LL Cool J’s Grammy-winning “Mama Said Knock You Out” was used by DHS to soundtrack footage of U.S. forces seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker.
LL Cool J found his Grammy-winning anthem weaponized by federal agents after the Department of Homeland Security used “Mama Said Knock You Out” to soundtrack dramatic footage of a Venezuelan oil tanker seizure.
The DHS posted a 45-second video showing U.S. forces rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of a massive oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast. The agency captioned the clip “KNOCKOUT” and set it to LL’s 1990 classic, turning the Hip-Hop legend’s comeback anthem into government propaganda.
“If you threaten America’s national security, we will find you,” DHS wrote alongside the video, which shows the coordinated operation involving the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense.
KNOCKOUT.
If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we won’t find you.
Thank you to the brave service members from @USCG, @ICEGOV, @FBI, @DeptofWar, and @TheJusticeDept. pic.twitter.com/KUCRjES267
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 11, 2025
The tanker seizure represents the largest vessel ever captured by U.S. forces, according to President Trump. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the ship had been under sanctions for “multiple years” and was part of an “illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations” linking Venezuela and Iran.
“Mama Said Knock You Out” emerged from LL Cool J’s darkest career moment. After his 1989 album Walking with a Panther received harsh criticism from Hip-Hop purists who felt he’d gone too commercial, LL shared his frustrations with his grandmother.
Her response became Hip-Hop history: “Oh baby, just knock them out!” The resulting track, produced by Marley Marl, samples James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” and became LL’s most aggressive statement.
Released in February 1991, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance and re-established LL as a force in Hip-Hop after critics had written him off. The song’s boxing metaphors and defiant lyrics made it an instant classic, with LL declaring, “Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years.”
Now those exact fighting words accompany federal law enforcement operations.
The DHS video continues the Trump administration’s controversial practice of using popular music without the artist’s permission for government messaging.
Last week, Sabrina Carpenter blasted the White House as “evil and disgusting” after they used her song “Juno” in an ICE arrest montage.
SZA also condemned the administration for using her track “Big Boys” in immigration enforcement videos, accusing officials of “rage baiting artists for free promo.”
The pattern shows federal agencies consistently co-opting Hip-Hop and pop music to dramatize enforcement actions for social media consumption.
LL Cool J has not yet responded to the use of his music in the operation.