LL Cool J Brings Back Iconic Smash Hit to 'Knock Out' Cancer in Super Bowl Ad

The rapper’s 1991 hit “Mama Said Knock You Out” provides the soundtrack for Pfizer’s cancer-busting commercial

LL Cool J is bringing back an iconic hit for a Super Bowl ad that packs a punch — literally.

In Pfizer’s “Knock Out" ad, a young cancer patient is first shown laying in a hospital bed watching TV when boxing announcer Michael Buffer appears in a ring, saying his catchphrase, “Let’s get ready to rumble.” The young boy looks at his fists before appearing in red boxing shorts with boxing gloves in the hospital hallway.

Instead of ringing the bell — which often signals the end of chemotherapy treatment — the boy sounds the boxing ring bell by punching the pull cord. 

That’s when “Don’t call it a comeback”  — the memorable first lines of LL Cool J’s 1991 hit, “Mama Said Knock You Out” — start in. The Grammy-winning track from the NCIS alum’s like-titled 1990 album provides the soundtrack for the boy as he makes his way through the hospital hallway, cheered on by tearful, smiling staff.

He shadowboxes as he continues through the city streets through a ticker tape parade in his honor amid a cheering crowd, running up steps to an office building — a callback to the iconic steps scene in Rocky — as the ad proclaims: “Hey cancer, we’re gonna knock you out.” 

"It feels good to have my song used for such an important cause. Strength and resilience are at the heart of hip-hop, and they’re just as crucial in the fight against cancer," LL Cool J said.

The ad ends on an emotional note as the boy begins sprinting through a suburban street — right into the arms of his mother, who picks him up and embraces him, as flashback photos show him undergoing cancer treatment. In the next scene, the boy is no longer dressed like a prizefighter, but in street clothes with a teddy bear sticking out of his backpack, embracing his parents.

The minute-long spot, premiering during the Feb. 9 face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, ends with Pfizer announcing that the pharmaceutical company is fighting for “8 cancer breakthroughs by 2030”— and urges people to check their health risk at pfizerforall.com.

As the rapper said, "My family knows firsthand — staying on top of your health and getting screened early can save lives." His wife, Simone Smith, was first diagnosed with stage III chondrosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, in 2004. Her treatment involved a 15-hour surgery to replace the bone and a long rehabilitation period. 

Smith made a full recovery and has been cancer-free since.

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