Mixing and recording for How Ya Like Me Now took place in London at Battery Studios. Alongside Kool Moe Dee,audio production was shared with and handled by Teddy Riley,Bryan "Chuck" New,LaVaba Mallison and Pete Q. Harris,with whom he worked on his previous self-titled album.
On the front cover made by Doug Rowell,Moe Dee takes musical aim at rival rapper LL Cool J,by crushing a red Kangol hat under a front wheel of the Jeep Wrangler in the backdrop. The long running feud began when Kool Moe Dee claimed that LL had stolen his rap style. He also felt that LL was disrespecting rap pioneers like Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz,by proclaiming that he was "rap's new grandmaster" without paying due respect to those who came before him.[5] The feud persisted into the mid-1990s with more songs,and ended with both MCs proclaiming themselves the victor.
Following Kool Moe Dee,How Ya Like Me Now was released through Jive Records with distribution by RCA Records,making it Kool Moe Dee's second album on the label. It was dropped on November 3,1987,and was supported by three singles:"How Ya Like Me Now","Wild Wild West" and "No Respect",and its music videos.
Reaching a peak position of number thirty-five on the USBillboard 200,How Ya Like Me Now remained on the chart for a total of 50 weeks.[2] The album has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on April 14,1988,and went platinum on November 14,1988,indicating US sales of over one million units.[4]
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."[12] American music journalist Robert Christgau described the album as "out-of-kilter swing generated by his electronic percussion [...] - trick rhymes,variable lengths,filters,double tracks,sung refrains,and the occasional extra instrument all work to shift the beat without undercutting its dominance". Alex Henderson of AllMusic said that Kool Moe Dee "had a major hit with his sophomore effort" and that "it definitely has its share of classics".[9]
In 2008,"How Ya Like Me Now" was ranked at No. 31 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs". In 2017,it was used in the Empire episode "Strange Bedfellows".
↑Kirsch, Michele (December 12, 1987). "Cool Moe Dee: How Ya Like Me Now". New Musical Express. p.33.
↑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. ISSN0190-8286. ProQuest139891546.
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