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''Radio'' is the debut studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released November 18, 1985 on Def Jam Recordings in the United States. It serves as the label's first full-length album release. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1984 to 1985 at Chung King House of Metal in New York City. The album was primarily produced by Rick Rubin, who provided a sparse and minimal production style. ''Radio'' also features a sound that is punctuated by DJ scratching, mostly brief samples, and emphasis of the downbeat. LL Cool J's b-boy lyricism conveys themes of inner city culture, teenage promiscuity, and braggadocio raps. The album experienced a significant amount of commercial success and sales for a hip hop record at the time, earning U.S. ''Billboard'' chart success and selling over 500,000 copies within its first five months of release. On April 19, 1989, ''Radio'' was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following sales in excess of one million copies in the United States. Initial criticism of the album was generally positive, as LL Cool J's lyricism and Rick Rubin's production were praised by several music critics. It has since been recognized by critics as LL Cool J's greatest work. Reflecting the new school and ghettoblaster subculture in the U.S. during the mid-1980s, ''Radio'' belongs to a pivotal moment in the history and culture of hip hop. Its success contributed to the displacement of the old school with the new school form and to the genre's mainstream success during the period. Its success also served as a career breakthrough for LL Cool J and Rick Rubin. ''Radio'' has been recognized by music writers as one of the first cohesive and commercially successful hip hop albums. == Background == In March 1984, when NYU student Rick Rubin and promoter-manager Russell Simmons founded the then-independent Def Jam label, 16 year–old St. Albans, Queens native James Todd Smith was creating demo tapes in his grandparents' home.〔 His grandfather, a jazz saxophonist, purchased him $ 2,000 worth of stereo equipment, including two turntables, an audio mixer and an amplifier.〔 Smith later discussed his childhood background and rapping, stating that "By the time I got that equipment, I was already a rapper. In this neighborhood, the kids grow up in rap. It's like speaking Spanish if you grow up in an all-Spanish house. I got into it when I was about 9, and since then all I wanted was to make a record and hear it on the radio."〔 By using the mixing table he had received from his grandfather, Smith produced and mixed his own demos and sent them to various record companies throughout New York City, including Simmons' and Rubin's own Def Jam Recordings.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=VideoETA....LL Cool J bio )〕 Under his new stage name, LL Cool J (an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James),〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary )〕 Smith was signed by Def Jam, which led to the release of his first official record, the 12-inch single "I Need a Beat" (1984).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=MTV.com - LL Cool J Bio )〕 The single was a hard-hitting, streetwise b-boy song with spare beats and ballistic rhymes.〔 Smith later discussed his search for a label, stating "I sent my demo to many different companies, but it was Def Jam where I found my home." That same year, Smith made his professional debut concert performance at Manhattan Center High School. In a later interview, LL Cool J recalled the experience, stating "They pushed the lunch room tables together and me and my DJ, Cut Creator, started playing. ... As soon as it was over there were girls screaming and asking for autographs. Right then and there I said 'This is what I want to do'."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=LL Cool J bio: Edison Force ActorTribute.ca.... )〕 LL's debut single sold over 100,000 copies and helped establish both Def Jam as a label and Smith as a rapper. The commercial success of "I Need a Beat", along with the Beastie Boys's single "Rock Hard" (1984), helped lead Def Jam to a distribution deal with Columbia Records the following year.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Address Island / Def Jam Records ... Def Jam history )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Radio (LL Cool J album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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