[Cey Adams] | [LL Cool J]

LL COOL J HEADLINES ONE OF THE GREATEST HIP HOP TOURS OF ALL TIME WITH EAZY E & NWA, SLICK RICK, TOO SHORT AND DE LA SOUL

The Nitro World Tour was one the greatest Hip Hop tours of all time, bringing together some of the absolute biggest names in the burgeoning rap scene, headlined by LL Cool J, California Gangsta Rap royalty Eazy E & N.W.A., and rounded out by the strong supporting acts of Slick Rick, Too $hort, and De La Soul. Designed by Def Jam's founding Creative Director, Cey Adams, the poster offered here comes from the July 29, 1989 tour date at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It was during the California stint of the Nitro World Tour that LL Cool J was rumored to take the stage in a red Ferrari.

Hailing from Queens, New York, LL Cool J starting rapping when he was just 10 years old. Thanks to his grandfather's purchase of two turntables, an amplifier, and an audio mixer, by high school he was creating his own demo tape. His mother recognized his talent, and famously used her tax refund to buy him a drum machine. Smith started mixing and producing his own tracks and shopping them to record labels in New York City.

Def Jam Recordings was one of the first companies to take notice, signing Smith in 1984 and releasing the single "I Need a Beat", his first official record. Selling over 100,000 copies, the 12-inch helped to cement both Smith and Def Jam as legitimate industry players. Smith's first concert would take place that same year at Manhattan Center High School. According to LL Cool J, "They pushed the lunch room tables together and me and my DJ, Cut Creator, started playing...as soon as it was over there were girls screaming and asking for autographs. Right then and there I said 'This is what I want to do'."

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