Explicit Hip-Hop 1996: Akinyele, LL Cool J & Lil' Kim

Listener discretion advised. This episode contains explicit lyric discussion intended for mature audiences.

June is Black Music History Month, and DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray are rolling out their Summer of Sex series, pulling out three of 1996's most explicit hip-hop songs and rating them on a scale of 1 to 5 — 1 being "I could play this in front of my mom" and 5 being "absolutely not, change the station." The songs are 30 years old now, but the conversations they sparked about female agency, body shaming, and who gets credit in hip-hop are still very much alive. Sir Daniel and Jay Ray break down the full cultural context behind each track, the sample histories, the industry politics, and the moments these songs hit the radio and changed what was considered acceptable. This one is for the music heads who remember exactly where they were when they first heard these records.

THE BREAKDOWN

• Akinyele ft. Kia Jeffries — "Put It In Your Mouth": The Atlanta sample chain nobody talks about: The song that rated a unanimous 5. From Brick's "Fun" to India.Arie's "Video," Sir Daniel and Jay Ray trace the full Atlanta sample lineage, and both hosts revisit their first, floor-dropping reactions to this record.
• Is "Put It In Your Mouth" still shocking in 2026? Thirty years later, Akinyele and Kia Jeffries showed back up on Cadillac Chronicles. Sir Daniel makes the case that culture has moved so far that what felt jaw-dropping in '96 barely registers today.
• LL Cool J — "Doin' It": The underground 1988 original most people never heard: "Doin' It" is essentially a remake of 2 Much’s "Wild Thang", a record that ran late-night on DJ Red Alert's mix show before LL ever touched it. Sir Daniel breaks down the full pre-history, from Warlock Records to the Native Tongues connection to the Grace Jones sample.
• Lil' Kim — "Not Tonight": Storytelling, Jermaine Dupri, and a KFC theory: Not the "Ladies Night" remix — the original Hard Core cut. Jay Ray calls it top-tier storytelling and a master class in female perspective. Sir Daniel drops a theory about the hook that connects Jermaine Dupri's production to a 1980s Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial, and it holds up.
• Final Rankings + Your Turn: What's on your 1996 explicit playlist?: "Put It In Your Mouth" holds the top spot at a combined 10. "Not Tonight" locks in at 9. "Doin' It" sits at a comfortable, barbecue-safe 4. The hosts open the floor and ask listeners to name their own 1996 picks, with a playlist on the way.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Disclaimer

00:14 Intro Theme

00:31 Show Intro & Summer of Sex Premise

02:01 Growing Up With Explicit Music

03:36 The Rating System: 1 to 5

04:21 Transition

04:21 Song 1: "Put It In Your Mouth" — Akinyele ft. Kia Jeffries

12:20 Is "Put It In Your Mouth" Still Shocking in 2026?

13:57 Transition

14:04 Song 2: "Doin' It" — LL Cool J ft. LeShaun

21:00 LeShaun, Body Shaming & Being Erased from the Video

23:45 Song 3: "Not Tonight" — Lil' Kim

31:46 Outro & Call to Action

33:08 Outro Theme

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