View source for Bigger and Deffer

{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Bigger and Deffer
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[LL Cool J]]
| cover      = LL Cool J - Bigger and Deffer.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = May 29, 1987<ref name= "http://riaa.com">{{cite web| url= http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database# | title= Gold and Platinum Searchable Database| website= [[RIAA]].com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140830055854/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database | archive-date= August 30, 2014 }}</ref>
| recorded   = 1986–1987
| studio     = [[Chung King Studios|Chung King House of Metal]] (New York City, New York)
| genre      = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]<ref name=":1"/>
| length     = {{duration|m=45|s=13}}
| label      =
* [[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]]
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| producer   =
* [[LL Cool J]]
* [[L.A. Posse]]
| prev_title = [[Radio (LL Cool J album)|Radio]]
| prev_year  = 1985
| next_title = [[Walking with a Panther]]
| next_year  = 1989
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Bigger and Deffer
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[I'm Bad]]
 | single1date = June 13, 1987
 | single2     = [[I Need Love]]
 | single2date = July 22, 1987
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=":1">{{cite web| last= Birchmeier| first= Jason| url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/bigger-deffer-mw0000201780|title=''Bigger & Deffer'' – LL Cool J| publisher=[[AllMusic]]| access-date= July 8, 2017}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Connie| url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-05-ca-2090-story.html|title=Def Doings in Rap Arena|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]| date= July 5, 1987| access-date= February 14, 2018}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=LL Cool J: ''Bigger and Deffer''| journal= [[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue= 108| page= 124|date= September 1995}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''RapReviews''
| rev4score = 7.5/10<ref>{{cite web| last=Walace|first=Emanuel|url=http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_biggeranddeffer.html|title=LL Cool J :: Bigger and Deffer :: Def Jam| work= RapReviews.com |date=September 1, 2009| access-date= December 16, 2018}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name= "Hoard">{{cite book| last1= Coleman |first1= Mark| last2= Randall| first2= Mac| chapter=L.L. Cool J|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|editor1-last= Brackett| editor1-first= Nathan|editor2-last= Hoard| editor2-first= Christian| publisher= [[Simon & Schuster]]| edition= 4th| year= 2004| pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/491 491–92]|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev6score = 7/10<ref>{{cite book| chapter= LL Cool J|title=[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]|editor1-last= Weisbard| editor1-first= Eric|editor2-last= Marks| editor2-first= Craig| publisher= [[Vintage Books]]|page=227|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev7score = C+<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news| last= Christgau |first= Robert| author-link= Robert Christgau| url= https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv9-87.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|work=[[The Village Voice]]| location= New York|date=September 1, 1987|access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref>
}}
'''''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]]. With over two million copies sold in the United States,<ref name= "http://riaa.com"/> it remains one of LL Cool J's best-selling releases. ''Bigger and Deffer'' dominated the summer of 1987, spending 11 weeks atop the ''Billboard'' [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]] chart, and peaking at number three on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. It became the fourth hip hop album to receive  [[Music recording certification|platinum]] certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJbW_6l-uRUC&pg=PA152 |title=SPIN |date=December 1999 |publisher=SPIN Media LLC |language=en}}</ref>

''Bigger and Deffer'' features the hit single "[[I'm Bad]]", and the first commercially successful rap ballad, "[[I Need Love (LL Cool J song)|I Need Love]]". It also contains the track "Go Cut Creator Go", which paid homage to his DJ. Other tracks like "Kanday", "The Do Wop", "My Rhyme Ain't Done", "The Breakthrough", and "The Bristol Hotel" were also popular with fans, and helped make the album a hip-hop classic. In 1998, the album was selected as one of ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]''{{'}}s 100 Best Rap Albums. The cover photo was taken in front of [[Andrew Jackson High School (Queens, New York)|Andrew Jackson High School]] in [[Queens]] (from which he dropped out), while standing on the hood of his [[Audi 100|Audi 5000]],<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.queenstribune.com/guides/BestofQueens2004/Pages/BestofQueensMusicians.htm |title= Best of Queens 2004 |newspaper=[[Queens Tribune]]| date= 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120207151914/http://www.queenstribune.com/guides/BestofQueens2004/Pages/BestofQueensMusicians.htm |archive-date= February 7, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.autoevolution.com/news/ll-cool-j-restores-original-1987-bad-audi-5000-his-first-car-and-donates-it-173368.html# |title=LL Cool J Restores Original 1987 BAD Audi 5000, His First Car, and Donates It |website=AutoEvolution.com |access-date=August 29, 2022}}</ref> and the back cover was shot in his grandmother's basement (his residence at the time). Both images were shot by [[Glen E. Friedman]].

==Critical reception==
[[Robert Christgau]] wrote that ''Bigger and Deffer'' paled beside LL Cool J's debut album, ''[[Radio (LL Cool J album)|Radio]]'': "Like the pop-metal egotists he resembles every which way but white, J proves that there's something worse than a middle-class adolescent who's gotta be a big shot this instant--the same adolescent the instant he becomes a big shot. Overrated though it was, the debut had guts, spritz, musical integrity, and [[Rick Rubin]]. Breakthrough though it may be, the follow-up has a swelled head, a swollen dick, received beats, and quotes from [[Chuck Berry|Berry]], [[James Brown|Brown]], and the [[Moonglows]] that confuse me. Could it be that the planet existed before he brought it to fruition?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=LL+Cool+J|first=Robert|last=Christgau|authorlink=Robert Christgau|title=CG: LL Cool J|website=www.robertchristgau.com}}</ref>

==Track listing==
All tracks written and produced by [[LL Cool J]] and [[L.A. Posse]], except where noted.<ref name=":1"/>

{{Track listing

| total_length = 45:13
| headline     = ''Bigger and Deffer'' track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1   = [[I'm Bad]]
| writer1  = {{flatlist|
*[[LL Cool J|James Todd Smith]]
*[[DJ Bobcat|Bobby Ervin]]
*Darryl Pierce
}}
| extra1   = 
| length1  = 4:39

| title2   = Kanday
| writer2  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra2   = 
| length2  = 3:59

| title3   = Get Down
| writer3  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra3   = 
| length3  = 3:23

| title4   = The Bristol Hotel
| writer4  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*[[DJ Pooh|Mark Jordan]]
*Pierce
}}
| extra4   = {{flatlist|
*[[LL Cool J]]
*[[L.A. Posse]]
}}
| length4  = 2:43

| title5   = My Rhyme Ain't Done
| writer5  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra5   = 
| length5  = 3:45

| title6   = .357 – Break It On Down
| writer6  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Jordan
*Pierce
}}
| extra6   = {{flatlist|
*LL Cool J
*L.A. Posse
}}
| length6  = 4:05

| title7   = Go Cut Creator Go
| writer7  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra7   = 
| length7  = 3:57

| title8   = The Breakthrough
| writer8  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Steven Ettinger
}}
| extra8   = Steve Ett
| length8  = 4:04

| title9   = [[I Need Love (LL Cool J song)|I Need Love]]
| writer9  = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra9   = 
| length9  = 5:23

| title10  = Ahh, Let's Get Ill
| writer10 = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra10  = 
| length10 = 3:45

| title11  = The Do Wop
| writer11 = {{flatlist|
*Smith
*Erving
*Pierce
}}
| extra11  = 
| length11 = 4:59

| title12  = On the Ill Tip
| note12   = skit
| writer12 = Smith
| extra12  = 
| length12 = 0:31
}}

==Personnel==
* [[LL Cool J|James Todd Smith]] – vocals, [[Record producer|producer]]
* [[DJ Bobcat|Bobby Ervin]] – [[disc jockey]]
* [[Russell Simmons]] – [[Record production|production supervisor]]
* Steven Ett – [[Recording engineer|engineer]], [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]
* Rod Hui – engineer
* Jay Henry – engineer
* Mark Mandelbaum – engineer
* Chuck Vale – assistant engineer
* [[Howie Weinberg]] – mastering
* [[L.A. Posse]] (Darryl Pierce, Dwayne Simon, and Bobby Erving) – additional vocals, producer
* [[Eric Haze]] – design
* [[Nelson George]] – [[liner notes]]
* [[Glen E. Friedman]] – liner photography

==Charts==
===Album===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Weekly chart performance for ''Bigger and Deffer''
! scope="col"| Chart (1987)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|28|artist=LL Cool J|album=BAD|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|35|id=5533|artist=LL Cool J|album=BAD|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|23|artist=LL Cool J|album=BAD|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|48|artist=LL Cool J|album=BAD|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|54|date=19870621|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|3|artist=LL Cool J|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=LL Cool J|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Singles from ''Bigger and Deffer''
! scope="col"| Title
! scope="col"| Single information
|-
!scope="row"|"I'm Bad"
|
*Released: June 13, 1987
*B-side: "Get Down"
*[[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] No. 84<ref name="Hot 100">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ll-cool-j/chart-history/hsi/|title=LL Cool J Chart History: Hot 100|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 10, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]] No. 4<ref name="R&B/HH">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ll-cool-j/chart-history/bsi/|title=LL Cool J Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 10, 2023}}</ref>
*Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 23<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ll-cool-j/chart-history/dsa/|title=LL Cool J Chart History: Dance Singles Sales|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 10, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Hot Dance Music/Club Play]] No. 34<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ll-cool-j/chart-history/dsi/|title=LL Cool J Chart History: Dance Club Songs|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 10, 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|"I Need Love"
|
*Released: July 2, 1987 (entered ''Billboard''{{'}}s Hot 100 chart week ending August 1)
*B-side: "My Rhyme Ain't Done"
*''Billboard'' Hot 100 No. 14<ref name="Hot 100"/>
*Hot Black Singles No. 1<ref name="R&B/HH"/>
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Bigger and Deffer''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|title=Bigger and Deffer|artist=LL Cool J|award=Gold|relyear=1987}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Bigger and Deffer|artist=L.L. Cool J|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1987|certyear=1987}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{LL Cool J}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1987 albums]]
[[Category:LL Cool J albums]]
[[Category:Def Jam Recordings albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Chung King Studios]]