| "Mama Said Knock You Out" | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by LL Cool J | |||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Mama Said Knock You Out | |||||||||||||||||||
| Released | March 26, 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Format | 12" vinyl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Hip hop, New jack swing | ||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Def Jam | ||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | LL Cool J | ||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Marley Marl | ||||||||||||||||||
| LL Cool J singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Mama Said Knock You Out" is a hit single by LL Cool J from his album of the same name. The song famously begins with the line "Don't call it a comeback/I've been here for years." Before "Mama Said Knock You Out" was released, many people felt that LL Cool J's career was waning; his grandmother, who still believed in his talent, told him to "knock out" all his critics. The song was produced by Marley Marl with help from Shadman Kaiser along with LL. The single reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA. LL Cool J won Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1992.
The song uses samples from James Brown's "Funky Drummer," the Chicago Gangsters' "Gangster Boogie," Sly & The Family Stone's "Trip to Your Heart" and "Sing a Simple Song", and Rock the Bells by LL Cool J. The music video features LL Cool J in a boxing ring, rapping into a microphone similar to the one an announcer would use in a boxing match. Frequently, there are shots of him working out and scenes of boxers being punched out. At the end of the video, his grandmother says "Todd! Todd! Get upstairs and take out that garbage".
A remix of the song was used as soundtrack for the 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
The song will be covered by baby penguins in the 2011 film Happy Feet Two.
The song was included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.