LL Cool J

LL's follow-up to his '85 debut further established him as a hit-making force. The album is fuelled by successful singles including the brag rap classic "I'm Bad" and the love jam staple "I Need Love."

Like the pop-metal egotists he resembles every which way but white, J proves that there's something worse than a middle-class adolescent who's gotta be a big shot this instant--the same adolescent the instant he becomes a big shot. Overrated though it was, the debut had guts, spritz, musical integrity, and Rick Rubin. Breakthrough though it may be, the follow-up has a swelled head, a swollen dick, received beats, and quotes from Berry, Brown, and the Moonglows that confuse me. Could it be that the planet existed before he brought it to fruition? (Grade - C+)