Today in Hip hop marks the nineteenth year since the album Phenomenon, which signified rap icon LL Cool J's seventh studio album under Polygram and Def Jam Records.
Following the success of his previous album, Mr. Smith, Cool J echoed its fundamentals, catering to numerous R&B-influenced tracks, as well as blending a little hardcore rap. The album showcased production from Sean “Puffy” Combs as well as his line of in-house producers, “The Hitmen”.
The album also resonated to the forerunning success gathered by the previous, peaking at #7 for the Billboard 200, and #4 off the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. To this day, the album has sold well over one million copies nationwide, attaining RIAA-certified Platinum notoriety.
Being his seventh album, Phenomenon showcases Cool J twelve years into the Hip-hop scene, and this album capitalizes his formidability. While the album recaptures the rapper's “uncanny ability to get listeners up on their feet and keep them there”, it also displays Cool J addressing issues such as abuse, domestic violence, as well as the harsh realities inherent in the modern world.
Cool J also flaunted his take on introspective lyricism, which is made most visible on the track “Father”, where Cool J narrates an autobiographical account pertaining to a harsh upbringing. The song peaked at #18 off the Billboard Hot 100, and gained the rapper his eighth #1 Hot Rap Single.
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
