LL Cool J's 'Walking with a Panther'; Classic, Dope, Regular, or Garbage?

Awhile back, I was having a conversation with one of my older cousin regarding LL Cool J. He was a big fan, but felt that he had fallen off a little when he released Walking with a Panther, LL’s 1989 album. When I thought of the album, “I’m That Type of Guy,” “Going Back to Cali,” and “Jingling Baby” were the first tracks to come to mind, which prompted me to question my cousin’s taste in music. However, when I thought about some of the other tracks such as “You’re My Heart,” “One Shot at Love,” and “Two Different Worlds”– in addition to the shift in direction Hip Hop had taken in terms of subject matter–admittedly, I had a better understanding.

My opinion, Walking with a Panther was a dope album and it had all the ingredients to be a classic. “Droppin’ Em,” “Nitro,” and “It’s Gets No Rougher” were the LL Cool J/B-Boy tracks we were accustomed to. Like his previous, he welcomed all challenging MC’s to step forth. “Smokin’ Dopin'” was B-Boy too, but with a softer rapping tone. But, like the old saying goes: too much of anything is not good for you. And the too much in this case were the love songs.

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Again, “You’re My Heart,” “One Shot at Love,” and “Two Different Worlds” were less than impressive and should not have been on the album.

In hindsight, we should have seen more love songs coming. “I Need Love,” from the Bigger and Deffer album (1987), was a dope track, which was a game changer for LL and Hip Hop. But he didn’t capture that same magic on some of love tracks featured on Walking with a Panther.

But I’m not placing blame on the rap ballads for the album’s shortcomings. “Clap Your Hands” shouldn’t have made the cut either.

LL’s materialistic songs about jewelry, cars, and money drew unfavorable criticisms from critics and fans alike. Which I thought was ludicrous. I’m not a fan of “monkey see, monkey do.” LL or any artist shouldn’t be forced to create pro-black music just because their competitors are doing it.

Despite the backlash, Walking with a Panther was a success. The album reached platinum status and did well on the charts reaching number 6 and 1 spot on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, respectively.

Whether you were a fan or not, the release turned out to be a good thing. Who knows, maybe LL would have fallen off had he not released a solid follow up. It’s a strong possibility we wouldn’t have gotten Momma Said Knock You Out. “Catch my drift?”