Radio received positive reviews from both "street and dance music" aficionados and mainstream music critics,Taylor, Jonathan. "LL Cool J Broadens Focus as Star of Rap's Second Generation". Los Angeles Daily News: 4. June 15, 1986. including Robert Christgau from The Village Voice, who described it in a January 1986 article as "the most engaging and original rap album of the year". LL Cool J's aggressive rapping and Rick Rubin's stripped-down production were praised by critics who also agreed that LL's lyrics set a new standard for MC's at the time. The songs' lyrics were favored by critics who described LL's songwriting as clever and fun. Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times said that he is an integral artist of hip hop's "second generation" because of his "razor-sharp wit".Johnson, Connie. "Review: Radio". Los Angeles Times: 64. February 16, 1986. (Transcription of original review at talk page) Rolling Stone magazine's Debby Bull was impressed by his songwriting and how its originality lies in the ballads, even though "it's the sassier, dance-worthy songs that make this record such an irresistible party."Bull, Debby. Review: Radio. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-12-13. The critical success of the album would later result in its comparison to other LL Cool J albums, which were not as critically successful as Radio. In his review for the Trouser Press, Ira Robbins called the album a "primary classic of hip-hop's original commercial surge" and went on to write:
