Mr. Smith (album)

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]

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

Overview

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 also made guest appearances on the album.^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B[4]
Q	[5]
Robert Christgau	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]

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",^[6] indicating a good song on "an album that isn't worth your time or money."^[8] 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."^[4] 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

Mr. Smith track listing

No.	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 track

No.	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

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Mr. Smith Chart (1995–1996) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 97 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 33 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 75 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 60 UK Albums (OCC)[13] 90 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[14] 9 US Billboard 200[15] 20 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 4

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Mr. Smith Chart (1996) Position US Billboard 200[17] 28 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 11

Certifications

Certifications for Mr. Smith

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[20]	Silver	60,000*
United States (RIAA)[21]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "LL Cool J: Mr. Smith". RIAA.com.
2. LL Cool J: Mr. Smith. Def Jam Records. 1995.
3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mr. Smith - LL Cool J". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
4. Flaherty, Mike (December 8, 1995). "Mr. Smith". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
5. "Mr. Smith (CD) by LL Cool J". Tower. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
6. Christgau, Robert. "CG: LL Cool J". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
7. Coker, Cheo H. (February 8, 1996). "LL Cool J - Mr. Smith". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
8. Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
9. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 169.
10. "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
14. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
15. "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
16. "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
17. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
18. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
19. "Canadian album certifications – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". Music Canada.
20. "British album certifications – LL Cool J – Mr. Smith". British Phonographic Industry.
21. "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – Mr. Smith". Recording Industry Association of America.