LL Cool J - Bigger and Deffer

The baddest!!!!!!!!!!

This is true hip hop (NOT RAP) in its raw form. O.S.F.L (Old skool Fo life!) March 31, 2008

One of hip-hop's Finest Hour!

BOTTOM LINE:

Like Jordan early in his career, LL was an unstoppable monster! This is Young LL Cool J at the tender age of 20, full of aggression, anger, sexiness (for the ladies, of course) wit, and funky energy. The bass is in the basement and the highs are on the ceiling. I dare you to find beats today that hit this hard. They don't make hiphop like this anymore :-)

A+ Essential February 8, 2008

Chain Got Bigger: Music Got Deffer

"I'm like Tyson icin' I'm a soldier at war/ Makin' sure you don't try to battle me no more". As soon as you hear the sirens, the detective calling for backup, and the dramatic backdrop, you can't help but be submerged into the albums first song. "I'm Bad" is youthful arrogance personified. An all-time bragadoccio classic. LL crushes his competition like jelly beans, proclaims himself the greatest in the history of rap itself, and even when he's bragging he's just being sincere. Being so bad never felt good and that maybe the albums only downfall is that it starts off so strong it never quite reaches it's climax again. Although "I'm Bad" is one of the greatest songs LL has done there are many treats to find here.

The Hip Hop and R & B marriage of "I Need Love" is another all-time great. Although risky (and made a hardcore following somewhat disgruntled) it trail blazed countless love song based Hip Hop records after it. In complete contrast to this song were many great battle type records such as ".357 Break It Down". Lyrics like, "Callin all cars for the brother in black/ L-E-L the Mack back bone of this track/I'ma force full of force to put you on your back/Makin hit after hit while you search for a contract/" are as lethal as anything on "I'm Bad". Another intriguing song is "The Breakthrough" with a excellent drum bass sample driven track. The subject matter may not be very diversified but it's hard not to love LL braggin' and boastin' in his prime! The albums sleeper is "My Rhyme Ain't Done". The way he compares his rhymes to a game of cards is very creative and it is another favorite.

Then I hung out with a king and a queen
And the queen put me down with her polo team
The way I scored points all around the clock
I had her daughter, the princess ridin my jock
I knocked the freak off like a crazy retard
Then I took a little trip into a deck of cards
The diamond jack joker and the ace of spades
Was amazed at greater Cut Creator on the fade
Then I played cards with the queen of clubs
The queen of hearts with me cold fell in love
As for the queen of diamonds, she don't like men
Because you know that a diamond is a girl's best friend
The double-trouble spade was named the deuce
And the joker acted stupid, so we gave him the news
There was 52 cards, and I met everyone
That story is over, but my rhyme ain't done

"Bigger and Deffer" is a great if imperfect offering from the start of the golden era. In my opinion, it is LL Cool J's second best album in his catalogue, behind the versatile "Mama Said Knock You Out". I know that this album changed many peoples lives, mainly due to the impact from the two singles. I would highly recommend this album to anybody who is an old school rap fan. December 23, 2007

Mediocre album with a couple highlights....

I felt this album was weak when it came out and it hasn't gotten any better on subsequent listerings.

"I'm bad" was a legit hit single, certainly worthy of the attention. LL let rip over a simple beat and a propulsive bassline, then the refrain of *scratch* - *scratch* - "Cool J".

But "I need love" was a rather corny cut to be honest but was significant, being the first rap song in a soft "love song" style. If you didnt know, I told you it was the Force MD's you wouldnt be shocked. But it wasnt -and isnt - a lyrical masterpiece.

Kanday" is a one-star filler/demo. "Bristol Hotel" only slightly better.

I think nostaligia is leading people to rate this higher than it really is. All I can tell you is for me it was one of the MANY cassettes from this time that had a hit leading off side A, a bunch of filler and then another decent song on side B. Truly a rip off by Rick Rubin, who was on the decks on this one.

Let's just say this album is a reminded that hip-hop was really genre driven by SINGLES during that time. October 18, 2007

One of the top 10 Rap Albums of All TIme--

Bigger and Deffer--

Released in the summer of 1987 (sharing space with Michael Jackson's similarly titled 'Bad' album), this second LL Cool J LP was his crossover breakthrough, which also helped to make hip-hop music a mainstream phenomenon. Produced by the L.A. Posse (Dwayne Simon, Darryl Pierce, Bobcat, DJ Pooh) it's also one of the first examples in hip-hop of east/west collaboration. The album's opener and lead-off single, "I'm Bad" was gangster-tough without being overly explicit: Sampling both the themes from TV shows "S.W.A.T." and "Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse", LL basically declares himself the king of the hip-hop hill: "..The baddest rapper in the history of rap itself; not bitter or mad, just proving I'm bad; you want a hit, give me an hour plus a pen and a pad.." "Kanday" finds LL bragging in locker-room terms about his lady, and then he warns guys to stay away from hookers at "The Bristol Hotel". "But my Rhyme Ain't Done" is a blatant fantasy trip where LL interacts with everyone from He-Man & Mickey Mouse to George Washington, "But I wore a Kangol, not the fake white hair". He admonishes a jealous rival on "The Breakthrough", and gives his DJ props in the guitar-thrashing "Go Cut Creator Go" (with a clever Chuck Berry sample).

The biggest song on the album of course was the pioneering hip-hop ballad "I Need Love": over a simple-but-effective synthesizer-driven melody, LL pines for true love, despite being the object of desire for any number of groupies- "When I'm alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall, and in the back of my mind, I hear my conscience call; telling me I need a girl who's a sweet as a dove; for the first time in my life, I see I need love.." The closing song "The Do Wop" finds a way to blend doo-wop harmonies and funk rhythms. For those who pegged hip-hop as a fad at the time, they need look no further than "On the Ill Tip": 'The joke's on you, jack!'

Bigger and Deffer is one of the seminal Def Jam recordings that are just screaming for a deluxe re-release, with any available bonus material (like any 12-inch mixes, unreleased songs, or soundtrack/EP exclusives like "Going Back to Cali" or "Jack the Ripper", which technically belong here more than on Walking with a Panther.)
June 5, 2007

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