| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| AllHipHop | (favorable)[2] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[3] |
| Q | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Trouser Press | (mixed)[6] |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable)[7] |
Walking with a Panther is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J, released June 9, 1989, on Def Jam Recordings.
Background
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.[8] 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.
Reception
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 was un-favorable of several of the album's love ballads.[9] Despite this, Walking With a Panther was well received by music critics.[10] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Track listing
All tracks produced by LL Cool J & Dwayne Simon except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Droppin' Em" | Dwayne Simon, J.T. Smith | 4:22 | |
| 2. | "Smokin', Dopin'" | Simon, Smith | 3:31 | |
| 3. | "Fast Peg" | Smith, Bryan Philpot | Co-produced by DJ Cut Creator | 1:38 |
| 4. | "Clap Your Hands" | Smith | 5:07 | |
| 5. | "Nitro" | Smith, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Co-produced by The Bomb Squad | 4:43 |
| 6. | "You're My Heart" | Simon, Smith | 4:42 | |
| 7. | "I'm That Type of Guy" | Simon, Smith, Steve Ett | 5:16 | |
| 8. | "Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?" | Brian Latture, Simon, Smith | 3:49 | |
| 9. | "Going Back to Cali" | Smith, Rick Rubin | Produced by Rick Rubin | 4:09 |
| 10. | "It Gets No Rougher" | Smith, Sadler, H. Shocklee, Keith Shocklee | Co-produced by The Bomb Squad | 5:16 |
| 11. | "Big Ole Butt" | Latture, Simon, Smith | 4:34 | |
| 12. | "One Shot at Love" | Simon, Smith, Ett | 4:18 | |
| 13. | "1-900 LL Cool J" | Simon, Smith | 3:01 | |
| 14. | "Two Different Worlds" (featuring Cydne Monet) | Simon, Smith, Ett | 5:19 | |
| 15. | "Jealous" | Latture, Simon, Smith | 3:54 | |
| 16. | "Jingling Baby" | Latture, Simon, Smith | 4:15 | |
| 17. | "Def Jam in the Motherland" | Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett | 4:35 | |
| 18. | "Change Your Ways" | Simon, Smith, Ett | 3:20 |
The cassette release had a slightly different track listing and two extra songs.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Droppin' Em" | Dwayne Simon, J.T. Smith | 4:22 | |
| 2. | "Smokin', Dopin'" | Simon, Smith | 3:31 | |
| 3. | "Fast Peg" | Smith, Bryan Philpot | Co-produced by DJ Cut Creator | 1:38 |
| 4. | "Clap Your Hands" | Smith | 5:07 | |
| 5. | "Nitro" | Smith, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Co-produced by The Bomb Squad | 4:43 |
| 6. | "You're My Heart" | Simon, Smith | 4:42 | |
| 7. | "I'm That Type of Guy" | Simon, Smith, Steve Ett | 5:16 | |
| 8. | "Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?" | Brian Latture, Simon, Smith | 3:49 | |
| 9. | "Going Back to Cali" | Smith, Rick Rubin | Produced by Rick Rubin | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Crime Stories" (cassette bonus track) | Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett | 3:10 | |
| 11. | "It Gets No Rougher" | Smith, Sadler, H. Shocklee, Keith Shocklee | Co-produced by The Bomb Squad | 5:16 |
| 12. | "Big Ole Butt" | Latture, Simon, Smith | 4:34 | |
| 13. | "One Shot at Love" | Simon, Smith, Ett | 4:18 | |
| 14. | "1-900 LL Cool J" | Simon, Smith | 3:01 | |
| 15. | "Two Different Worlds" (featuring Cydne Monet) | Simon, Smith, Ett | 5:19 | |
| 16. | "Jealous" | Latture, Simon, Smith | 3:54 | |
| 17. | "Jingling Baby" | Latture, Simon, Smith | 4:15 | |
| 18. | "Def Jam in the Motherland" | Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett | 4:35 | |
| 19. | "Change Your Ways" | Simon, Smith, Ett | 3:20 | |
| 20. | "Jack The Ripper" (cassette bonus track) | Smith, Rubin | Produced by Rick Rubin | 4:52 |
The vinyl version omits tracks 9, 10, 19 & 20.
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[19] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1989 (U.S.)
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ AllHipHop review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ "Q review". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Trouser Press review
- ^ Yahoo! Music review
- ^ The Rap Talk Crew. "A historic sit-down with Bobcat". Rap Talk Magazine. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ Anderson, Kyle. "LL Cool J: The stories behind the songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Walking with a Panther: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ "ARIA Albums Chart w/c 25-9-1989". ARIA. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The HP column displays the highest position reached.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – Walking With A Panther" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – Walking With A Panther". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – LL Cool J – Walking with a Panther". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.