"To da Break of Dawn" is a single from both

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

's fourth album, ''

Mama Said Knock You Out ''Mama Said Knock You Out'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was produced mostly by Marley Marl and recorded at his "House of Hits" home studio in Chestnut Ridge and at Chung King House of Metal in New York City. After ...

'', and the soundtrack to the

Kid 'n Play Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City that was most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo was composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eas ...

movie ''

House Party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

''. The song was released on June 17, 1990 by

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

and

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

Background

The song was a diss to LL's rivals at the time,

Kool Moe Dee Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known by his stage name Kool Moe Dee, is an American rapper, writer and actor. Considered one of the forerunners of the new jack swing sound in hip hop, he gained fame in the 1980s as a member of one ...

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...

, and Ice-T. Kool Moe Dee responded with the song "Death Blow" from their 1991 album ''

Funke, Funke Wisdom ''Funke, Funke Wisdom'' is the fourth solo studio album by American recording artist Kool Moe Dee from the Treacherous Three. It was released in 1991 via Jive Records, making it the rapper's final album on the label. Background Production of the ...

''. However, LL would reference the rivalry in the 1995 remix to

I Shot Ya "I Shot Ya" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J featuring Keith Murray, from his sixth album ''Mr. Smith''. The remix version, which featured Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, and Foxy Brown, of the song was released as a B-side to "Hey Lover", ...

, a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

from his sixth album Mr. Smith. "To da Break of Dawn" was ranked #11 on ''XXL'' magazine's 2015 list of the top 20

diss song A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

s of all time. The song had a similar sound to the growing

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

genre. The song peaked at #17 on the

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart. Additionally, the song's lyrics were sampled in other 1990's hip-hop songs, such as "

No Vaseline "No Vaseline" is a diss track by American rapper Ice Cube from his 1991 album ''Death Certificate''. The song was written and produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx. The UK release of ''Death Certificate'' omitted this song, along with the 46-second ...

" by

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

, "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?" by

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 20 ...

, and "Partner to Swing" by

Chino XL Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper, and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – ''Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' – won the 2012 HHU ...

Track listing

A-Side

#"To Da Break Of Dawn" (Bug Out Mix)- 4:30 #"To Da Break Of Dawn" (Remix Version)- 5:30

B-Side

#"To Da Break Of Dawn" (LP Version)- 4:27 #"To Da Break Of Dawn" (Instrumental)- 4:28

Sampled in

"To da Break of Dawn" was sampled in several other songs following its release. These include: * "

" by

* "Check the Technique" by

* "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?" by

* " Love On My Mind" by Xscape * "Partner to Swing" by

References

* 1990 singles LL Cool J songs Songs written by LL Cool J 1990 songs Motown singles Def Jam Recordings singles Song recordings produced by Marley Marl Diss tracks {{hiphop-song-stub