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Listen to LL Cool J’s “Year of the Hip Hop” (Download/STREAM)
With the cushy acting jobs and exercise books that he’s become known for in recent years, its almost easy to ignore that LL Cool J was one of the baddest (pun intended) rappers around a few decades ago. So when an old school Easter egg featuring a battle ready Mr. Smith gets released, its a refresher course in LL’s influential swagger. The story of the origin of “Year of the Hip Hop” will certainly become lore:
“Back in 1994 [producer] K-Def was working on some beats out of the B Room in Marly Marl’s House Of Hits when LL Cool J walked in on his session and said “let’s make some tracks together”. Uncle L had always wanted to rhyme on a track using the famous ESG breakbeat ‘UFO’, so he had Def lay it down with some scratches and then went to town with the mic. Both thought they had a sure fire hit on their hands but unfortunately it was never used. The DAT tape of the studio session was feared lost for several years before it eventually turned up stuck behind a radiator!”
The track evokes nostalgia for a simpler time in hip hop, as LL uses the Boom Bap beat to deliver a discourse on styles. Did he catch wreck? Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter and let us know how you feel.
LL Cool J’s “Year of the Hip Hop” Produced by K-Def (Download/Stream)
SSR-005: Year Of The Hip Hop (Vocal) – K-Def ft. LL Cool J by Slice-of-Spice
