10 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of The 1980s - Ranked

Before he was on NCIS, LL Cool J was one of the biggest stars of the hip-hop world, generally touted by most critics to be one of, if not the first solo act to make a name for himself as a straight-up master of ceremonies. Where group disco/funk was the primary source for the origins of hip-hop, he and Def Jam founder Russell Simmons - along with Rick Rubin - came together to make a minimal album that hit all the right buttons of a generation, appealing to machismo hardcore rap fans and swooning women alike.

This debut album features bare-bones type production that is limited to hard-hitting percussion with simplistic rhythms along with sporadic mixing and horns sections that created one of the most simplistic-sounding hip-hop records to date.

Using razor sharp wit and well-pronounced delivery, Ladies Love Cool J was an icon of a generation and part of a handful of hip-hop acts that broke through barriers to achieve mainstream recognition like Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC, showing his premier style in tracks like "Dear Yvette" and "Rock The Bells."

This recent reality of pop becoming a form of hip-hop is thanks to LL Cool J and this album which would go on to be a cornerstone of the hip-hop game for years to come and every modern rap artist partly owes their success to the credit of LL Cool J, whether they know it or not.