All World: Greatest Hits [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

L.L. Cool J

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 1996)
• Original Release Date: November 5, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Def Jam
• ASIN: B0000024LZ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,859 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Old School
  #19 in	Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > East Coast
  #80 in	Music > Pop > Pop Rap

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

The very epitome of "been there, done that," LL Cool J also has the distinction of having originated (or, at least, being the most proficient at) half a dozen rap styles. On the hits collection All World, all the phases are represented: he was "hard as hell" on 1986's "Rock the Bells" and again on 1991's "Mama Said Knock You Out"; on 1987's "I Need Love," he was the painfully sappy precursor to Boyz II Men, but he had the formula down pat for 1990's "Around the Way Girl" (and then he went sappy again on 1995's "Hey Lover," a collaboration with the Boyz); and 1988's "Going Back to Cali" found him stylin'. He's had his ups and downs and managed to produce only a couple of truly killer albums, but LL's first dozen years show that he's left his stamp on nearly every facet of the hip-hop world. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goin' Back To Cali., March 21, 2000

By	Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I confess I'm not a big fan of rap in general but there are a few rap artists I enjoy. LL Cool J is one of them. I can't explain what it is about his music that I like more than other rappers, but perhaps it's his sense of melody. I don't own all of his cds because I didn't feel LL was a great musician. He did create some great rap songs though, and this compilation is worth owning because of that fact alone. "Goin' Back To Cali", "Mama Said Knock You Out", "I Need Love", "Doin' It", "Loungin" and "Hey Lover" they're all here plus more. The only hit missing is "I'm That Type Of Guy" which is sorely missed, but nonetheless, this is still a superior collection of songs. A must have for any rock collector.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy and suggestive!, December 21, 1999

By	Kari Sullivan (CS, CO) - See all my reviews

I consider LL Cool J to be a huge indulgance, since I usually don't listen to rap music, but for some reason this artist strikes a cord with me. I have always found LL Cool J's music to be a romantic oasis in the sea of gansta rap, and although his rap is just as arrogant and egotistical as anyone elses, it always seems to charm me.

All World is a great collection of LL Cool J's career hits, from the mid-eighties on forward. No matter what, these songs always seem to make me melt - whether they are sweet and suggestive like "I Need Love" and "Hey Lover" or whether they are fierce and funky like "Boomin' System" and "Mama Said Knock You Out."

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GOAT? Maybe., July 11, 2002

By	Omagus (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All World (Vinyl)

In 1987, I was nine years old and this older kid that I knew gave me a bunch of 45s that he had. One of them changed my life forever. The record was by this guy named LL Cool J and the song was "I'm Bad." It was the first time I'd ever heard a hip hop record and I've been hooked (obsessed?) for the past 15 years.

Uncle L has gone through several incarnations and I really don't like anything that he's done since MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT (except for the brief period when the lion was re-awakened by Canibus) but fortunately all the classics are here: "Radio," "Rock the Bells," "Mama Said Knock You Out," and of course "I'm Bad" showcase the self-proclaimed baddest rapper in the history of rap itself, while he still speaks to the ladies with "I Need Love," "Jingling Baby," "Around the Way Girl" and depending on how you look at it, "Big Ole..."

Yeah, LL Cool J in 2002 isn't the same that was LL Cool J in 1991, but nothing great lasts forever. But his work changed my life and I can always relive that with this.