Soft Tunes From a Hard Bragger

LL Cool J

Walking With a Panther

Def Jam Recordings

POOR LL Cool J. Almost every rap artist has made fun of him ever since his second album, Bigger and Deffer, turned the 20-year-old rapper from New York into the self-proclaimed King of Rap.

From Kool Modee to Ice-T, many rappers haven't appreciated LL's style, calling him "soft" for including love songs on his album and saying he brags about everything--especially his body.

With his newly released third album, Walking With a Panther, LL takes some swings against the King of Rap's new critics. At times, LL fights like Mike Tyson on this 18-track production. Other times, however, he's Gerry Cooney.

Whether you like LL or not, you must admit that he's one of the best ryhmers around. While other rappers talk about "the beat on the street that moves my feet," LL asserts, "Cool J, I never go astray, I'm funky, you can hear me on the Milky Way."

Unlike other rappers, LL likes to play with words. He won't go for the easy rhyme. What other rapper would match "Jimmy Olson" with "green, golden Molson?" Or who would even think of dubbing a few bars of the Cheers theme song? Only LL.

Walking With a Panther has more to it than just unorthodox rhymes, however. LL is at his best when he brags, and the first track of the album, "Droppin' Em," is classic Cool J. The hard, funk-like guitar chord and the heavy, drum beat work well to compliment LL's "I'm hard-as-hell" attitude.

Two other tracks, "Nitro" and "Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?", will give hardcore fans their dose of braggadocio rap. And yes, LL's popular rap single, "Going Back to Cali," has finally found a space on one of his albums.

The final track, "Change Your Ways," could be one of the most original rap songs of the summer because it uses (gasp) a real drummer, Tony "Funky Drummer" Walls. Despite LL's sappy lyrics, which sound like a rap version of "We are the World," Walls gives this song some life. Why hasn't anyone thought of using real drums before?

BUT Walking Like a Panther isn't an album that will head rap in a different direction. LL still falls into the trap that has hurt rap's credibility. He brags too much about sex. Better stated, he brags too much about his own sexual conquests.

Take for example, the album's first single, "I'm the Type of Guy." Who does LL think he is? Adonis? Valentino? Wade Boggs? The song makes LL sound like the greatest male specimen ever to wear a Kangol. Give it up, Cool J.

The same goes for "Big Ole Butt," which, you guessed it, tells about the Continuing Adventures of Mr. Sex. The message in the song is clear: Sex solves all the problems of a horny, young man. Thanks for clearing that up, Dr. Cool J.

LL's critics are right; Love songs don't work with rap beats. They have to be sung, not spoken. Will LL ever learn? Probably not, because he has three new love-rap tracks on Walking With a Panther.

Try to figure this out. LL sounds like a sex-starved adolescent and then tries to pass himself off as sensitive and caring. Right.

The only time the slowed-down, lovesong style achieves a bearable level on this album is when LL doesn't blabber. On "Two Different Worlds," guest vocalist Cydne Monet has a soft, gentle voice that offers the listener a brief moment of relief from LL's love raps. Thank you for saving a part of this album.

It's hard to avoid wondering why LL doesn't sing about different subjects on his newest album. Sure, he brags like no other rapper, but that's all he does. Except for "Fast Peg" and "Change Your Ways," Cool J raps about himself. That formula is starting to wear after only three albums.

If you like braggadocio rap with a twist of rap love, then Walking Like a Panther will not disappoint. However, if you want less boast and more substance, turn to Public Enemy, De La Soul or even Shinehead.

As for Cool J, he must change his ways or else fall off the throne he has tried to build for himself.