Thirty years ago, LL COOL J was fueled by negative reactions to his third album, Walking with a Panther. The project was deemed “too flashy” and “tone deaf” given the state of Hip-Hop at the time. Poised to come back with a vengeance, he used a radio interview with producer Marley Marl, and an iconic Sly and the Family Stone loop from DJ Bobcat, to begin forming what would become “Mama Said Knock You Out.”

The song remains as culturally relevant today as it was when it was released in 1990 — prominently featured in a Serena Williams Chase commercial, and for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Here is the story behind the iconic song.

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