“Don’t call it a comeback”

Although he already had three albums under his belt, Cool J was still only 22-years-old the first time he had to resurrect his career in 1990. After the mess that was Walking with a Panther, he moved away from Rick Rubin and Cut Creator and hooked up with Marley Marl to get back to his roots and, as his grandmother insisted, “knock them all out.”

The title track had a banging bassline, an easy, catchy hook, and a vicious LL on the mic. It was a huge hit on MTV, first its official video, then as part of an ensemble performance of MTV Unplugged, in which he stole the show: “And LL Cool J was extraordinary, turning his ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ into a new kind of vocal music that had the emotionalism of the blues and the relentless catchiness of rock.” It climbed to number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won him his first Grammy.

The album was much more than one song, however, as LL once again found his sweet spot, crafting songs for both the ladies (“Around the Way Girl”) and the fellas (“The Boomin’ System”) that could crossover between the two. It also included one of the better — and more underrated — diss songs in rap history, “To Da Break of Dawn.” With a verse each directed at Kool Moe Dee, Ice-T, and MC Hammer, L was in full attack mode and, while he was not the only cause, none of the three would ever be the same again.

He had traded the Kangol for a leather top hat and was back on top. He warned, “Don’t call it a comeback!” but that’s exactly what it was.

Unfortunately, it was unsustainable. After once again proving that the only path he should follow is his own, LL yet again tried following the trends. He saw the rise of G-Funk and “tried to remain relevant in a post-Chronic world by adopting a faux West Coast sound and a faux gangsta personality” on 1993’s 14 Shots to the Dome. He even began dressing like Dr. Dre and had song titles like “Funkadelic Relic” over beats that sounded like they were meant for Ice Cube. It was a disaster. Even the only hint of vintage L on the whole record, “Back Seat (of My Jeep)” — the album’s lead single — came off as forced.

For the second time in four years, fans and critics alike were eulogizing the career of James Todd Smith.