James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, New York), better kno… Read Full Bio ↴James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, New York), better known as LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James), is a Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor signed to Def Jam. He has released twelve studio albums over his 27 year career, has starred in numerous feature films and currently plays Agent Sam Hanna on the hit show NCIS: Los Angeles.

Born in Bay Shore, New York, and raised between St. Albans, New York and Hollis, New York in the borough of Queens. The only child of Ondrea (née Griffith) and James Smith, Jr. Smith is of both African American and Native American descent. He spent his youth singing in the church choir, participating in the Boy Scouts and delivering newspapers.
Def Jam released his first record, the 12" single "I Need a Beat" in 1983. The single sold over 100,000 copies. The success of "I Need a Beat" helped lead to a distribution deal with Def Jam and Columbia Records in 1985. Soon after, he dropped out of Andrew Jackson High School to record his debut album.

He is known for romantic ballads such as I Need Love and Hey Lover as well as pioneering hip-hop such as I Can't Live Without My Radio, I'm Bad, The Boomin' System, Mama Said Knock You Out, and 4, 3, 2, 1. L has also appeared in several films. LL Cool J is one of a few hip-hop stars of his era to sustain a successful recording career for more than two decades. He has released 12 albums and a greatest hits compilation so far, with his next album, Exit 13, set to be released in September, 2008. The album will be the last for LL's record deal with Def Jam Recordings, a deal which has lasted for over twenty two years, making it the longest single hip hop deal to date. He now resides in Manhasset, NY with his wife and four children.

After School
LL Cool J Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know a honey named Millie, raised out in Philly
Body so illy she make a grown man silly
A brainiac really she pretend she dilly
Like, "Why you always look at me like that, you feel me?"

There's a girl named Wendy, love black Bentley's
Nails in her mouth, stay tryin' to tempt me
She rolls with her sister and they both real friendly

It wasn't like that when my pockets was empty

Shorty named Suzie, not quite a floozy
Let's just say she has a problem bein' choosy
Scarf on her doobie when she in the jacuzzi
On the celly with her man, "Love you, I'm at the movies"

Bird named Chyna (baby where you find her)
Uptown, she wrote a map down with eyeliner
Hotness, two or three girlfriends behind her
(On Amsterdam, lay in the lane, dippin' despite her)

[Chorus]
So after school, I take a dip in the pool
Which is really, on the wall
I got a color TV, so I can see, the Knicks play basketball
And we talkin' bout checkbooks, credit cards, more money
Than a sucker, could ever spend
But I couldn't give a what about them cats you with
Get your friends baby, jump in the Benz

I got a judge named Donna, I call her Your Honor
Whylin' out with the gavel and the silk pajamas (let's go)

And then there's Tamika, the sergeant gets deeper
She turned the bass way up and wind on the speaker
Girl named Kelly, rhinestones in her belly
Curly red hair, crackin jokes in the telly
Game concealed, a female Machiavelli
Hopin and prayin that I ain't ready for the jelly

What about Asia (major flavor)
Can you feel it? nothin' can save ya
Once again I got 'em catchin' the vapors

Mr. Smith bout to get this paper
Paparazzi, please give me a minute
You're pushin' me to the limit, I know that I represent it
Be easy!

Tammy, down in Miami
Fa'scheezy baby uh, I see you at the Grammy's

[Chorus]

Everybody go, I want to rock right now
LL and Diddy, we came to get down
Yes we're internationally known
For making movies and the microphone
Cause we get crazy, I mean outrageous
You rollin' with us?
You rollin' with flavor

Ask Penny, I call her Good'n'Plenty (why?)
Cause after the show, there's nothin' open but Denny's (oh yeah)
Maybe the waffle house, down South there's many
She fix me a T-bone and take it to the Bentley

Little Shaniqua, from Massapequa
Went and bought a beeper so I could reach her, anyway

When you talk about Diddy and L
You talk about careers that's hard to kill
The whole entire globe recognize the grill
Walkin down the red carpet we're chilly chill!

[Chorus]

Everybody go, I want to rock right now
LL and Diddy, we came to get down
Yes we're internationally known
For making movies and the microphone
Cause we get crazy, I mean outrageous
You rollin' with us? You rollin' with flavor

[Chorus]

Everybody go
Friends to the end baby, why'knahmsayin?
Got history baby
Not even, no question about it
We won't stop
Yeah never, word up, we keepin' this money
Ten
Oh yeah
Ten
Rockin' with my man, rockin' with that Bad Boy cat
Uncle L
Rock the Bells
A.K.A., Black Elvis
P. Diddy
Diddy
Hottest man in the city
Y'all see it
Word up, please believe it
Smile at it, love it, embrace it
Ah, grin baby, grin

Get used to it
That gettin' money smile

Overall Meaning

In LL Cool J's song "After School" featuring P Diddy, the two rappers talk about various women they know and their characteristics. LL Cool J tells us about Millie, a smart and beautiful girl from Philly who doesn't understand why men look at her, and also about Wendy, who loves black Bentley's and flashy things, and is always trying to tempt him. The rapper goes on to mention Suzie, a girl who is indecisive when it comes to men, while Chyna is an uptown girl with two or three girlfriends following her everywhere. Tamika is someone who turns up the bass and rocks the singers. LL Cool J then talks about Kelly, and her sparkly belly button, funny jokes, and curly red hair, which makes him enjoy her company. Asia is the last woman mentioned, she is major flavor, and nothing can save you once she has her sights on you.

The chorus of the song revolves around LL Cool J's luxurious lifestyle while also comparing it to his teenage routine. After school, he would take a dip in the pool with his friends and talk about checkbooks, credit cards, and more money, and he compares it to how he spends his time now, with a color TV watching the Knicks playing basketball. He talks about his judge named Donna, who he calls Your Honor, and how she acts when she is angry. He then mentions Tammy down in Miami, and how he will see her at the Grammy's. Throughout the song, LL Cool J and P Diddy playfully mention characters they know and showcase their chemistry.

Line by Line Meaning

I know a honey named Millie, raised out in Philly
I know a woman named Millie, she's from Philadelphia.

Body so illy she make a grown man silly
Her body is so attractive that it makes men act foolishly.

A brainiac really she pretend she dilly
She's very intelligent but acts like she's not.

Like, "Why you always look at me like that, you feel me?"
She questions why someone is always staring at her.

There's a girl named Wendy, love black Bentley's
Another woman named Wendy loves black Bentleys.

Nails in her mouth, stay tryin' to tempt me
She puts her nails in her mouth as a way of trying to seduce me.

She rolls with her sister and they both real friendly
She is accompanied by her friendly sister.

It wasn't like that when my pockets was empty
She wasn't that friendly when I had less money.

Shorty named Suzie, not quite a floozy
There's another woman named Suzie, who's not promiscuous.

Let's just say she has a problem bein' choosy
She's very picky when it comes to choosing partners.

Scarf on her doobie when she in the jacuzzi
She wears a scarf on her hair when she's in the jacuzzi.

On the celly with her man, "Love you, I'm at the movies"
She's on the phone with her boyfriend, telling him she loves him and she's at the movies.

Bird named Chyna (baby where you find her)
A woman named Chyna is known by this nickname.

Uptown, she wrote a map down with eyeliner
She wrote down directions with eyeliner.

Hotness, two or three girlfriends behind her
She's very attractive and has several girlfriends with her.

(On Amsterdam, lay in the lane, dippin' despite her)
They're on Amsterdam Avenue, driving in the lane despite other cars.

So after school, I take a dip in the pool
After school, I go swimming in the pool.

Which is really, on the wall
The pool is actually painted on the wall.

I got a color TV, so I can see, the Knicks play basketball
I have a color TV so I can watch the Knicks basketball games.

And we talkin' bout checkbooks, credit cards, more money
We're discussing financial matters such as checkbooks, credit cards, and money.

Than a sucker, could ever spend
More money than anyone could ever spend.

But I couldn't give a what about them cats you with
I don't care about the people you're with.

Get your friends baby, jump in the Benz
Bring your friends and let's all ride in the Benz together.

I got a judge named Donna, I call her Your Honor
There's a judge named Donna, who I respectfully call Your Honor.

Whylin' out with the gavel and the silk pajamas (let's go)
She's very authoritative with her gavel while wearing silk pajamas.

And then there's Tamika, the sergeant gets deeper
Another woman named Tamika is very serious and authoritative.

She turned the bass way up and wind on the speaker
She turned the bass up loud and the music is vibrating.

Girl named Kelly, rhinestones in her belly
There's a woman named Kelly, who has rhinestones on her belly.

Curly red hair, crackin jokes in the telly
Kelly has curly red hair and is telling jokes in the hotel room.

Game concealed, a female Machiavelli
She's very cunning and manipulative.

Hopin and prayin that I ain't ready for the jelly
She hopes I'm not ready for sex.

What about Asia (major flavor)
What about a woman named Asia, who is very attractive?

Can you feel it? nothin' can save ya
Her attractiveness is overpowering and irresistible.

Once again I got 'em catchin' the vapors
She's making men go crazy for her again.

Mr. Smith bout to get this paper
I'm focused on making money.

Paparazzi, please give me a minute
I'm being inundated by paparazzi, please give me space.

You're pushin' me to the limit, I know that I represent it
You're putting a lot of pressure on me, but I know I must represent myself well.

Be easy!
Take it easy!

Tammy, down in Miami
Another woman named Tammy is in Miami.

Fa'scheezy baby uh, I see you at the Grammy's
I saw you at the Grammy Awards.

Everybody go, I want to rock right now
Everyone, let's party now.

LL and Diddy, we came to get down
LL Cool J and P Diddy are here to have fun and party.

Yes we're internationally known
We're famous worldwide.

For making movies and the microphone
We're famous for our films and music.

Cause we get crazy, I mean outrageous
We are entertaining and wild.

You rollin' with us? You rollin' with flavor
Are you coming to party with us and experience our unique style?

Ask Penny, I call her Good'n'Plenty (why?)
A woman named Penny is nicknamed Good'n'Plenty, and I affectionately call her that.

Cause after the show, there's nothin' open but Denny's (oh yeah)
After the show, there are no restaurants open except for Denny's.

Maybe the waffle house, down South there's many
If we're in the southern U.S., we might go to a Waffle House since there are many there.

She fix me a T-bone and take it to the Bentley
Penny would cook me a T-bone steak and we might eat it in the Bentley.

Little Shaniqua, from Massapequa
There's a woman named Shaniqua, from Massapequa.

Went and bought a beeper so I could reach her, anyway
She bought a beeper so I could contact her easily.

When you talk about Diddy and L
When people talk about P Diddy and LL Cool J:

You talk about careers that's hard to kill
They have long-lasting, solid careers.

The whole entire globe recognize the grill
Their fame is recognized all over the world.

Walkin down the red carpet we're chilly chill!
We're cool and confident walking down the red carpet.

Ten
We give everything a perfect score of 10!

Rockin' with my man, rockin' with that Bad Boy cat
I'm hanging out with P Diddy, that Bad Boy Records guy.

Uncle L
LL Cool J is sometimes called Uncle L.

Rock the Bells
This is a reference to one of LL Cool J's most popular songs.

A.K.A., Black Elvis
He's sometimes called Black Elvis.

P. Diddy
P Diddy is another name people call him.

Diddy
Another nickname for P Diddy.

Hottest man in the city
He's considered the most attractive man in the city.

Y'all see it
You can all see how awesome he is.

Word up, please believe it
Believe us, we're not lying.

Smile at it, love it, embrace it
Be happy, love what you have, and accept it.

Ah, grin baby, grin
Just keep on smiling.

Get used to it
You'll have to get used to this rockstar lifestyle.

That gettin' money smile
The smile you get when you're making lots of money.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BROWN, CURRY, EDWARDS, GINYARD, RODGERS, SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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