Gold Record Alert!
Song#: 3927
Date: 06/10/1989
Debut: 94
Peak: 15
Weeks: 16
Genre: Rap
Pop Bits: LL Cool J's previous single, "Going Back to Cali," was lifted from the Less Than Zero soundtrack. It did well nearly making the Pop Top 30 while getting to #12 R&B. The song continued to be popular over the next few years and in 1991 it would be certified gold, which would make it LL's second gold single. His first single to go gold would be with this track from his third album Walking with a Panther. Released just prior to the album coming out, the track would do well reaching #1 Rap and #7 R&B while becoming his second to make the Pop Top 20. The hit would help the album get to #1 R&B and #6 Pop. It would reach platinum status within two short months. Further singles from the album would not reach the Pop chart.
ReduxReview: This track had several cool things going on. The beat, bass line, and low keyboard sound is darkly sleek while the chant and the frenetic breakdown add to the mood. But really best of all was LL's delivery. Instead of a harder hitting rap performance, he goes for a matter-of-fact droll delivery that was exactly right for the track and the lyrics. For pop radio at the time, this was an easy to digest rap track that they could spin and it paid off in a Pop Top 20 hit. While it may not have been as memorable as some of his other influential hits, it was still a fun track.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) This track contained a chant that was taken from a classic film. During a scene in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, the guards of the Wicked Witch's castle, known as the Winkies, do a chant as they are going through their drills and entering the castle. Their repetitive "Oh-Ee-Yah, Ee-Yo-Ah" became a famous soundbite from the film and it found its way into this LL Cool J track. 2) While Walking with a Panther did well with critics and went platinum, some fans and folks in the rap community reacted a bit negatively to the LP thinking some track were purposely geared towards the mainstream. LL would answer back with 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out. The edgier album would be a well-received double platinum hit that featured the gold selling #9 Pop/#1 Rap/#5 R&B/#7 Dance hit "Around the Way Girl" along with the platinum selling title track single, which also earned LL his first Grammy award (for Best Rap Solo Performance). In addition to a second Grammy win and a streak of gold/platinum albums, LL would branch out into acting. Beginning in 1995, he would star in the sitcom In the House for five seasons. He would appear in several other TV shows and films, but became best known for his role on the hit TV drama series NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2017, LL would be the first hip hop artist to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor. LL would be nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame several times as a performer, but as of this posting date has yet to be voted in. He did however receive the Hall's Award for Musical Excellence in 2021.
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