How Ya Like Me Now

How Ya Like Me Now
Studio album by Kool Moe Dee
Released	November 3, 1987
Genre	Hip hop, new jack swing[1]
Length	49:51
Label	Jive/RCA Records 1079-J
Producer	M. Dewese, Teddy Riley, Lavaba Mallison, Pete Q. Harris, Bryan "Chuck" New
Kool Moe Dee chronology
Kool Moe Dee (1986) How Ya Like Me Now (1987) Knowledge Is King (1989)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

How Ya Like Me Now is the second album by emcee Kool Moe Dee. It is his best-selling album to date, achieving platinum certification by the RIAA.^[3]

Kool Moe Dee was an original member of The Treacherous Three. He had a long running feud with LL Cool J releasing various "diss tracks" at his adversary. On the cover, there is LL Cool J's red Kangol hat under a front wheel of the Jeep Wrangler in the backdrop.

Reception

In a contemporary review, the Washington Post compared the album to work by hip hop artists Schooly D and LL Cool J stating that Kool Moe Dee "comes across like a hip guidance couselor" and that the album was a "def aural collage: James Brown beats on the title cut, Queen on "Rock You" even Paul Simon on "50 Ways.". The production is sophisticated without sacrificing the improvisational swagger that is central to rap's appeal."^[4]

Legacy

In 1996, Nas references the album in the chorus of "I Gave You Power," from his second album It Was Written, a song where Nas plays an anthropomorphized gun. The chorus lyrics are "How you like me now? I go blaow, it's the shit that moves crowds, makin' every ghetto foul."

In 2004, Ludacris references the album in Usher's number one hit Yeah!.

In 2008, the title track "How Ya Like Me Now" was ranked number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs.

In 2009, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, seemed to reference Kool Moe Dee in comments addressed to President Barack Obama, "I would say to the new president, congratulations. It is going to be an honor to spar with him. And I would follow that up with: How do you like me now?"^[5]

Also in 2009, "How Ya Like Me Now" appeared in DJ Hero.

Track listing

1. "How Ya Like Me Now" (LL Cool J Diss) (samples "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" by James Brown)
2. "Wild Wild West" (samples "Word Up!" by Cameo)
3. "Way Way Back" (samples "Troglodite" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch)
4. "50 Ways" (samples "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon)
5. "No Respect" (samples "Respect" by Aretha Franklin)
6. "Don't Dance" (LL Cool J Diss)
7. "I'm A Player" (samples "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond)
8. "Suckers"
9. "Stupid"
10. "Rock You"
11. "Get Paid"

References

1. Kennedy, Jake (September 2011). "Kool Moe Dee – Kool Moe Dee". Record Collector. No. 392. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
2. AllMusic review
3. "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database". Riaa.com. 1988-11-14. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
4. Jenkins, Mark (January 17, 1988). "Achieving a Bad Rap: Beat Box Artists Talk Trash for Cash Schooly D: 'Saturday Night!' Rap Kool Moe Doe: 'How Ya Like Me Now' Just Ice: 'Kool and Deadly (Justicizms)' M.C. Shan: 'Down by Law'". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C., United States: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post. p. 111. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 17, 2014. (subscription required (help)).
5. Nagourney, Adam (February 3, 2009). "New Face of G.O.P. Brings a Brash Style". The New York Times.