Walking with a Panther

Walking with a Panther
Walking with a Panther
Studio album by LL Cool J
Released	June 9, 1989
Recorded	1987–1989
Genre	Golden age hip hop
Length	76:45 (CD); 84:29 (cassette); 67:16 (LP)
Label	Def Jam; Columbia;
Producer	LL Cool J; Dwayne Simon; Rick Rubin;
LL Cool J chronology
Singles from Walking with a Panther
	"Going Back to Cali"; Released: January 27, 1988; "I'm That Type of Guy"; Released: May 24, 1989; "Big Ole Butt"; Released: July 7, 1989; "One Shot at Love"; Released: October 31, 1989; "Jingling Baby"; Released: January 8, 1990;

Walking with a Panther is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J, released June 9, 1989, on Def Jam Recordings.

Background

While his previous album Bigger and Deffer (1987) was produced by The L.A. Posse, Dwayne Simon was the only member left of the group willing to work on Walking with a Panther, as other members, such as Bobby "Bobcat" Erving, wanted a higher pay after realizing how much of a success the previous album had become. Def Jam, however, refused to change the contract, which caused the L.A. Posse to leave.^[1] Walking with a Panther was primarily produced by LL Cool J and Dwayne Simon, with additional production from Rick Rubin and Public Enemy's production team, The Bomb Squad.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]
Q	^[4]
Rolling Stone	^[5]
The Village Voice	A−^[6]

Walking with a Panther was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it spent four weeks. The album contained the singles "Going Back to Cali", "I'm That Type of Guy", "Jingling Baby", "Big Ole Butt" and "One Shot at Love", which also achieved chart success. Walking with a Panther, however, was met with a mixed response from the hip-hop community at the time of its release, which was un-favorable of several of the album's love ballads.^[7] Despite this, Walking With a Panther was well received by music critics.^[8] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Track listing

All tracks produced by LL Cool J & Dwayne Simon except where noted.

CD
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Droppin' Em"	Dwayne Simon, J.T. Smith		4:22
2.	"Smokin', Dopin'"	Simon, Smith		3:31
3.	"Fast Peg"	Smith, Bryan Philpot	Co-produced by DJ Cut Creator	1:38
4.	"Clap Your Hands"	Smith		5:07
5.	"Nitro"	Smith, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee	Co-produced by The Bomb Squad	4:43
6.	"You're My Heart"	Simon, Smith		4:42
7.	"I'm That Type of Guy"	Simon, Smith, Steve Ett		5:16
8.	"Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?"	Brian Latture, Simon, Smith		3:49
9.	"Going Back to Cali"	Smith, Rick Rubin	Produced by Rick Rubin	4:09
10.	"It Gets No Rougher"	Smith, Sadler, H. Shocklee, Keith Shocklee	Co-produced by The Bomb Squad	5:16
11.	"Big Ole Butt"	Latture, Simon, Smith		4:34
12.	"One Shot at Love"	Simon, Smith, Ett		4:18
13.	"1-900 LL Cool J"	Simon, Smith		3:01
14.	"Two Different Worlds" (featuring Cydne Monet)	Simon, Smith, Ett		5:19
15.	"Jealous"	Latture, Simon, Smith		3:54
16.	"Jingling Baby"	Latture, Simon, Smith		4:15
17.	"Def Jam in the Motherland"	Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett		4:35
18.	"Change Your Ways"	Simon, Smith, Ett		3:20

The cassette release had a slightly different track listing and two extra songs.

Cassette
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Droppin' Em"	Dwayne Simon, J.T. Smith		4:22
2.	"Smokin', Dopin'"	Simon, Smith		3:31
3.	"Fast Peg"	Smith, Bryan Philpot	Co-produced by DJ Cut Creator	1:38
4.	"Clap Your Hands"	Smith		5:07
5.	"Nitro"	Smith, Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee	Co-produced by The Bomb Squad	4:43
6.	"You're My Heart"	Simon, Smith		4:42
7.	"I'm That Type of Guy"	Simon, Smith, Steve Ett		5:16
8.	"Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?"	Brian Latture, Simon, Smith		3:49
9.	"Going Back to Cali"	Smith, Rick Rubin	Produced by Rick Rubin	4:09
10.	"Crime Stories" (cassette bonus track)	Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett		3:10
11.	"It Gets No Rougher"	Smith, Sadler, H. Shocklee, Keith Shocklee	Co-produced by The Bomb Squad	5:16
12.	"Big Ole Butt"	Latture, Simon, Smith		4:34
13.	"One Shot at Love"	Simon, Smith, Ett		4:18
14.	"1-900 LL Cool J"	Simon, Smith		3:01
15.	"Two Different Worlds" (featuring Cydne Monet)	Simon, Smith, Ett		5:19
16.	"Jealous"	Latture, Simon, Smith		3:54
17.	"Jingling Baby"	Latture, Simon, Smith		4:15
18.	"Def Jam in the Motherland"	Latture, Simon, Smith, Ett		4:35
19.	"Change Your Ways"	Simon, Smith, Ett		3:20
20.	"Jack The Ripper" (cassette bonus track)	Smith, Rubin	Produced by Rick Rubin	4:52

The vinyl version omits tracks 9, 10, 19 & 20.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Walking with a Panther*
Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[9]	85
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[10]	63
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[11]	48
UK Albums (OCC)^[12]	43
US Billboard 200^[13]	6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Walking with a Panther*
Chart (1989)	Position
US Billboard 200^[15]	61
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[16]	30

Certifications

Certifications for *Walking with a Panther*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[17]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Bibliography

Larkin, Colin, ed. (2002). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Muze UK. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.

References

^ The Rap Talk Crew. "A historic sit-down with Bobcat". Rap Talk Magazine. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
^ Allmusic review
^ Larkin (2002), p. 761.
^ "Q review". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
^ Rolling Stone review
^ Christgau, Robert (September 5, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^ Anderson, Kyle. "LL Cool J: The stories behind the songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
^ Huey, Steve. "Walking with a Panther: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
^ "Australiancharts.com – LL Cool J – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – {{{album}}}" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
^ "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – Walking with a Panther". Recording Industry Association of America.

[1] The Rap Talk Crew. "A historic sit-down with Bobcat". Rap Talk Magazine. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010.

[2] Allmusic review

[3] Larkin (2002), p. 761.

[4] "Q review". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.

[5] Rolling Stone review

[6] Christgau, Robert (September 5, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 29, 2022.

[7] Anderson, Kyle. "LL Cool J: The stories behind the songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 14, 2018.

[8] Huey, Steve. "Walking with a Panther: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.

[ac_Australia_LL_Cool_J-9] "Australiancharts.com – LL Cool J – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[ac_Netherlands_LL_Cool_J-10] "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – {{{album}}}" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[ac_New_Zealand_LL_Cool_J-11] "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[ac_UK2_LL_Cool_J-12] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[ac_Billboard200_LL_Cool_J-13] "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_LL_Cool_J-14] "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[15] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.

[16] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2020.

[United_StatesL.L._Cool_JWalking_with_a_PantheralbumCertRef-17] "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – Walking with a Panther". Recording Industry Association of America.

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