Review Summary: Some dope tracks don't offset the uninspired feel of the rest of the album. Bigger And Deffer does not hold up as well today, and its age shows with every misstep.
As LL Cool J's second album, Bigger And Deffer has the honor of being his most commercially successful one. "I'm Bad" put LL on the map in the U.K., and over two decades later, my uncle still thought it was a dope enough record to cram into my suitcase in between bottles of Canadian Club (and risk having to leaving a bottle in Canada). Bigger and Deffer has enough good music for an average car ride, but ultimately I found it sort of forgettable, with the exception of a few tracks.
Bigger And Deffer starts off lagging (though "I'm Bad" was kinda cool), but the album picks up on its third song, "Get Down", due to the huge improvements in energy/vibe, production quality, and LL's flow. "The Bristol Hotel" is a good track, I thought the production was tight and his anecdote had some chill wit. "My Rhyme Ain't Done" is my favorite track on the album, LL's wit is on point and the fact that it's six straight verses of good rhymes sat well with me. The beat was well made, and the form & concept of the album was innovative and a step above the rest of the album.
However, by the time we get to "Go Cut Creator Go" (which was whack - pure filler, lame production and just as bad lyrically), the album runs out of steam. "The Breakthrough" is hard-hitting as hell, but after that…LL decides to make a sappy, limp-ass love song, and while the change in pace is welcome, the lyrics are WEAK. With the wit I know LL has, the dude could have said much more, but rather he settles for weak lyrics that are reminiscent of 95% sappy love songs youtube "rappers" these days put out. It may have been an innovative track at the time, but today, the lyrics seem lazy, and though the lyrics at the beginning of his first verse are classic, the rest of his rhymes come off corny as hell. "Ahh, Let's Get Ill" was alright, the annoying hook was an abomination on what could have been a chill track. Finally, "The Do Wop" ends the album on a decidedly average note, with cool production, but sort of uninspired lyrics.
Bigger and Deffer is good, but not anything to get real hyped over. I repeat, there are some pretty good tracks on this album, but unfortunately they don't make up for the general uninspired averageness of the rest of the album. Give the album a listen - buy it if on sale and easily accessible, since the good tracks are worthy of your time, though I definitely wouldn't search my city thoroughly to cop it.
