937 LL Cool J - Radio (1985)

 937 LL Cool J - Radio (1985)

Studio Album - Hip Hop




About the Act:

James Todd Smith started his rapping career with his debut album in 1985 under the name LL Cool J, which stands for "Ladies Love Cool James". This album was the first released on the Def Jam Label, and was hugely influential, in being one of the first rap albums to achieve mainstream success. LL Cool J has had a long and successful career as a rapper, and as an actor.

 

About the Album:

This was the first studio album for LL Cool J and was hugely successful.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

1985, I was a student at university. In such a melting pot of commercial influences I was aware of the emergence of rap and hip-hop. I had been played stuff by Grandmaster Flash and Newcleus, and I and my friends were kind of embracing this new thing. This album sounds like that, like early rap, although apparently this was "new school rap" because it had been around for a few years already, on the "street". So there is a mixture of thoughts, one of which is affection for a sound that reminds me of those days, the other is that is sounds so dated!

This is an 80s drum machine ("beatbox") with a "DJ" (called Cut Creator) spinning the "wheels" to give samples of records, and the rapping. Really stripped back so mostly it's the rapping and the drum machine. In comparison to much of the hip hop that came after this, I can understand most of the lyrics. 

Did I enjoy it?  Yeah, kind of. I would listen to it again, not often but I would. Actually, I find it more interesting as a cultural artefact than I do as a record, but there is skill to admire here, and some humour. It's kind of slice-of-life-y in the subject matter, some of which is not suitable for the kids.


6.7/10 



Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4sevefzBUFvJYAzijVBQ2a

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj17P-9MNj8-7KJPx-n2DY1-peVJrZyor

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_(LL_Cool_J_album)


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