Walking with a Panther
Studio album by
LL Cool J
ReleasedJune 9, 1989
Recorded1987-1989
GenreGolden age hip hop
Length76:45 (CD)
84:29 (cassette)
67:16 (LP)
Label
Producer
LL Cool J chronology
Bigger and Deffer
(1987) 		Walking with a Panther
(1989) 		Mama Said Knock You Out
(1990)
Singles from Walking with a Panther
  1. "Going Back to Cali"
    Released: January 27, 1988
  2. "I'm That Type of Guy"
    Released: May 24, 1989
  3. "Big Ole Butt"
    Released: July 7, 1989
  4. "One Shot at Love"
    Released: October 31, 1989
  5. "Jingling Baby"
    Released: January 8, 1990

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.[1] 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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Q[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
The Village VoiceA−[6]

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.[7] Despite this, Walking With a Panther was well received by music critics.[8] 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.

CD
No.TitleWriter(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 PhilpotCo-produced by DJ Cut Creator1:38
4."Clap Your Hands"Smith 5:07
5."Nitro"Smith, Eric Sadler, Hank ShockleeCo-produced by The Bomb Squad4:43
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 RubinProduced by Rick Rubin4:09
10."It Gets No Rougher"Smith, Sadler, H. Shocklee, Keith ShockleeCo-produced by The Bomb Squad5:16
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.

Cassette
No.TitleWriter(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 PhilpotCo-produced by DJ Cut Creator1:38
4."Clap Your Hands"Smith 5:07
5."Nitro"Smith, Eric Sadler, Hank ShockleeCo-produced by The Bomb Squad4:43
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 RubinProduced by Rick Rubin4:09
10."Crime Stories" (cassette bonus track)Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett 3:10
11."It Gets No Rougher"Smith, Sadler, H. Shocklee, Keith ShockleeCo-produced by The Bomb Squad5:16
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, RubinProduced by Rick Rubin4:52

The vinyl version omits tracks 9, 10, 19 & 20.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Walking with a Panther
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ The Rap Talk Crew. "A historic sit-down with Bobcat". Rap Talk Magazine. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Larkin (2002), p. 761.
  4. ^ "Q review". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
  5. ^ Rolling Stone review
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 5, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Anderson, Kyle. "LL Cool J: The stories behind the songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Huey, Steve. "Walking with a Panther: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
  9. ^ "Australiancharts.com – LL Cool J – (({album))}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – (({album))}" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – (({album))}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  13. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  14. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – Walking with a Panther". Recording Industry Association of America.
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