Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Released at a time when hip-hop's anxieties about crossover success were at a fever pitch, Walking With a Panther found LL Cool J trying to reinvent his sound while building on the commercial breakthrough of Bigger and Deffer. Even though the album succeeded on both counts, it did so in a way that didn't sit well with hip-hop purists, who began to call LL's credibility into question. Their fears about commercialism diluting the art form found a focal point in LL, the man who pioneered the rap ballad -- and there are in fact three ballads here, all of them pretty saccharine (and, tellingly, none of them singles). Apart from that, some of the concerns now seem like much ado about nothing, and there are numerous fine moments (and a few great singles) to be found on the album. It is true, though, that Walking With a Panther does end up slightly less than the sum of its parts. For one thing, it's simply too long; moreover, the force of his early recordings is missing, and there's occasionally a sense that his once-peerless technique on the mic is falling behind the times. Nonetheless, Walking With a Panther is still a fine outing on which LL proves himself a more-than-capable self-producer. The fuller, more fleshed-out sound helps keep his familiar b-boy boasts sounding fresh, and force or no force, he was in definite need of an update. On the singles -- "Going Back to Cali," "I'm That Type of Guy" (inexplicably left off All World), "Jingling Baby," and "Big Ole Butt" -- LL exudes an effortless cool; he's sly, assured, and in full command of a newfound sexual presence on record. So despite its flaws, Walking With a Panther still ranks as one of LL's stronger albums -- strong enough to make the weak moments all the more frustrating.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133,33/month
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Bryan Philpot, Producer, Additional Producer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Billy "Spaceman" Patterson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer - Eric Sadler, Producer, Additional Producer, ComposerLyricist - Hank Shocklee, Producer, Additional Producer - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
James Todd Smith, ComposerLyricist - Dwayne Simon, Composer, Producer, Co-Producer - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist - Steve Ett, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Dwayne Simon, Composer, Producer, Co-Producer - LL Cool J, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer - Rick Rubin, Producer, Additional Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer - Keith Shocklee, Producer, Additional Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eric Sadler, Producer, Additional Producer - Hank Shocklee, Producer, Additional Producer - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
James Todd Smith, ComposerLyricist - Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David Tobacmon, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Cydne Monet, Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer, ComposerLyricist - D. Coffey, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dwayne Simon, Producer, Co-Producer, ComposerLyricist - LL Cool J, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Steve Ett, Producer, Mixer, Assistant Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Brian Latture, Producer, Assistant Producer - Chuck Valle, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tony Walls, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1989 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Released at a time when hip-hop's anxieties about crossover success were at a fever pitch, Walking With a Panther found LL Cool J trying to reinvent his sound while building on the commercial breakthrough of Bigger and Deffer. Even though the album succeeded on both counts, it did so in a way that didn't sit well with hip-hop purists, who began to call LL's credibility into question. Their fears about commercialism diluting the art form found a focal point in LL, the man who pioneered the rap ballad -- and there are in fact three ballads here, all of them pretty saccharine (and, tellingly, none of them singles). Apart from that, some of the concerns now seem like much ado about nothing, and there are numerous fine moments (and a few great singles) to be found on the album. It is true, though, that Walking With a Panther does end up slightly less than the sum of its parts. For one thing, it's simply too long; moreover, the force of his early recordings is missing, and there's occasionally a sense that his once-peerless technique on the mic is falling behind the times. Nonetheless, Walking With a Panther is still a fine outing on which LL proves himself a more-than-capable self-producer. The fuller, more fleshed-out sound helps keep his familiar b-boy boasts sounding fresh, and force or no force, he was in definite need of an update. On the singles -- "Going Back to Cali," "I'm That Type of Guy" (inexplicably left off All World), "Jingling Baby," and "Big Ole Butt" -- LL exudes an effortless cool; he's sly, assured, and in full command of a newfound sexual presence on record. So despite its flaws, Walking With a Panther still ranks as one of LL's stronger albums -- strong enough to make the weak moments all the more frustrating.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 18 track(s)
- Total length: 01:16:32
- Main artists: LL COOL J
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Def Jam Recordings
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 1989 The Island Def Jam Music Group ℗ 1989 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.