Favorite 100 Albums of the 80s: (#92) LL Cool J – Bigger & Deffer
NCIS Star Was Once One of the Industry's Best Rappers
(I’m counting down my favorite 100 albums of the 1980’s with new entries appearing each Tuesday and Thursday. I need to emphasize this being a collection of my personal favorites and not necessarily the most commercially successful or critically acclaimed albums of the decade.)
YEAR RELEASED: 1987
NOTABLE TRACKS “I Need Love”, “I’m Bad”, “Go Cut Creator Go”, “The Do Wop”, “The Bristol Hotel”
ALBUM MVP: “I’m Bad”
WHY I LOVED IT: LL Cool J in general and this album specifically was very important in my life and journey of loving all types of music as a teenager. Prior to LL Cool J, most my favorite rap acts (Run DMC, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim) rapped about the streets and/or social issues. Along with Big Daddy Kane, LL was the first rapper I enjoyed who constantly rhymed about how dope they were. I couldn’t get enough of it. Mind you, this wasn’t the first I’d heard of LL Cool J. He’d already established himself two years previous with his debut album, “Radio” featuring memorable tracks like “I Need A Beat”, “Rock The Bells” and “Cant Live Without My Radio”. In my humble opinion his second effort was even better. To this day “I’m Bad” ranks among my top five all-time shit talking jams. “So forget Oreos eat Cool J cookies”? Come on, that’s an amazing lyric! “I Need Love” may have been corny but damn it—I loved “rapping” those lyrics while steady playing on my boom box. Honestly, even the best albums typically contain a few tracks I hit the skip button on but not with “Bigger and Deffer.” It’s awesome from start to finish.
COMMERCIAL SUCCESS: “Bigger and Deffer” enjoyed commercial success on both rap and pop music levels. Not surprisingly it reached the top spot on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums but also made its mark on pop music—rising all the way to number-three on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. “I Need Love” reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles ( #1 on the Hot Black Singles) while “I’m Bad” reached No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-four on the Hot Black Singles.
FUN FACT: Many, especially those who are just casual rap fans don’t know what LL Cool J stands for, since obviously that’s not his birth name. It’s short for “Ladies Love Cool James.” LL was actually born James Todd Smith in Queens, New York in 1968. Throughout his career LL has released 13 studio and two greatest hits albums. Of course, these days he’s far better known as an actor of films, television and the host of “Lip Sync Battle” on Spike TV.