Mama Said Knock You Out

hip hop east coast hip hop hardcore hip hop pop rap boom bap new york

Def Jam

Recorded

1990

Released

1990

As storied a musical and movie career as LL Cool J has had, he only ever released two unqualifiedly great albums: his hit-making debut, Radio, and two LPs later, his “comeback” effort, Mama Said Knock You Out. WIth hip-hop in the middle of a sea-change at the turn of the ‘80s to ‘90s, LL proved his continued relevance with impressively pugilistic performances across the album, expertly matched with propulsive production from the legendary Marley Marl.

Oliver Wang