Walking with a Panther

• Artist: LL Cool J
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1989
• Total Time: 84:23
• Type: Contains explicit content
• Genre: Rap

Review

Released at a time when hip-hop's anxieties about crossover success were at a fever pitch, Walking With a Panther found LL Cool J trying to reinvent his sound while building on the commercial breakthrough of Bigger and Deffer. Even though the album succeeded on both counts, it did so in a way that didn't sit well with hip-hop purists, who began to call LL's credibility into question. Their fears about commercialism diluting the art form found a focal point in LL, the man who pioneered the rap ballad -- and there are in fact three ballads here, all of them pretty saccharine (and, tellingly, none of them singles). Apart from that, some of the concerns now seem like much ado about nothing, and there are numerous fine moments (and a few great singles) to be found on the album. It is true, though, that Walking With a Panther does end up slightly less than the sum of its parts. For one thing, it's simply too long; moreover, the force of his early recordings is missing, and there's occasionally a sense that his once-peerless technique on the mic is falling behind the times. Nonetheless, Walking With a Panther is still a fine outing on which LL proves himself a more-than-capable self-producer. The fuller, more fleshed-out sound helps keep his familiar b-boy boasts sounding fresh, and force or no force, he was in definite need of an update. On the singles -- "Going Back to Cali," "I'm That Type of Guy" (inexplicably left off All World), "Jingling Baby," and "Big Ole Butt" -- LL exudes an effortless cool; he's sly, assured, and in full command of a newfound sexual presence on record. So despite its flaws, Walking With a Panther still ranks as one of LL's stronger albums -- strong enough to make the weak moments all the more frustrating. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Droppin' Em (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(4:22)
Smokin' Dopin' (Lyrics)	James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(3:33)
Fast Peg (Lyrics)	Bryan Philpot, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(1:38)
Clap Your Hands	James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(5:08)
Nitro (Lyrics)	Hank Shocklee, E. Sadler, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(4:44)
You're in My Heart	James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(4:44)
I'm That Type of Guy (Lyrics)	Steven Ett, Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(5:16)
Why Do You Think They Call It Dope? (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(3:50)
Going Back to Cali (Lyrics)	LL Cool J, Rick Rubin	LL Cool J	(4:09)
It Gets No Rougher (Lyrics)	Keith Shocklee, Hank Shocklee, E. Sadler, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(5:27)
Big Ole Butt (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith, Brian Latture	LL Cool J	(4:34)
One Shot at Love (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(4:18)
1-900 L.L. Cool J (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(3:01)
Two Different Worlds (Lyrics)	Steven Ett, Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(5:48)
Jealous (Lyrics)	Steven Ett, Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(3:54)
Jingling Baby (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith, Brian Latture	LL Cool J	(4:15)
Def Jam in the Motherland (Lyrics)	Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith, Brian Latture	LL Cool J	(4:35)
Change Your Ways (Lyrics)	Steven Ett, Dwayne "Muffla" Simon, James Todd Smith	LL Cool J	(3:19)

Credits

David Bianco (Engineer), Steven Ett (Engineer), Steven Ett (Mixing), Steven Ett (Assistant Producer), Jay Henry (Engineer), LL Cool J (Producer), LL Cool J (Main Performer), Cydne Monet (Vocals), Billy Patterson (Guitar), Kevin Reynolds (Engineer), Rick Rubin (Producer), Keith Shocklee (Producer), Hank Shocklee (Producer), Hank Shocklee (Assistant Producer), Dwayne "Muffla" Simon (Producer), David Tobocman (Keyboards), Chuck Valle (Assistant Engineer), Tony "Funky Drummer" Walls (Drums), Howie Weinberg (Mastering), Eric "Vietnam" Sadler (Producer), Eric "Vietnam" Sadler (Assistant Producer), Greg Gordon (Engineer), Tony Sellari (Art Direction), Ricardo Betancourt (Photography), Bryan Philpot (Assistant Producer), Brian Latture (Assistant Producer)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)