On this day in hip-hop history, LL Cool J releases its third studio LP walking with panther From Def Jam Recordings in 1989.
The album, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #6 on the Billboard 200, continued LL’s string of commercial successes as well as being one of hip-hop’s earliest crossover projects. It worked.
At the time, Def Jam were working to push hip-hop to the mainstream front, and this album aimed to reinvent the sound of LL Cool J while preserving the integrity of hip-hop. . Publicly, it may have achieved its goal, but some critics say the project may have called into question LL’s credibility on the streets.
Regardless of critical opinion, the appeal of this album outweighs any negative that can be said about it. The project’s most impressive and respectable feat is the introduction of LL as a self-produced MC. Through Walking With A Panther, he proved that not only could he knock out hit after hit, but he was also an accomplished beatmaker. The original production team had written most of his LL’s famous songs prior to this album, LA Posse, Decided to part ways with Def Jam due to contractual disagreements. The altercation left only his one member of the team, Dwany Simon, to work with LL Cool J to produce his entire LP.
The project also featured some of LL Cool J’s biggest hit singles, including “Going Back to Cali” and “Jingling Baby”. Both of these singles are hallmarks of his LL Cool J career, each representing his entire career in its own way. LL’s appeal was aimed at the female demographic from the start, but he maintained a “cool guy” attitude that made it comfortable for men to be big fans of his music and style. Like Drake’s archetype, LL Cool J did enough with this album to keep the streets happy while retaining the attention of its female fan base.
