September 25, 2025 • 23 mins
In this bonus drop, Clint dives into a legendary Rent’s Due moment in hip-hop history — 1990, when LL Cool J dropped “Mama Said Knock You Out.” After facing criticism for a lackluster previous album and whispers that he might’ve fallen off, LL came back swinging with a project that reasserted his dominance. Clint breaks down why the stakes were high, how LL delivered when it mattered most, and what made that album a statement. He also draws parallels to his own career — what it feels like to have something to prove, to silence doubt, and to create under pressure. This isn’t just hip-hop history — it’s personal.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, ladies and gentlemen, you tuned into a bonus
episode of The Rents Do podcast. Now, when I talk
about The Rents Do, I always told y'all what started
it was the fact that you know, I was listening
to Tony Braxton blah blah blah blah blah, and you
know I realized that her performance was the rent was due.
(00:21):
So with this podcast and with you guys knowing or
me updating you on my journey, every time I post
a bonus episode, it will be about an artist at
a certain point in their time when the rent was due. Artist,
album artist, movie artist, comedy, special artist, whatever, right, whatever
(00:44):
it is that I seen that, you know, in a
sports athlete, whatever I seen, I will be talking about
how the rent was due with them. Now you see
me behind here, you see me behind the turntables. So
at the end of the day, you know for a
fact it's music. Let's get into it, no doubt about it.
I'm going to start with my favorite rapper, The Rents
(01:07):
Due nineteen ninety ll cool J.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
The rent was due.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
So I'm gonna start off this this this first bonus
episode of The Rents Due with my favorite rapper, nineteen ninety,
ll cool Ja, the rent was due. Let's discuss this
first of all, I know y'all can't see it in shot.
Let's get let's let's get right, all right. So, yes,
nineteen ninety, Ll cool J the rent was due. I'm
(01:43):
sorry I posed for the camera flick flick anyway, because
I'm gonna use it as a still shot.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I'm talking, y'all. But anyway, okay, here we go. Here's
why the.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Rent was due for LL cool J in nineteen ninety
because he came off an album that I'm not gonna
lie as one of my LL cool J is my
favorite rapper, but he was coming off walking with a
Panther and I'm not gonna say that it was a
flop per se because there was some joints on there.
But I'm gonna be honest, I just wasn't a fan
(02:12):
of the album.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
To me.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
You know, that's the album with I'm that type of guy,
and that was also the album with.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
What do you call it?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
What's that song called I'm going back to Cali Wilding profiling, Like,
that's not the ll cool J. I know. Now he
has some joints on there where he was spitting, you know,
dropping them. Why do you think they call me dope?
I'm letting you know now I'm a real fan of LL.
But with that being said, the Walking with a Panther
album was decent at best. Rappers started dissing them, and
(02:44):
people started saying that LL cool J might be washed.
Now let's put some more perspective on this. LL cool
J before Walking with a Panther was coming off Bigger
and Depfer and Radio, both of them very big staples
in the foundation of what hip hop was born and
what it ended up becoming to be becoming to be.
(03:06):
So my thing is LL COOLJ at that point, all right,
boom like you know, cause that that's when the loud
hip hop you know, you know, not bitter or mad,
just proving I'm bad. You want to hit give me
an hour plus a pin in apad. I'm gonna keep
saying that line throughout this entire podcast. By the way,
if you've listened to the previous episode. But let's keep talking.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But LL cool J.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Okay, So it's nineteen eighty you know, nineteen eighty nine
he puts out this eighty eight eighty nine, he puts
out this album, and his ass right, and again people,
are you know also on that album? I think Jack
the Rippers on that album. If I'm not making if
I'm not mistaken, I believe Jack the Rippers.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
On an album.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I can go to my laptop and find out. I
can go to my laptop and find out. But yeah,
it's it's it's it wasn't llll COOJ had had a
stinker and the critics were talking and it was just like,
you know, what, what is he doing? You know what
I'm saying. Now again, I'm looking at this. I'm looking
(04:02):
at the track list. Jiggling Baby is on this album,
but not the Jiggling Baby that you hear on on
Mama said knock you Out, which I'll get to in
a second.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
But yeah, this is yeah, that's not yeah, Nah that
was that wasn't that wasn't it? You know? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:24):
And I'm looking to see if Jack the Ripper is
on here, and no, Jack the Ripper.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Is not on his album.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
So ll COOLJ is getting dissed, he's getting talked about,
he's being taken out.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And mind you gotta remember eighty eight eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Between eighty seven and eighty nine, rap changed drastically from
what llll COOOJ was doing in eighty five and eighty six.
If you remember eighty seven Rock Him, eighty seven Boogie
Down Productions, eighty seven Big Daddy Kane. Now you got
guys that are lyrically now just different. Same thing with
Chuck d and mind you, a lot of these a
(04:56):
few of these artists are going on deaf jam. You
dig what I'm saying. So we're talking Russell Simmons. I
think rush Town management was rush Town management was Rock
Kim's manager, Like yeah, yo, like it was. You know,
llll COOLJ is starting to fall like not fall off,
but he's he's losing his place because now you're around
guys who's now spitting spitting cool g rat right like
(05:21):
you talking about guys now where you lyrically matters. Lyric
lyricism now matters. And not to say that ll wasn't
talking before, but again it was loud. And then on
on Walking with a Panther, I'm not gonna lie. He
also chose a lot of bad beats the production on
Walking with a Panther outside of the rhyms and outside
of it seemed like he was chasing a hit and
(05:43):
it seemed like ll cool J at the time was
falling for commercialism. But here's what people forgot about ll
cool J. Ll cool J is from around the way.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
See what I did there. I'll get to that in
the second.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Ll cool J is from round away Farmers Boulevard. And
at the end of the day, right when you hear
this stuff, we forget that these artists, you know, I
don't say that they sell out, but every once in
a while, yeah, bro, the bill, the rent is due.
But now again llll Coolj's falling off. And apparently he
(06:17):
goes and has a conversation with his grandmother.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And she says, just knock him out.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Now, anybody that's an ll COOJ fan knows the relationship
between him and his grandmother. I don't know the relationship
between HI and his parents, but I know his grandmother
is near and dear to him, like his grandmother is
who he attributes a lot of.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
His success to.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
But nineteen ninety ll cool J was different. When he
says don't call it a comeback, he meant that. See
there's more to it than just saying don't call it
a comeback, right, And you know that line is very like,
don't call it a comeback like, you know what I'm saying,
But you gotta remember where he was in his career
(06:58):
at that time, right niggas was talking about LL and
you talk about he falling off.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Don't call it a comeback.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
LLLL had already been here years prior and was making hits.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You know what I'm saying, Don't call it a comeback.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's what I mean by the rent is fucking do.
Don't call it a fucking comeback, because at the end
of the day, he in his career, he like all
right man, like y'all, y'all playing with my name, y'all,
playing with my name, bro. And you listen to the
songs on the album, like, I know the commercial hits
is you know around the Way Girl, and you know
(07:37):
he got the remix to your Jiggling Baby. But don't
forget to the break of Dawn l is dissing iced tea,
I'll drink it down over the rocks.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I'm sorry. That wasn't the best line I could have
said from that song. That wasn't the best line.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I'm sorry, But the point I'm making is that now
LL again, he's in a space where it's like, oh shit,
I need to yeah, I gotta step my shit up.
Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years.
I'm rocking my peers, putting suckers in fear. You know
what I'm saying?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Like that? Is that like that? That's bars back in
nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Now, if a nigga rapping like that in twenty twenty two,
all right, bro, But in nineteen ninety, you know, you know,
putting suckers in fear, make it rain down like a
mind soon listen to the base school? Oh what else
is on mama set? Knock you out?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Bro?
Speaker 1 (08:27):
I mean, you know, the fucking the booming system. That's
the that was the intro. That's the first song on
the album. That's the first.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah, I'm gonna put it back on my wall.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I'm sorry to my audio audience, to my audience, let's
just listen on audios taking the vinyl out of the coverage.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
You can hear me.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Okay, So let's let's let's let's look at the track listing.
Let's look at the track listing. Let's go to the
track listing again. Nineteen ninety ll Cool J. Rent was
due first of all to even have to start off
with the Rent being do your first track on whatever
Rents do album gotta be fire with this. It was
the Booming System Cars ride by in the Booming System.
(09:11):
L I wasn't playing when he first of all that
James Brown, that James Brown beat at the beginning to
do you know what I mean? Come on man, what
he's saying? They say, don't drink and drive? I say,
what is this past? The heinneken and mind your business?
That's bars in nineteen ninety, Doug, that's bars. But he
(09:35):
came out swinging right because again the rent is due.
They talking shit about my man, L They counting him out.
Stop playing with this guy, bro. He has shown you
time and time again he has reinvented himself to connect
with the times and L cool J honestly is one
of the goats because of that. It's because he was
(09:58):
able to adjust his game in three to four different eras.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
How many rappers do you.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Know can say they did that eighty five again rappers
in the era whereas you know, I like my radio
in my hand, like my JVC, like he's yelling, he's screaming.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah, that was the thing. Beastie Boys was doing it.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Freaking run dmncs at the time was most successful. They
were doing it then years five years later, because you know,
rap changes, hip hop changes five years later, Now you
need bars.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Ll COOJ was like, oh you want bars, I got them.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
I got them, and I got joints for the ladies,
which we'll get to in a second. But you see
what I'm saying, yo. Like ll cool J, he had to.
The reason why the rent is due as well is
because he had to reinvigorate himself. He had to because
hip hop was in a different space. And what he
(10:56):
said was, Okay, they're counting me out. Maybe I'm outdated
right now. Okay, let's not forget too. Ll COOLJ started
He's born in sixty eight. By eighty eight, he's only twenty,
so by the time this comes out, he's only twenty two,
twenty three years old, young dude, and y'all telling me
his career over at twenty two. Come on, man, nigga,
(11:20):
please let's keep talking. The rent was due because ll
again was at the point of his career where he
had to again he had to he had to switch
it up. He had to change it up. He was
forced to become you know, something that something other than
(11:42):
what he was used to. That's where I'm at my
career as well. I had to reinvent myself. I had
to continue to stay up with the times. That's why
you see me so relentless on social media. I never
did videos like that, but you know what, I gotta
keep up with the times. People want to hear my opinion, motherfucker,
I'm giving it the second track on this jawn, Around
(12:08):
the Way Girl. Around the Way Girl is to me
just as important to the summertime as Will Smith's summertime.
Around the Way Girl is just as important to the
summertime as Will Smith's summertime. In my opinion, do I
(12:30):
need to talk about it for a second. When you
hear Around the Way Girl, the first thing people from
round the Way. Soon as I close my eyes and
I hear or I hear the song, I see the video.
Not only that I see women from round my Way.
I see women from round my Way. I see it.
I see it, I see it. I see it out shit,
(12:56):
but I see it. I see it. That's important, man.
Will Smith's summertime to me in ll cool like llll
cool J's Around the Way Girl and Summertime to Me
are neck and neck. And the main reason I think
because of that is you know, around the way girl
(13:17):
like you don't think around the way girls in the
in the winter, right like, you're not standing at the
bus stop sucking lollipop in twenty five degree weather. No
standing at the bus stop sucking on the lightpop. I'm looking.
I see you with like a little with a little
jumper on, little romper, little jumper with your with the
with the with the with one strap on suspender boom,
(13:38):
little side boob happening. You know what I mean, little
side boob happening. Yeah, that's what I see. That's what
I see in this. That's the nobody when you hear
you listen. Come on, man, that's summertime. Shit. Why you
watching all the brothers on the basketball court. While you're
(13:58):
watching all the brothers on the basketball court, where are
you watching the man in fucking December. No, you're watching
all the brothers on the basketball court. Going to the
movies with your homegirls crew. Then the businessmen in suits.
They don't have on trench coats, they got on just suits,
had pumping lip glosses shining.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Come on, man, that's summertime. Man.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So you know he has three he has on this album.
He has two generation defining songs. Mama said, knock you out.
I don't know if y'all were around in ninety one
or the early nineties, but like that was a thing.
Niggas was saying that, like randomly, Mama said knock you out,
(14:44):
like Niggas was saying that. Niggas was saying that jingling
baby remix but still jingling Yo, Niggas. Marley Marl, that
beat is crazy.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
That like.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That baseline Doom Doom Doom, Doom, Doom doom. Like that's
a Mary. He was in his back, you know what,
you know what? I like that combination. Marley Marrol got
in the.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Studio with Ll.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
The rent was due, the rent was due. Ll locked
in with a producer. The rent was due. Ll went
to the studio, locked in with Marlly Marrol and here
we are, excuse me, that's the thing.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
That's that's the thing. That's the thing.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
And that's what I'm saying right Like you have to
you you when it comes to paying the rent, man,
you gotta be honest with yourself. That's the problem, man.
The rent b do and we're not honest about the
rent being due. We want to ignore it and act
like there's nothing fucking at the door. The rent b
do and we we don't lock in a lot of
(16:01):
you don't lock in. What you do is you don't
you act like you don't see the eviction notice. But
these artists that I talk about on the you know,
when I'm saying this person's rent.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Would do they they saw it. They saw it. So
my thing is LL.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Cool J right here, man, He's he's understanding that another
flop album could make or break his career. LL cool
J one Grammys for this album or Grammy you want
to Grammy?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Right? Like, That's what I'm saying, y'all like gods like
LL cool J.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
You know he's very self aware. I mean, look he
then I mean like, we're not gonna get into mister Smith.
But it was like it went from Mama said, knock
you out to fourteen Shots to the Dome again, trying
to keep up with the times, He's being something that's
not him.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Llll we love you.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
But we don't want to hear the fourteen Shots to
the Dome. Why is that the name of your album?
When I think of LL cool J, I don't think
of fourteen shots to the dome. Now I get it.
It might have been a play on words. And you know,
you smart, you know a lot of words because he
reads the dictionary. Blah blah blah blah blah. But Bro,
when I hear fourteen shots to the.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Doom, I don't. I don't see ll cool J.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
And then you mean mugging on the court, on the
you mean mugging on the on the on the on
the cover too, Like, come on, bro, come on, bro,
that's not you, man, mister Smith, is you? You see
what I'm saying, rent due, mister Smith? That is ll
hey lover, hey, hey lover, you know doing it? That's
(17:44):
that's you, Bro, that's you. And then you hit him with.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
An eye shot. You you see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
You see what I'm saying, the rent bed man, And
we be we be, we be, we be acting, we
be tolding the fuck line, man, we be towing the line.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
So I don't know, man, I don't know. I I am.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I am grateful that you know, I could still use
my music cachet and my music knowledge on this podcast
to understand that. You know, I want you to get
I want you to really be inside my mind and
what I'm thinking right this like, right in these moments,
I want y'all to hear how inspired I am by
(18:36):
other artists to to understand what it means to really
know this is this is it, this is it, and
you're treating it like that. Ll cool J was my
first one because number one, I want I had the
album and I wanted to show it to Hull. But
the second reason is because ll COOJ is near and
(18:59):
dear to me right like you even hear it in
the song.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Mama said, knock you out right. You literally hear him.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Come on, man, come on man, he yeah, that's how
I feel. Come on, man, stop playing with me. Come on,
don't man. I'm man. I'm here to take this eddy
bitty world by storm and I'm just getting warm. Come on, man,
(19:29):
like that's these nigga that that that told me everything.
He wasn't fucking around, And again it's because he was
faced with adversity.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I'm gonna go back. Nineteen eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Nineteen eighty nine, ll coo J Bay was talking, why
do you think how you liking now?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Nigga? Fuck Kumo? D you think he is?
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Kumod had the audacity the nerve, the mitigative God talk
about some man. Come on, man, Ice Tea, Who the
fuck iceed Tea? I like Ice Tea, but he ain't No,
he ain't got bars. You know what I'm saying. Listening
to the break of Dawn Beautiful beat again, Marley Mal,
(20:20):
come on before you was wrapped? You as a downtown
car thief. Come on, man, ll coolj wasn't wasn't playing
even on when he when he did the remix to
Jiggling Baby. Because I don't think y'all know how good
the bars really were on Jingling Baby. And I think
he knew that and decided, Okay, well, let me lock
(20:42):
in with Marley Barr. Let's get some better production on it.
I don't know if Marley Mal did the original version.
Let me know if he did or didn't, but maybe
he's recognizing, like, yo, man, that didn't work. Let's get
something else right that baseline. Do you know what I mean?
Like and them bars, uncle Elle. Future of the Funk
records are recorded minus all the dust. People spread gossip
(21:05):
and believe it they must, but I slam Dunk punks
and make them bite the dust. Come on, man, bars, bars,
then don't forget. I think at that time ll cool
J was also doing was he he was doing? He
did the Unplugged again nineteen ninety ll cool J. The
rent was due, the rent was due. I want you
(21:27):
all to do me a favor if you listen to
this podcast, I want you to send me a year
in an artist. If you want me to do that album, whatever,
I'll do it. But again, here's the criteria for an
artist or somebody in this time the rent being due.
They have to be facing some sort of adversity to
make something that will forever change the history of their
(21:50):
genre or their sport. Right, So like prime example, right,
this artist, if the rent is due, the artist has
to have something to prove. Like you could even take
something like Thriller.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
He was pissed after After After nineteen seventy nine and
that and that and that.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Uh, he was pissed after Off the Wall. He was pissed.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Now, mind you, that album sold like ten twelve million copies.
He was pissed. Imagine that, you go Diamond, but you
mad because you know you're capable of better.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Then even the bad album.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
He was like, I'm trying to do that, and he
almost did.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Like I said, Man, Rent Do Rent due.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
So first album I'm doing llll COOLJ Mama sat knock
you Out.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
That's near and dear to me.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
It's one of my favorite albums from one of my
favorite rappers. And also, you know, really putting his stamp
on hip hop and saying you can't tell the story
of hip.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Hop without me. And it began, and I mean and
it was solidified in that moment.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
L L had fell out out of the top five, right,
there was a time you know, remember that's another thing, right,
You've got top fives every year.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Ll have fell out in eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
It was rock Kim, it was Kine, it was Chuck
d Like he wasn't in the top five in my opinion.
Nineteen ninety he said, you know now, to me that
year the best player was ice Cube. We'll talk about
that later because that is a Rent to Do album
as well. But llll cool Ja he made his mark.
So we're gonna keep doing these all right, So when
(23:30):
you see me behind here, when you see me behind
the turntables, you know what's coming. Thank you for listening,
Thank you for laughing. This podcast is over.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, you tuned into a bonus
episode of The Rents Do podcast. Now, when I talk
about The Rents Do, I always told y'all what started
it was the fact that you know, I was listening
to Tony Braxton blah blah blah blah blah, and you
know I realized that her performance was the rent was due.
(00:21):
So with this podcast and with you guys knowing or
me updating you on my journey, every time I post
a bonus episode, it will be about an artist at
a certain point in their time when the rent was due. Artist,
album artist, movie artist, comedy, special artist, whatever, right, whatever
(00:44):
it is that I seen that, you know, in a
sports athlete, whatever I seen, I will be talking about
how the rent was due with them. Now you see
me behind here, you see me behind the turntables. So
at the end of the day, you know for a
fact it's music. Let's get into it, no doubt about it.
I'm going to start with my favorite rapper, The Rents
(01:07):
Due nineteen ninety ll cool J.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
The rent was due.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
So I'm gonna start off this this this first bonus
episode of The Rents Due with my favorite rapper, nineteen ninety,
ll cool Ja, the rent was due. Let's discuss this
first of all, I know y'all can't see it in shot.
Let's get let's let's get right, all right. So, yes,
nineteen ninety, Ll cool J the rent was due. I'm
(01:43):
sorry I posed for the camera flick flick anyway, because
I'm gonna use it as a still shot.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I'm talking, y'all. But anyway, okay, here we go. Here's
why the.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Rent was due for LL cool J in nineteen ninety
because he came off an album that I'm not gonna
lie as one of my LL cool J is my
favorite rapper, but he was coming off walking with a
Panther and I'm not gonna say that it was a
flop per se because there was some joints on there.
But I'm gonna be honest, I just wasn't a fan
(02:12):
of the album.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
To me.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
You know, that's the album with I'm that type of guy,
and that was also the album with.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
What do you call it?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
What's that song called I'm going back to Cali Wilding profiling, Like,
that's not the ll cool J. I know. Now he
has some joints on there where he was spitting, you know,
dropping them. Why do you think they call me dope?
I'm letting you know now I'm a real fan of LL.
But with that being said, the Walking with a Panther
album was decent at best. Rappers started dissing them, and
(02:44):
people started saying that LL cool J might be washed.
Now let's put some more perspective on this. LL cool
J before Walking with a Panther was coming off Bigger
and Depfer and Radio, both of them very big staples
in the foundation of what hip hop was born and
what it ended up becoming to be becoming to be.
(03:06):
So my thing is LL COOLJ at that point, all right,
boom like you know, cause that that's when the loud
hip hop you know, you know, not bitter or mad,
just proving I'm bad. You want to hit give me
an hour plus a pin in apad. I'm gonna keep
saying that line throughout this entire podcast. By the way,
if you've listened to the previous episode. But let's keep talking.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But LL cool J.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Okay, So it's nineteen eighty you know, nineteen eighty nine
he puts out this eighty eight eighty nine, he puts
out this album, and his ass right, and again people,
are you know also on that album? I think Jack
the Rippers on that album. If I'm not making if
I'm not mistaken, I believe Jack the Rippers.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
On an album.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I can go to my laptop and find out. I
can go to my laptop and find out. But yeah,
it's it's it's it wasn't llll COOJ had had a
stinker and the critics were talking and it was just like,
you know, what, what is he doing? You know what
I'm saying. Now again, I'm looking at this. I'm looking
(04:02):
at the track list. Jiggling Baby is on this album,
but not the Jiggling Baby that you hear on on
Mama said knock you Out, which I'll get to in
a second.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
But yeah, this is yeah, that's not yeah, Nah that
was that wasn't that wasn't it? You know? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:24):
And I'm looking to see if Jack the Ripper is
on here, and no, Jack the Ripper.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Is not on his album.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
So ll COOLJ is getting dissed, he's getting talked about,
he's being taken out.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And mind you gotta remember eighty eight eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Between eighty seven and eighty nine, rap changed drastically from
what llll COOOJ was doing in eighty five and eighty six.
If you remember eighty seven Rock Him, eighty seven Boogie
Down Productions, eighty seven Big Daddy Kane. Now you got
guys that are lyrically now just different. Same thing with
Chuck d and mind you, a lot of these a
(04:56):
few of these artists are going on deaf jam. You
dig what I'm saying. So we're talking Russell Simmons. I
think rush Town management was rush Town management was Rock
Kim's manager, Like yeah, yo, like it was. You know,
llll COOLJ is starting to fall like not fall off,
but he's he's losing his place because now you're around
guys who's now spitting spitting cool g rat right like
(05:21):
you talking about guys now where you lyrically matters. Lyric
lyricism now matters. And not to say that ll wasn't
talking before, but again it was loud. And then on
on Walking with a Panther, I'm not gonna lie. He
also chose a lot of bad beats the production on
Walking with a Panther outside of the rhyms and outside
of it seemed like he was chasing a hit and
(05:43):
it seemed like ll cool J at the time was
falling for commercialism. But here's what people forgot about ll
cool J. Ll cool J is from around the way.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
See what I did there. I'll get to that in
the second.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Ll cool J is from round away Farmers Boulevard. And
at the end of the day, right when you hear
this stuff, we forget that these artists, you know, I
don't say that they sell out, but every once in
a while, yeah, bro, the bill, the rent is due.
But now again llll Coolj's falling off. And apparently he
(06:17):
goes and has a conversation with his grandmother.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And she says, just knock him out.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Now, anybody that's an ll COOJ fan knows the relationship
between him and his grandmother. I don't know the relationship
between HI and his parents, but I know his grandmother
is near and dear to him, like his grandmother is
who he attributes a lot of.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
His success to.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
But nineteen ninety ll cool J was different. When he
says don't call it a comeback, he meant that. See
there's more to it than just saying don't call it
a comeback, right, And you know that line is very like,
don't call it a comeback like, you know what I'm saying,
But you gotta remember where he was in his career
(06:58):
at that time, right niggas was talking about LL and
you talk about he falling off.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Don't call it a comeback.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
LLLL had already been here years prior and was making hits.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You know what I'm saying, Don't call it a comeback.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's what I mean by the rent is fucking do.
Don't call it a fucking comeback, because at the end
of the day, he in his career, he like all
right man, like y'all, y'all playing with my name, y'all,
playing with my name, bro. And you listen to the
songs on the album, like, I know the commercial hits
is you know around the Way Girl, and you know
(07:37):
he got the remix to your Jiggling Baby. But don't
forget to the break of Dawn l is dissing iced tea,
I'll drink it down over the rocks.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I'm sorry. That wasn't the best line I could have
said from that song. That wasn't the best line.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I'm sorry, But the point I'm making is that now
LL again, he's in a space where it's like, oh shit,
I need to yeah, I gotta step my shit up.
Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years.
I'm rocking my peers, putting suckers in fear. You know
what I'm saying?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Like that? Is that like that? That's bars back in
nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Now, if a nigga rapping like that in twenty twenty two,
all right, bro, But in nineteen ninety, you know, you know,
putting suckers in fear, make it rain down like a
mind soon listen to the base school? Oh what else
is on mama set? Knock you out?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Bro?
Speaker 1 (08:27):
I mean, you know, the fucking the booming system. That's
the that was the intro. That's the first song on
the album. That's the first.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah, I'm gonna put it back on my wall.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I'm sorry to my audio audience, to my audience, let's
just listen on audios taking the vinyl out of the coverage.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
You can hear me.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Okay, So let's let's let's let's look at the track listing.
Let's look at the track listing. Let's go to the
track listing again. Nineteen ninety ll Cool J. Rent was
due first of all to even have to start off
with the Rent being do your first track on whatever
Rents do album gotta be fire with this. It was
the Booming System Cars ride by in the Booming System.
(09:11):
L I wasn't playing when he first of all that
James Brown, that James Brown beat at the beginning to
do you know what I mean? Come on man, what
he's saying? They say, don't drink and drive? I say,
what is this past? The heinneken and mind your business?
That's bars in nineteen ninety, Doug, that's bars. But he
(09:35):
came out swinging right because again the rent is due.
They talking shit about my man, L They counting him out.
Stop playing with this guy, bro. He has shown you
time and time again he has reinvented himself to connect
with the times and L cool J honestly is one
of the goats because of that. It's because he was
(09:58):
able to adjust his game in three to four different eras.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
How many rappers do you.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Know can say they did that eighty five again rappers
in the era whereas you know, I like my radio
in my hand, like my JVC, like he's yelling, he's screaming.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah, that was the thing. Beastie Boys was doing it.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Freaking run dmncs at the time was most successful. They
were doing it then years five years later, because you know,
rap changes, hip hop changes five years later, Now you
need bars.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Ll COOJ was like, oh you want bars, I got them.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
I got them, and I got joints for the ladies,
which we'll get to in a second. But you see
what I'm saying, yo. Like ll cool J, he had to.
The reason why the rent is due as well is
because he had to reinvigorate himself. He had to because
hip hop was in a different space. And what he
(10:56):
said was, Okay, they're counting me out. Maybe I'm outdated
right now. Okay, let's not forget too. Ll COOLJ started
He's born in sixty eight. By eighty eight, he's only twenty,
so by the time this comes out, he's only twenty two,
twenty three years old, young dude, and y'all telling me
his career over at twenty two. Come on, man, nigga,
(11:20):
please let's keep talking. The rent was due because ll
again was at the point of his career where he
had to again he had to he had to switch
it up. He had to change it up. He was
forced to become you know, something that something other than
(11:42):
what he was used to. That's where I'm at my
career as well. I had to reinvent myself. I had
to continue to stay up with the times. That's why
you see me so relentless on social media. I never
did videos like that, but you know what, I gotta
keep up with the times. People want to hear my opinion, motherfucker,
I'm giving it the second track on this jawn, Around
(12:08):
the Way Girl. Around the Way Girl is to me
just as important to the summertime as Will Smith's summertime.
Around the Way Girl is just as important to the
summertime as Will Smith's summertime. In my opinion, do I
(12:30):
need to talk about it for a second. When you
hear Around the Way Girl, the first thing people from
round the Way. Soon as I close my eyes and
I hear or I hear the song, I see the video.
Not only that I see women from round my Way.
I see women from round my Way. I see it.
I see it, I see it. I see it out shit,
(12:56):
but I see it. I see it. That's important, man.
Will Smith's summertime to me in ll cool like llll
cool J's Around the Way Girl and Summertime to Me
are neck and neck. And the main reason I think
because of that is you know, around the way girl
(13:17):
like you don't think around the way girls in the
in the winter, right like, you're not standing at the
bus stop sucking lollipop in twenty five degree weather. No
standing at the bus stop sucking on the lightpop. I'm looking.
I see you with like a little with a little
jumper on, little romper, little jumper with your with the
with the with the with one strap on suspender boom,
(13:38):
little side boob happening. You know what I mean, little
side boob happening. Yeah, that's what I see. That's what
I see in this. That's the nobody when you hear
you listen. Come on, man, that's summertime. Shit. Why you
watching all the brothers on the basketball court. While you're
(13:58):
watching all the brothers on the basketball court, where are
you watching the man in fucking December. No, you're watching
all the brothers on the basketball court. Going to the
movies with your homegirls crew. Then the businessmen in suits.
They don't have on trench coats, they got on just suits,
had pumping lip glosses shining.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Come on, man, that's summertime. Man.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So you know he has three he has on this album.
He has two generation defining songs. Mama said, knock you out.
I don't know if y'all were around in ninety one
or the early nineties, but like that was a thing.
Niggas was saying that, like randomly, Mama said knock you out,
(14:44):
like Niggas was saying that. Niggas was saying that jingling
baby remix but still jingling Yo, Niggas. Marley Marl, that
beat is crazy.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
That like.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That baseline Doom Doom Doom, Doom, Doom doom. Like that's
a Mary. He was in his back, you know what,
you know what? I like that combination. Marley Marrol got
in the.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Studio with Ll.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
The rent was due, the rent was due. Ll locked
in with a producer. The rent was due. Ll went
to the studio, locked in with Marlly Marrol and here
we are, excuse me, that's the thing.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
That's that's the thing. That's the thing.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
And that's what I'm saying right Like you have to
you you when it comes to paying the rent, man,
you gotta be honest with yourself. That's the problem, man.
The rent b do and we're not honest about the
rent being due. We want to ignore it and act
like there's nothing fucking at the door. The rent b
do and we we don't lock in a lot of
(16:01):
you don't lock in. What you do is you don't
you act like you don't see the eviction notice. But
these artists that I talk about on the you know,
when I'm saying this person's rent.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Would do they they saw it. They saw it. So
my thing is LL.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Cool J right here, man, He's he's understanding that another
flop album could make or break his career. LL cool
J one Grammys for this album or Grammy you want
to Grammy?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Right? Like, That's what I'm saying, y'all like gods like
LL cool J.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
You know he's very self aware. I mean, look he
then I mean like, we're not gonna get into mister Smith.
But it was like it went from Mama said, knock
you out to fourteen Shots to the Dome again, trying
to keep up with the times, He's being something that's
not him.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Llll we love you.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
But we don't want to hear the fourteen Shots to
the Dome. Why is that the name of your album?
When I think of LL cool J, I don't think
of fourteen shots to the dome. Now I get it.
It might have been a play on words. And you know,
you smart, you know a lot of words because he
reads the dictionary. Blah blah blah blah blah. But Bro,
when I hear fourteen shots to the.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Doom, I don't. I don't see ll cool J.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
And then you mean mugging on the court, on the
you mean mugging on the on the on the on
the cover too, Like, come on, bro, come on, bro,
that's not you, man, mister Smith, is you? You see
what I'm saying, rent due, mister Smith? That is ll
hey lover, hey, hey lover, you know doing it? That's
(17:44):
that's you, Bro, that's you. And then you hit him with.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
An eye shot. You you see what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
You see what I'm saying, the rent bed man, And
we be we be, we be, we be acting, we
be tolding the fuck line, man, we be towing the line.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
So I don't know, man, I don't know. I I am.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I am grateful that you know, I could still use
my music cachet and my music knowledge on this podcast
to understand that. You know, I want you to get
I want you to really be inside my mind and
what I'm thinking right this like, right in these moments,
I want y'all to hear how inspired I am by
(18:36):
other artists to to understand what it means to really
know this is this is it, this is it, and
you're treating it like that. Ll cool J was my
first one because number one, I want I had the
album and I wanted to show it to Hull. But
the second reason is because ll COOJ is near and
(18:59):
dear to me right like you even hear it in
the song.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Mama said, knock you out right. You literally hear him.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Come on, man, come on man, he yeah, that's how
I feel. Come on, man, stop playing with me. Come on,
don't man. I'm man. I'm here to take this eddy
bitty world by storm and I'm just getting warm. Come on, man,
(19:29):
like that's these nigga that that that told me everything.
He wasn't fucking around, And again it's because he was
faced with adversity.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I'm gonna go back. Nineteen eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Nineteen eighty nine, ll coo J Bay was talking, why
do you think how you liking now?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Nigga? Fuck Kumo? D you think he is?
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Kumod had the audacity the nerve, the mitigative God talk
about some man. Come on, man, Ice Tea, Who the
fuck iceed Tea? I like Ice Tea, but he ain't No,
he ain't got bars. You know what I'm saying. Listening
to the break of Dawn Beautiful beat again, Marley Mal,
(20:20):
come on before you was wrapped? You as a downtown
car thief. Come on, man, ll coolj wasn't wasn't playing
even on when he when he did the remix to
Jiggling Baby. Because I don't think y'all know how good
the bars really were on Jingling Baby. And I think
he knew that and decided, Okay, well, let me lock
(20:42):
in with Marley Barr. Let's get some better production on it.
I don't know if Marley Mal did the original version.
Let me know if he did or didn't, but maybe
he's recognizing, like, yo, man, that didn't work. Let's get
something else right that baseline. Do you know what I mean?
Like and them bars, uncle Elle. Future of the Funk
records are recorded minus all the dust. People spread gossip
(21:05):
and believe it they must, but I slam Dunk punks
and make them bite the dust. Come on, man, bars, bars,
then don't forget. I think at that time ll cool
J was also doing was he he was doing? He
did the Unplugged again nineteen ninety ll cool J. The
rent was due, the rent was due. I want you
(21:27):
all to do me a favor if you listen to
this podcast, I want you to send me a year
in an artist. If you want me to do that album, whatever,
I'll do it. But again, here's the criteria for an
artist or somebody in this time the rent being due.
They have to be facing some sort of adversity to
make something that will forever change the history of their
(21:50):
genre or their sport. Right, So like prime example, right,
this artist, if the rent is due, the artist has
to have something to prove. Like you could even take
something like Thriller.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
He was pissed after After After nineteen seventy nine and
that and that and that.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Uh, he was pissed after Off the Wall. He was pissed.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Now, mind you, that album sold like ten twelve million copies.
He was pissed. Imagine that, you go Diamond, but you
mad because you know you're capable of better.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Then even the bad album.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
He was like, I'm trying to do that, and he
almost did.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Like I said, Man, Rent Do Rent due.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
So first album I'm doing llll COOLJ Mama sat knock
you Out.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
That's near and dear to me.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
It's one of my favorite albums from one of my
favorite rappers. And also, you know, really putting his stamp
on hip hop and saying you can't tell the story
of hip.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Hop without me. And it began, and I mean and
it was solidified in that moment.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
L L had fell out out of the top five, right,
there was a time you know, remember that's another thing, right,
You've got top fives every year.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Ll have fell out in eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
It was rock Kim, it was Kine, it was Chuck
d Like he wasn't in the top five in my opinion.
Nineteen ninety he said, you know now, to me that
year the best player was ice Cube. We'll talk about
that later because that is a Rent to Do album
as well. But llll cool Ja he made his mark.
So we're gonna keep doing these all right, So when
(23:30):
you see me behind here, when you see me behind
the turntables, you know what's coming. Thank you for listening,
Thank you for laughing. This podcast is over.
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