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LL Cool J "Doin' It" video

Hip-hop is notorious for short-lived careers, but LL Cool J is the inevitable exception that proves the rule. Releasing his first hit, "I Can't Live Without My Radio," in 1985 when he was just 17 years old, LL initially was a hard-hitting, streetwise b-boy with spare beats and ballistic rhymes. He quickly developed an alternate style, a romantic -- and occasionally sappy -- lover's rap epitomized by his mainstream breakthrough single, "I Need Love." LL's first two albums, Radio and Bigger and Deffer, made him a star, but he strived for pop stardom a little too much on 1989's Walking With a Panther. By 1990, his audience had declined somewhat, since his ballads and party raps were the opposite of the chaotic, edgy political hip-hop of Public Enemy or the gangsta rap of N.W.A, but he shot back to the top of the charts with Mama Said Knock You Out, which established him as one of hip-hop's genuine superstars. By the mid-'90s, he had starred in his own television sitcom, In the House, appeared in several films, and had racked up two of his biggest singles with "Hey Lover" and "Doin' It." In short, he had proven that rappers could have long-term careers.

Running time: 03:50

 

LL Cool J YouTube music videos

See the latest LL Cool J music videos from YouTube, video interviews, live sessions, music video news and band walk-ons from around the globe

LL Cool J - I Need Love

LL Cool J - I Need Love (04:15)

LL Cool J - Luv U Better

LL Cool J - Luv U Better (04:14)

LL Cool J "Doin' It"

LL Cool J "Doin' It" (03:50)

LL Cool J - Baby

LL Cool J - Baby (04:23)

LL Cool J - Hush

LL Cool J - Hush (04:29)

LL Cool J - Hey Lover

LL Cool J - Hey Lover (03:42)

LL Cool J - Rocking With The G.O.A.T.

LL Cool J - Rocking With The G.O.A.T. (05:17)

LL Cool J - Paradise: MTV Version

LL Cool J - Paradise: MTV Version (04:35)

LL Cool J Disses jay z and talks about his verse

LL Cool J Disses jay z and talks about his verse (02:03)

I'm Bad

I'm Bad (04:48)

LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl

LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl (04:44)

LL Cool J - Control Myself: BET Version, Closed Captioned

LL Cool J - Control Myself: BET Version, Closed Captioned (04:04)

LL Cool J - Headsprung: MTV Version, Closed-Captioned

LL Cool J - Headsprung: MTV Version, Closed-Captioned (04:28)

LL Cool J - Ain't Nobody

LL Cool J - Ain't Nobody (04:27)

LL Cool J-Rock the Bells

LL Cool J-Rock the Bells (04:02)

LL Cool J - I'm Bad [HD]

LL Cool J - I'm Bad [HD] (04:50)

LL Cool J - Headsprung [DIRTY] DVDrip - OFFICIAL VIDEO

LL Cool J - Headsprung [DIRTY] DVDrip - OFFICIAL VIDEO (04:31)

LL Cool J - Jingling Baby: Long Version

LL Cool J - Jingling Baby: Long Version (05:29)

LL Cool J - Doin' it feat Leshaun

LL Cool J - Doin' it feat Leshaun (03:49)

LL Cool J - Back Seat

LL Cool J - Back Seat (04:11)

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