CURBSERVICEMUSIC.com

By the late 80's Def Jam had become the go-to label for all my hip-hop needs. Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, L.L. Cool J were all well established. Then came the political movement with acts like Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions. In 1989 BDP dropped Ghetto Music - fusing boom-bap and reggae with overtly political rhymes. This was my favorite cut on that album.

I'm coaching youth basketball this year. Saturday we had our first game and fought through the season-opener jitters, overcoming a twelve point deficit only to lose by one. Tomorrow we plan to put it on the opposition. Monstar stylee. "Wildcats on 3".

It was 1985 and Russell Simmons (along with his partner Rick Rubin) had just signed a 16 year old from Queens named L.L. Cool J. His debut album, Radio, would sell over a million copies. Rubin handled production on most cuts but recruited punk rocker Adam Horovitz (a.k.a. King Ad Rock) to lend a hand on "I Need a Beat".  Dig.

I talked about L.L. awhile back (in case you missed it) and in fact, I'm gonna talk about that same exact song, "I'm Bad".   A typical braggadoccio track, Cool J boasts with lines like "MCs can't win, I make 'em rust like tin/they call me Jaws, my hat is like a shark fin".  But in the third verse he's clearly reaching....

The original Todd teachin' how to be hard
Take the skin off a snake and split a pea from a pod

Now....taking the "skin off a snake" can be particularly tricky (especially if the snake is alive) but there is no scenario in which splitting a "pea from a pod" is difficult.  I'm throwing a flag on this line.  Real talk.

James Todd Smith (a.k.a. L.L. Cool J)........a far cry from NCIS.

I remember seeing this on Friday Night Videos.  He was 18 years old here.  I was 14.  I love how the video has an anti-drug message - but the song is 100% badass braggadocio.  Also, I'm pretty sure I would have been a good "jacket holder".  Seems like an easy job.