Mr. Smith (album)

1995 studio album by LL Cool J

Mr. Smith

Studio album by

LL Cool J

Released| November 21, 1995
Recorded| 1994–1995
Genre|

* East Coast hip hop
* hardcore hip hop

Length| 58:25
Label|

* Def Jam
* PolyGram

Producer|

* Rashad Smith
* Chyskillz
* Chad Elliott
* Trackmasters
* Easy Mo Bee

LL Cool J chronology
| 14 Shots to the Dome
(1993)  | Mr. Smith
(1995)  | All World: Greatest Hits
(1996)

|
|

Singles from  Mr. Smith

1. "Hey Lover"
Released: October 31, 1995
2. "Doin' It"
Released: February 20, 1996
3. "Loungin"
Released: June 25, 1996

Mr. Smith is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J, released on November 21, 1995, by Def Jam. The album has been certified Double Platinum in the US by the RIAA.[1]

## Overview

[edit]

Mr. Smith was produced by Rashad Smith, Chyskillz, Chad Elliott, Trackmasters, and Easy Mo Bee. Artists such as the Emotions, Terri & Monica, Boyz II Men, Fat Joe, Keith Murray, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and Foxy Brown made guest appearances on the album.[2]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]
Robert Christgau| [4]
Entertainment Weekly| B[5]
Q| [6]
Rolling Stone| [7]
Smash Hits| 4/5[8]
The Source| [9]

Mr. Smith garnered positive reviews from music critics who found it a return to form after the West Coast-influenced 14 Shots to the Dome flopped. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for working more towards LL's romantic side that while toned down remains sexually invigorating, concluding that "Mr. Smith isn't a perfect record – there are too many slack moments for it to qualify as one of his best – but it proves that LL Cool J remained vital a decade after his debut."[3] Robert Christgau cited "Doin' It" as a "choice cut",[4] indicating a good song on "an album that isn't worth your time or money."[10] Mike Flaherty of Entertainment Weekly praised the album for balancing the various personas LL adopts throughout the tracks, concluding that "while his cutting-edge days are well behind him, this is far from the self-parodying effort we had every reason to expect."[5] Cheo H. Coker of Rolling Stone also praised the album for delivering both hardcore rap songs and love ballads that contain great production and lyrical dexterity. But Coker noted that tracks like "No Airplay" and "Get da Drop on 'Em" showcase LL better as a tough lyric spitter, concluding with, "Maybe one day LL will realize that it's his electrifying flow, not his Casanova aspirations, that have made him a rap superstar for 10 years running."[7]

## Track listing

[edit]

Mr. Smith track listingNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "The Intro (skit)"|

* James Todd Smith
* Jean-Claude Olivier

| Trackmasters| 1:33
2.| "Make It Hot"|

* J.T. Smith
* Olivier
* El DeBarge
* Randy DeBarge
* Bunny DeBarge

| Trackmasters| 4:31
3.| "Hip Hop"|

* J.T. Smith
* Samuel Barnes
* James Harris
* Terry Lewis

| Trackmasters| 5:00
4.| "Hey Lover" (featuring Boyz II Men)|

* Rod Temperton
* J.T. Smith

| Trackmasters| 4:44
5.| "Doin It" (featuring LeShaun)|

* J.T. Smith
* Burton Rashad Smith
* Grace Jones

| Rashad Smith| 4:53
6.| "Life As..." (previously featured on the Street Fighter soundtrack)|

* J.T. Smith
* Osten S. Harvey Jr.

| Easy Mo Bee| 2:44
7.| "I Shot Ya" (featuring Keith Murray)|

* J.T. Smith
* Olivier
* James Brown
* Lyn Collins

| Trackmasters| 3:51
8.| "Mr. Smith"|

* J.T. Smith
* Chylow Parker
* Hubert Laws

* Chyskillz
* Trackmasters (add.)

| 3:59
9.| "No Airplay"|

* J.T. Smith
* Chad Elliott
* Maurice White
* Jerry Peters

| Chad "Dr. Seuss" Elliott| 5:43
10.| "Loungin" (featuring Terri & Monica)|

* J.T. Smith
* B.R. Smith
* Albert Joseph Brown III
* Kyle West

| Rashad Smith| 4:12
11.| "Hollis to Hollywood"|

* J.T. Smith
* Barnes
* Burt Bacharach
* Hal David

| Trackmasters| 3:58
12.| "God Bless"|

* J.T. Smith
* B.R. Smith
* J. Brown

| Rashad Smith| 3:47
13.| "Get da Drop on 'Em"|

* J.T. Smith
* Olivier

| Trackmasters| 3:57
14.| "Prelude (skit)"| Olivier| Trackmasters| 0:30
15.| "I Shot Ya (Remix)" (featuring Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe and Foxy Brown)|

* J.T. Smith
* Olivier
* J. Brown
* Collins

| Trackmasters| 5:03

Bonus trackNo.| Title| Length

|
|

16.| "Papa Luv It" (previously featured on The Show soundtrack)| 4:57

Notes

* "No Airplay" was edited on both the edited and explicit versions of the album. The explicit version only backmasks on the song, while the edited version even edits the intro.
* "Hollis to Hollywood" is sampled from his verse of Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)" on the chorus.

Sample Credits[2]

* "Make It Hot" contains a sample from "I Like It", written by El DeBarge/Randy DeBarge/Bunny DeBarge and performed by DeBarge.
* "Hip Hop" contains a sample of "Tell Me If You Still Care", written by James Harris/Terry Lewis and performed by the S.O.S. Band.
* "Hey Lover" contains a sample of "The Lady in My Life", written by Rod Temperton and performed by Michael Jackson.
* "Doin' It" contains a sample of "My Jamaican Guy", written and performed by Grace Jones.
* "I Shot Ya" contains a sample of "Put It on the Line", written by James Brown/Lyn Collins and performed by Lyn Collins.
* "Mr. Smith" contains a sample of "What a Night", written and performed by Hubert Laws.
* "No Airplay" contains a sample of "Blessed", written by Maurice White/Jerry Peters and performed by the Emotions.
* "Loungin" contains an interpolation of "Nite and Day", written by Albert Joseph Brown III/Kyle West.
* "Hollis to Hollywood" contains a sample of "The Look of Love", written by Burt Bacharach/Hal David and performed by Isaac Hayes.
* "God Bless" contains a sample of "Message from the Soul Sisters", written by James Brown and performed by Myra Barnes.

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Mr. Smith | Chart (1995–1996)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] | 97
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] | 33
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 75
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] | 60
UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 90
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[16] | 9
US Billboard 200[17] | 20
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] | 4

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for Mr. Smith | Chart (1996)  | Position

|

US Billboard 200[19] | 28
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] | 11

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for Mr. Smith Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold  | 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] | Silver  | 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[23] | 2× Platinum  | 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "LL Cool J: Mr. Smith". RIAA.com.
2. ^ a b LL Cool J: Mr. Smith. Def Jam Records. 1995.
3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mr. Smith - LL Cool J". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: LL Cool J". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
5. ^ a b Flaherty, Mike (December 8, 1995). "Mr. Smith". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
6. ^ "Mr. Smith (CD) by LL Cool J". Tower. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
7. ^ a b Coker, Cheo H. (February 8, 1996). "LL Cool J - Mr. Smith". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
8. ^ Diprose, Andrew (January 17, 1996). "Albums: Best New Album". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
9. ^ Hinds, Selwyn Seyfu (December 1995). "LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". Record Report. The Source. No. 75\. New York. p. 105.
10. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 169.
12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
16. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
17. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
18. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
19. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
20. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
21. ^ "Canadian album certifications – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". Music Canada.
22. ^ "British album certifications – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". British Phonographic Industry.
23. ^ "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – Mr. Smith". Recording Industry Association of America.

* v
* t
* e

LL Cool J

* Discography

Studio albums|

* Radio
* Bigger and Deffer
* Walking with a Panther
* Mama Said Knock You Out
* 14 Shots to the Dome
* Mr. Smith
* Phenomenon
* G.O.A.T.
* 10
* The DEFinition
* Todd Smith
* Exit 13
* Authentic
* The FORCE

Compilations|

* All World: Greatest Hits
* All World 2

Singles|

* "I Can't Live Without My Radio"
* "Rock the Bells"
* "You'll Rock"
* "I'm Bad"
* "I Need Love"
* "Going Back to Cali"
* "I'm That Type of Guy"
* "Big Ole Butt"
* "One Shot at Love"
* "Jingling Baby"
* "To da Break of Dawn"
* "The Boomin' System"
* "Around the Way Girl"
* "Mama Said Knock You Out"
* "6 Minutes of Pleasure"
* "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
* "Strictly Business"
* "How I'm Comin'"
* "Back Seat (of My Jeep)"
* "Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings"
* "Stand By Your Man"
* "Hey Lover"
* "Doin' It"
* "Loungin"
* "I Shot Ya"
* "Ain't Nobody"
* "Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)"
* "Phenomenon"
* "4, 3, 2, 1"
* "Hot, Hot, Hot"
* "Father"
* "Candy"
* "Zoom"
* "Say What"
* "Deepest Bluest"
* "Shut 'Em Down
* "Imagine That"
* "You and Me"
* "Put Your Hands Up"
* "Luv U Better"
* "Paradise"
* "All I Have"
* "Amazin'
* "Headsprung"
* "Hush"
* "Control Myself"
* "Cry"
* "Baby"
* "Murdergram Deux"

Featured singles|

* "Rampage"
* "Why Me Baby?"
* "This Is for the Lover in You"
* "Incredible"
* "Fatty Girl"
* "All I Have"
* "We Are the World 25 for Haiti"

Other songs|

* "Accidental Racist"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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