsters, "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, and LL's own "Rock the Bells." Thing is, the samples are so intertwined and beefed up with bass, it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends; it's as if they were meant to go together, all along.
In short, the atmosphere of the track is about as far from poppy balladry as you can get. And although LL famously announces Don't call it a comeback at the beginning of the song, it was exactly the comeback his career needed at that moment.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
"Around the Way Girl" (LL Cool J)
Looking back over the music career (I'm not even going to touch the TV/acting career) of James Todd Smith, a.k.a. LL Cool J, it has been pretty uneven. Each album was a complete crapshoot: one album groundbreaking (Radio), the next kind of lame and forgettable (Bigger and Deffer).
The key to his best work, in my opinion, was how well he gelled with the DJ/producer at the helm of each project. If his producer was creating sick beats/finding great samples for him to rap over, then LL Cool J did his job and whaled on them like a prize fighter.
Case in point: my favorite collaboration of his was with Marlon Williams, a.k.a. Marley Marl, on Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), an album that is filled with worthy hits and obscure classics. Marley Marl had a way of keeping beats raw and rooted in hip-hop while also adding a pop sensibility—kind of like The Bomb Squad meets Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. That technique gave a certain grit yet accessibility to songs like "Around the Way Girl," which is basically a ballad to all girls from the hood. At a time in rap when lyrics were taking a misogynistic turn, here was an MC who told ladies they were beautiful for being street smart, independent, and confident. It was refreshing and catchy as hell. (Just try not singing along with The Flex on the chorus.)
Granted, he took some heat from the rap establishment, which griped that tracks like "Around the Way Girl" were "too soft," "too commercial." But his fluid rhyming over Marley Marl's smartly-used samples of jazz/R&B artist Keni Burke's "Risin' to the Top," the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long," and The Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President" made the song an undeniable classic.
The key to his best work, in my opinion, was how well he gelled with the DJ/producer at the helm of each project. If his producer was creating sick beats/finding great samples for him to rap over, then LL Cool J did his job and whaled on them like a prize fighter.
Case in point: my favorite collaboration of his was with Marlon Williams, a.k.a. Marley Marl, on Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), an album that is filled with worthy hits and obscure classics. Marley Marl had a way of keeping beats raw and rooted in hip-hop while also adding a pop sensibility—kind of like The Bomb Squad meets Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. That technique gave a certain grit yet accessibility to songs like "Around the Way Girl," which is basically a ballad to all girls from the hood. At a time in rap when lyrics were taking a misogynistic turn, here was an MC who told ladies they were beautiful for being street smart, independent, and confident. It was refreshing and catchy as hell. (Just try not singing along with The Flex on the chorus.)
Granted, he took some heat from the rap establishment, which griped that tracks like "Around the Way Girl" were "too soft," "too commercial." But his fluid rhyming over Marley Marl's smartly-used samples of jazz/R&B artist Keni Burke's "Risin' to the Top," the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long," and The Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President" made the song an undeniable classic.
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