''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 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 l ...

Background

While his previous album ''

Bigger and Deffer ''Bigger and Deffer'' (abbreviated as ''BAD'' on the album cover) is the second studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released on May 29, 1987 by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. It features the hit single “I’m Bad”, and th ...

'' (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. ''Walking with a Panther'' was primarily produced by LL Cool J and Dwayne Simon, with additional production from

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

and

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

's production team,

The Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad were an American hip hop production team known for its work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad is noted for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. T ...

Reception

''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 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

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. Despite this, ''Walking With a Panther'' was well received by music critics. 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. The cassette release had a slightly different track listing and two extra songs. The vinyl version omits tracks 9, 10, 19 & 20.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walking With A Panther 1989 albums LL Cool J albums Def Jam Recordings albums Albums produced by Rick Rubin