Song:Loungin' (Who Do Ya Love)
Album:Icon
LL Cool J has been one of the more durable rappers. He started out in the 80s and then he faded. but then he had a big comeback with the 1995 album Mr. Smith. Though it's not his signature song, Loungin' is his biggest chart hit. These days he's mostly an actor but that's not unusual for rappers. He was born James Todd Smith Jan. 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, NY in Long Island. He started rapping at age 9. His jazz musician grandfather set up a studio for him in his basement. So Smith made tapes and sent them to record companies. Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons were just starting Def Jam and they signed Smith at age 16. LL Cool J means Ladies Love Cool James. His 1985 debut album Radio did OK on the R&B charts. Smith continued to have success in R&B. But his breakthrough to mainstream music was the 1990 hit Mama Said Knock You Out. That's probably his signature song but it's not his biggest hit. Meanwhile Smith is getting into acting. His biggest success was the sitcom In The House which ran from 1995-99. His 1993 album 14 Shots To The Dome didn't do well. So when he got the sitcom, he could have quit music and that's what a lot of rappers did. Instead he released the 1995 CD Mr. Smith and it was certified 2XPlatinum. He scored three top ten hits from the album. Loungin' was the biggest of the three. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. There were two versions of Loungin'. The hit version was a remix produced by The Trackmasters (Jean-Claude Olivier & Samuel Barnes) and featuring the girl group Total who were just about to release their debut CD. The obvious sample is from the 1985 hit Who Do You Love by Bernard Wright. It was too obvious for me. They just took the original record and Smith rapped over it. You can get it on this budget comp. The Trackmasters produced most of Mr. Smith. They also worked with Will Smith among others. Smith continued to record but he got more into acting. Today he's mainly an actor but he is working on new music. He's certainly a legend of rap. Here's the video for Loungin' (Who Do Ya Love) by LL Cool J featuring Total.
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