LL Cool J ‘Walking With A Panther’ 30th Anniversary
Release date: 9th June 1989
Label: Def Jam
Producers: LL Cool J, Dwayne Simon, Rick Rubin, DJ Cut Creator, The Bomb Squad
Profile (courtesy of Wikipedia):
“Walking with a Panther is the third studio album by American hip-hop artist LL Cool J, released June 9, 1989, on Def Jam Recordings. While his previous album Bigger and Deffer (1987) was produced by The L.A. Posse, Dwayne Simon was the only member left of the group willing to work on Walking with a Panther, as other members, such as Bobby “Bobcat” Erving, wanted a higher pay after realizing how much of a success the previous album had become. Def Jam, however, refused to change the contract, which caused the L.A. Posse to leave. Walking with a Panther was primarily produced by LL Cool J and Dwayne Simon, with additional production from Rick Rubin and Public Enemy’s production team, The Bomb Squad.
Walking with a Panther was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it spent four weeks. The album contained the singles “Going Back to Cali”, “I’m That Type of Guy”, “Jingling Baby”, “Big Ole Butt” and “One Shot at Love”, which also achieved chart success. Walking with a Panther, however, was met with a mixed response from the hip-hop community at the time of its release, which did not favour the album’s several love ballads. Despite this, Walking With a Panther was well received by music critics. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).”
Additional info:
- The album comes in at #13 on Ego Trip’s Top 25 Rap Albums of 1989.
- The single ‘Big Ole Butt’ comes in at #17 on Ego Trip’s Top 40 Rap Singles of 1989.
- The tracks ‘Droppin Em’ and ‘Big Ole Butt’ appear on our 1989 Rap Megamix.
- Listen to samples used in the making of the album on WhoSampled.
- Read the story of the album’s cover on Urban Legends.
Purchase: Discogs