Maps of Music

Mr. Smith (1995)

Where the lyrics of Mr. Smith take you, and where it was really made.

The album that restored LL Cool J's reputation after the flop of 14 Shots to the Dome was certified Double Platinum in the US.

Key places

Recorded at Platinum Island Studios (1995)

Recording site Platinum Island Studios — Listed in the album's credits as a recording studio. The dot marks the studio location; exact session dates are not recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Chung King Studios (1995)

Recording site Chung King Studios — Listed in the album's credits as a recording studio, and also named as a mixing location. The dot marks the studio location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mr. Smith: sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J
• Released 21 November 1995 by Def Jam
• Certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA
• Produced by Rashad Smith, Chyskillz, Chad Elliott, Trackmasters and Easy Mo Bee
• Guest appearances by the Emotions, Terri & Monica, Boyz II Men, Fat Joe, Keith Murray, Prodigy and Foxy Brown
• Hey Lover is a collaboration with Boyz II Men and samples Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life"

Background

• Followed 14 Shots to the Dome, which flopped commercially
• After that flop, LL focused on the NBC sitcom In the House, but the show did not erase his disappointment with his music
• The album answered the criticism aimed at his previous record

Recording

• Recording credits list Platinum Island Studios and Chung King Studios among several studios
• Mixing credits list Sound on Sound, Battery Studios and Giant Recording Studios among others
• Mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound
• Doin' It samples Grace Jones's "My Jamaican Guy"
• I Shot Ya samples Lyn Collins's "Put It on the Line"
• Other samples come from DeBarge, the S.O.S. Band and the Emotions

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Artist

Career

• James Todd Smith, known as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor.
• He was among the earliest rappers to achieve crossover commercial success alongside new-school acts like Run-DMC.
• Signed by Def Jam Recordings in 1984; his breakthrough single "I Need a Beat" (1984) was followed by debut album Radio (1985).
• Later albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997) brought continued success.
• Released The FORCE (2024), his fourteenth studio album, after re-signing with Def Jam.
• Acting work includes Toys, Halloween H20, Any Given Sunday, and NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023) as Sam Hanna.
• Two-time Grammy winner; in 2017 became the first rapper to receive a Kennedy Center Honor; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 (Musical Excellence).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave positive reviews and called it a return to form after the West Coast-influenced 14 Shots to the Dome flopped
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for working more toward LL's romantic side, which stayed sexually invigorating even though toned down
• Erlewine concluded that the album is not perfect, with too many slack moments, but proves that LL Cool J remained vital a decade after his debut
• Robert Christgau cited "Doin' It" as a choice cut, while calling the album not worth your time or money
• Mike Flaherty of Entertainment Weekly praised the album for balancing the various personas LL adopts across the tracks
• Flaherty wrote that the album was far from the self-parodying effort expected
• Cheo H. Coker of Rolling Stone praised the hardcore rap songs and love ballads for their production and lyrical dexterity
• Coker said tracks such as "No Airplay" and "Get da Drop on 'Em" show LL better as a tough lyric spitter

Records

• Reached number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 20 on the Billboard 200
• Certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA
• Sold more than 2 million copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The edited version of "No Airplay" edits the intro, while the explicit version only backmasks on the song.
• The jewel case edition includes a 12-page foldout insert and a sticker that names Hey Lover (featuring Boyz II Men).
• Tupac Shakur believed I Shot Ya was inspired by "Who Shot Ya?", which put LL Cool J on a collision course with him.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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