LL was prepping to answer his critics. He was being branded a shallow playboy at the height of "Fight the Power" and "Self Destruction."
"I definitely had a chip on my shoulder and I was disappointed about the critical response," LL COOL J said of the reception to ...Panther. "I felt people were mischaracterizing the album cover and the vibe, and didn't understand that we were celebrating success. They looked at the diamonds, jewelry, and cars as a sign of me being disconnected. When in reality, I was just living out my hustler dreams and that's just what I always wanted to do. And that was just how a young Black man displayed his success. I was more connected than ever. I was just running with the hustlers and hanging out and vibing."
That connectivity may have been ignored by critics and audiences when it came to Walking With A Panther, but on Mama Said Knock You Out, LL's spirit and sound was in sync with the streets. The Marley-produced hit "Around The Way Girl" was a chance for the rap star to shout-out the neighborhood girls he'd grown up with in Queens and who still made up a huge chunk of his audience.
"The song ['Around The Way Girl'] hits home," Big Lez shared in 2020. "Because I am that chick who grew up with jams in the park, rocking my Lee jeans, my bamboo earrings, my name chain; East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, the Jamaica Mart off Jamaica Avenue – I am that girl. So hearing that song title, I was like 'Is he talking about me?' We're the girls sitting on the benches, watching the basketball. I would never think that people still recognize me as the girl from that video."