Radio (LL Cool J album)

Radio is the debut studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released on November 18, 1985, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. It was also Def Jam's first LP record release. It was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City with producer Rick Rubin, who provided a sparse, minimal production style. Radio also features a sound punctuated by DJ scratching, often brief samples, and emphasis of the downbeat. LL's aggressive b-boy lyrics explored themes of inner city culture, teenage promiscuity, and braggadocio raps.

A significant commercial success for a hip-hop record at the time, Radio became a Billboard chart hit and sold over 500,000 copies within its first five months of release. By 1989, it had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales surpassing one million copies in the United States. Initial reception of Radio was generally positive, with praise given to LL's lyricism and Rubin's production. It has since been recognized by critics as LL Cool J's best album.

Radio marked a pivotal moment in hip-hop's culture and history, reflecting the new-school and ghettoblaster subculture in the United States during the mid-1980s. Its success contributed to the displacement of the old-school with the new-school form and to the genre's mainstream success during this period. It was also a career breakthrough for LL and Rubin. Radio has been recognized by music journalists as one of the first artistically cohesive and commercially successful hip-hop albums.