bigted

LL should sport a hoodie on the album cover and I think he still got love for the game, I don't think he's only in it for the money, he's in it for the love really, I think it hurts him to see his music getting criticised, that's why I think he's gonna put out a more aggressive album, he got his head to the streets and knows that he's being dissed for being soft so he needs to step up here, and I think Will sees that there's not much challenge in the rap game for him anymore, he got a lot of credability for "Lost and Found" so he's working on getting that Oscar award in filming, he puts his heart into whatever he does too, he wants to do credible things

Yeah and that's why Will signs up to do 5 films instead of doing albums with Jazzy 'cause he needs more money too at least he doesnt care about album sales and money when it comes to somethin, which is all about himself, get what i'm saying? but just like i said, lets wait and see how LLs albums going to be... Will does care about record sales even though he said he don't, let's be real if "Lost and Found" sold 5 million he'd be working on another album right now, maybe turn down a couple film roles, but it only went gold so he's not releasing any albums and he's back to filming more often, if Will didn't care so much about record sales he'd spend 2 weeks with Jazzy soon and do an album for the real rap fans if he really thinks filming is a chick on the side, get what I'm saying? I think every artist cares about money and record sales a lil' bit, let's be real, there's nothing wrong with that to an extent as long as they work hard... btw "Bump This" is cool but LL could come stronger than that I agree AJ, he needs to dig deep and do some real aggressive stuff to let all these ignorant rap fans know that he's still a lyrical beast, the fans and critics been calling him out and saying that he's washed up lately, that's why he needs to be more aggressive with his lyrics, he needs to slow down on that ladies loving image, if LL's doing anything like his last few albums then maybe he should be the one taking time off to do more films, he'll probably end up making more money doing that anyway, I really hope he delivers here so he could shut up all the critics once again and all the fans will be back on his bandwagon....

I dont really agree with that.. Off course everybody wanna make more money.. And when they are desperate then they do thing that you call a "sell out" would do.. But that's life.. Peace It should be about artists making better music if they want to make more money and if an artist just stops making music just 'cause they don't make enough money then they don't have passion for their music, it's like ball players who liked playing ball in the park all day but when they get to the major leagues they get fat off their contract and they lose the love for the game, that shouldn't happen, but in sports though the ones who work the hardest are the ones that have the most success, I'd like to see the music industry be like that, the artists that put their heart into their music the most should be the ones on top

Yeah and that's why Will signs up to do 5 films instead of doing albums with Jazzy 'cause he needs more money too

I'd rather have a JJFP album

Yeah I think this album's gonna be an improvement from really the last few albums, LL seemed too relaxed, he needs to be more aggressive here, as long as LL delivers the classic album that I know he's still capable of then it won't really matter who else is on it

1-No 50 ain't an all time great mc simple and plain, never has been, never will be, he ain't the worst but nowhere near the best 2-AJ asked that question basically in a thread when "Hate It Or Love It" came out and 50 gave props to Rakim I remember, 50 just can't be on Rakim's level no matter how hard he tries to be, few can really, I really think that mcs like Rakim rapped on such a phenomenal level when they came into the game that it's really hard to equal or top that level of talent for the future generation of rappers, there's some good hip-hop out in between but really there's not much classic hip-hop anymore, like Chuck D said in his terrordome there's not really many albums out that a lot of people could name more than 5 non video songs off the top of their head over the last 5-10 years, it's really love/hate type of hip-hop now, not much essential music that's a must to have, basically fans talk more about tabloids than they do the content of albums, it's not really there anymore 3-Well who knows maybe I will regret it but I don't want to see my favorite rappers hang it up yet, as long as they come strong it don't really matter who else they work with, I buy their albums to hear them 4-Yeah it won't happen, Will's a grown ass man, he won't downgrade himself like that at this point in his career, he worked too hard then to just lower himself down like that into silly beefs 5-Don't forget Public Enemy and KRS, I think Public Enemy's at 9 as well, KRS is at 13 at the moment...

I don't know man it's really up to Will at this point, Jazzy's said many times that he's willing to do something with Will but it comes down to when and if he wants to do it, if he really loves hip-hop as much as he said he does and if he's "potnas" with Jazzy then I think it'll be a matter of when it's gonna happen, actions speak louder than words, it'd be sad if Will didn't celebrate the milestone album number 10 by spending 2 weeks in the lab with Jazzy but Will knows what's up when the time's right I think he'll do it, let's be patient guys, I really think it'll happen sooner or later, Will's came this far already I'm sure he'll wanna do his 10th album with Jazzy at the minimum before he hangs up the mic, leave on a proper note, maybe JJFP should go to G.O.O.D. Music which is Kanye's imprint, Kanye's a big fan of JJFP, he'd welcome them with open arms, you could say what you want about Kanye's personality but he's probably the only one of few that keeps quality rap alive on a mainstream level, it'd be a good fit

I don't care if an artist is underground or mainstream, music is music, some's good and some's bad, now I try to focus more on the good than the bad though, I rather talk about who's the best than who's the worst, like I don't really give a damn about who's the worst, don't wanna know really, lol, and now if you only like LL 'cause of the artists that he works with then you ain't a fan, as long as LL don't come out sounding like a studio gangsta, I'm gonna support him, he's been about quality for 20+ years, I don't think that's gonna change now, he don't need anybody to sell records, he's one of the most popular rappers of all time already, he's one of the original ballers of this rap game, rappers ask to work with him since he's one of the most respected, 50 and G-Unit are fans of his, they want to work with him, 50 said he probably won't be able to make it as far as LL, he knows what's up, all of LL's albums are platinum except his last one but nobody buys records as much as they used to, gold is the new platinum now really

I don't really respect G-Unit that much either but if they put out a hot album I'm not gonna front on it just 'cause they're mainstream like most underground fans do, that's what I'm saying, they hate on an artist just when they become popular, and now just 'cause 50's last album was weak doesn't mean that his whole career is garbage, that's like saying Will's career is garbage in 2002 when he released "Born To Reign", Rakim's career is garbage 'cause of his last album, or LL's career is garbage 'cause of his recent music, everybody has their ups and downs, you can't be perfect everytime out, 50's not really much to brag about either way though, he ain't really that great but he ain't the worst either, 50 does receive a bit more criticism now though and deserving so now since he criticised Ja Rule for doing love songs when he then turned out to do the same thing, LL never criticised other rappers for being soft so he never deserves to be dissed for doing love songs, he just has fun with the music really

Ice Cube released his album himself and he went gold, if JJFP release their album independently they'll probably go gold too which is like the platinum for today, nobody sells records the way they used to, most of those who bought "L&F" and the underground hip-hop fans will be anticipating the JJFP record, they got a larger fanbase than most rap artists of today do

LL and Rakim never criticised other rappers for cursing in their rhymes the way that FP does so I don't really see nothing wrong with them doing albums with a PA sticker but with FP it'd be a totally different story if he did an album with PA he'd receive a hell lot of criticism, LL did say in an interview when he released "Todd Smith" that at the moment he wasn't in the mood to curse in his rhymes but if that moment comes one day where he's in that mood then he will, the music reflects the type of mood that he's in, maybe if he's relaxed he won't curse but maybe he has stuff to get off his chest so he might be in the mood to curse now, cursing or not, through 12 albums I don't really think of any more consistant mc, probably only KRS-ONE would come to mind, Rakim hasn't done **** that was dope in quite a while now, LL and KRS could still bring it though, 50 and G-Unit do make some songs with substance, it ain't 50's fault they only played his dumbed down records, but songs like "Many Men" and "Hate Or Love It" had substance, that's like saying all Will's raps are like "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and "Switch", the most substance records don't play on the radio though, now I'm not saying they're even close to being the greatest but they ain't really the worst rappers either, some people talk like all popular rappers are garbage but they had to work just as hard as any credible underground rapper did to get into the game, really the worst rappers are the ones who never get signed, if you wanna hear a real garbage rap just listen to some internet thugs posting on myspace that make 50 Cent sound like Rakim I swear to God, lol....

I know he use to rap with PA's. I've got them, but he said he was done with that. You mention Kel Spencer, but Kel Spencer can spit some of the hardest verses without one curse. Yes, the G-Unit camp really is THAT bad to me. I hate the idea of giving them any money for their wack elementary school rhymes. I love the fact that there will be songs (but just 2) with Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and 3000- and I'll prove that with a couple iTunes downloads. I'm not afraid of change. What I don't like is great rappers like LL playing with crap rappers like 50 Cent just to ball higher on the sales charts. Unless of course LL really thinks 50 displays some worthy skills... God help us all. God Blessa! Heavy D and Rakim also come to mind with mcs making great rhymes without having a PA sticker, it ain't necessary to curse to be a great mc, it's really about skills, now listen to one of 50's early mixtapes and tell me that he don't have skills, maybe not on Rakim level but really few do have that ability, 50 could be good at times, I don't even know if I'd put Kel on Rakim's level respectfully speaking... I only named Kel because you did. Lyrically, I'd probably put Rakim above everyone mentioned in this thread. I've heard some of 50's early stuff and I'm still not seeing what makes him so great. Even his cancelled album stuff (just check the video, he's got like 40 idiots in the background looking like idiots for the camera). God Blessa! I mentioned Kel 'cause I was talking currently how him and FP are the only ones currently that rap without PA since basically rappers like Rakim and Heavy D haven't released an album in this millenium yet, and well you might be dissapointed about LL working with G-Unit but Rakim's working on his next album with Dipset so he'll probably have a PA sticker on his next album too, and now with G-Unit, they were highly respected underground rap crew for years, some of the most credible mcs wanted to work with them, it ain't just now 'cause they're selling millions that people wanna work with them

I know he use to rap with PA's. I've got them, but he said he was done with that. You mention Kel Spencer, but Kel Spencer can spit some of the hardest verses without one curse. Yes, the G-Unit camp really is THAT bad to me. I hate the idea of giving them any money for their wack elementary school rhymes. I love the fact that there will be songs (but just 2) with Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and 3000- and I'll prove that with a couple iTunes downloads. I'm not afraid of change. What I don't like is great rappers like LL playing with crap rappers like 50 Cent just to ball higher on the sales charts. Unless of course LL really thinks 50 displays some worthy skills... God help us all. God Blessa! Heavy D and Rakim also come to mind with mcs making great rhymes without having a PA sticker, Hammer's more of an entertainer than a lyricist on his albums without a PA sticker, he's probably another rapper that sold millions without PA stickers on his album, it ain't necessary to curse to be a great mc, it's really about skills, now listen to one of 50's early mixtapes and tell me that he don't have skills, maybe not on Rakim level but really few do have that ability, 50 could be good at times, I don't even know if I'd put Kel on Rakim's level respectfully speaking...

Who said that JJFP don't matter anymore? Most of those comments I read shows that they seem to know that JJ+FP are still vital to the rap game, if they do another album I think it'll do well too 'cause real music is needed right now

Yeah you either got it or you don't, 50 don't got it, he was never better than average, I remember seeing AJ make a comment about why doesn't 50 rap like Rakim if he claimed to have grown up saying that he loved listening to Rakim check his melody but the truth is that he don't have the skills to do so, even if he wanted to try harder, hey I loved watching Michael Jordan play basketball but that don't mean I could play like him, 50 just don't have the talent even though he wish he did... Now this ain't the first time Will/LL have rapped with rappers that ain't on their level, they're just trying to be team players, not everyone on the team's a superstar but that don't mean you quit the team, I'd rather see them work with 50 than see them retire, you make the best with what you have when you're in the game, and how do you know that 50 didn't want to work with them? After all millions of people in 50's generation grew up on these great rappers like FP and LL, I think that as long as it's a respectful collaboration it's all good with me and it's good for hip-hop to see ol' school and new school come together but if 50 trys to gets FP and LL involved in his silly beefs then it wouldn't be good... Really though if Will comes out and calls 50 Cent garbage is that really good for hip-hop? I don't think so, Will's gonna be snooping to 50's level, he'd be going into a foolish beef, rappers need to evolve beyond beefing, it's played out, if it's in good fun on the mic then that's cool but it ain't that way nomore, "Lost and found" was done in a tasteful way just a call for all rappers to step their game up, come up with your own style, Will's telling rappers to be themselves, rap with your soul and don't just do what the record label tells you to do to sell records,and Will's shown that he loves hip-hop more than most rappers, could you name me how many rappers have done 9 albums or more? It's a very short list, Will lives and breathes hip-hop, he is hip-hop, actions speak louder than words...

"Ali" only grossed 57 million total? Is that Will's lowest grossing movie? I had no idea it was that low of a total, that was released around Christmas too, but hey who really cares about how much it gross, if it gets Will another Oscar nod and it's a quality film then I'll take that over 200 million at the boxoffice anytime, that's like I'd rather see Will get 5 mic ratings for his albums rather than sell 10 million, credability is much better at the end of the day

There's gonna be a lot of hot tracks on this album the way it's looking, it'd be hot if Will.I.Am and Dr. Dre produced on those tracks they were featured, who cares if G-Unot is on a couple tracks, I'll just skip 'em after I hear LL's verse and enjoy the rest of the album, "Bump This" is really a club banger, it should get some kids to buy the album and introduce them to some quality hip-hop, they'll finally learn who Big Daddy Kane is so I can't complain, the sad truth is that not a lot of people will buy the album if it was only LL and ol' school rappers so he has to mix in some current rappers to get people interested in it, he maybe trying to get 50 to squash beef, it'd be nice to see collabs with Nas, Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and Game on here too, maybe they could just do a concert together and squash the beef, maybe LL should get together with Hammer, Kool Moe Dee, Canibus, and Ice-T as well, make another "I Shot Ya" type track for the '07, EDIT: I notice that there's a special on LL Cool J on A&E that just ended a few minutes, 50 seems to really show a lot of respect for LL, he talks about how there's no rapper out there that's gonna match LL's career, I think it's a thing where 50 wants to work with LL more than LL wants to work with 50, there's respect there, LL mentioned in a small segment about how he admires FP having success in the rap industry and movie industry, it was kinda funny how Magic Johnson was on there talking about how he wish he was in shape as much as LL is, lol, and then later on LL went on to talk about how he wants rappers to work with each other and make timeless music instead of tearing each other down, I think that's what he wants to do on this "Todd Smith 2" record, so I'm excited about that, I think it could be something that brings hip-hop back in the right direction

Yeah it doesn't make much sense, they're actually gonna help 50's career be longer now :shakehead:

Well if any of you guys go to a premiere for Will's movie you could try to get a chant going about how we want another JJFP album :switch: :switch:

Yeah who would've thought that LL'd be doing songs with Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Dr. Dre, Raekwon, and Andre 3000? That's a dope lineup that'll make me forgive him for working with G-Unit like I forgave FP for working with Lil' Kim since he had all those other dope collabs on "Willenium", this looks like LL's "Willenium", dope production from DJ Premiere and Just Blaze, maybe Jazzy might submit a beat too, I'm pretty damn excited if you ask me

It'll make all these sell out artists stop recording too, if artists are only in the game for money and fame and don't care about the music they make then they gotta get the **** out of the music buisiness, that way only the true artists that love their craft will be making music

This isn't LL's first album with a PA sticker though and basically everybody except FP and Kel Spencer releases albums with PA stickers on them, even so called "positive" rappers like Common and Lupe have PA stickers on their albums so who really cares if LL's album has a PA sticker, if it's gonna make him a lil' bit more aggressive on this album then so be it, that way it'll shut up some of these ignorant rap fans that say LL got soft on his last few albums, this needs to be an aggressive album like his "G.O.A.T." record was, a lot of critics and fans have been criticising LL lately, his last album was the lowest selling album of his career, all of his albums went platinum except this one so really LL's feeling the pressure now, this should put him on his toes a lil' bit more, he could do a "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "14 Shots..." album where he doesn't cuss but it's still aggressive of course, there was some people on the "G.O.A.T." album that didn't deserve to be there like Amil and Jayo Felony but it didn't ruin the album 'cause LL was too strong to let that happen, the main thing is that LL spits some hard rhymes on this album.... If DMX and Snoop was on LL's album and cursed a lot like on the GOAT album I'm sure you wouldn't care right but since it's G-Unit you consider it blasphamy or something? Regardless of who's on it or not, he needs to come correct and shock mcs again, I wouldn't mind if he gets FP on there too even and if 50's rapping in between the song I'll just mute his verse if it sucks, lol LL was a lil' bit too relaxed on his last few so I don't care if he curses to get that emotion out, the last few albums had some dope songs but he was a bit too relaxed, it's time that he burns some mcs again, hopefully he comes with some really strong verses that make G-Unit look like preschoolers and have to step their game up to be on the track with him, btw that cover is wack, it's the same as the back of "Todd Smith", they should at least do a new album cover, he should maybe keep his shirt on too, really he gotta slow down that ladies loving image for one album and do something more aggressive, maybe if 50 steps up his game to how he was rapping on those mixtapes before Eminem signed him then he'll actually be tolerable, Eminem needs to step his game up too to rap with the GOAT.... And well it says on that site he's going to Columbia after he leaves Def Jam so I don't know if it's gonna really be better for him doing that...

Eminem doesn't deserve to be on the same song with LL, Dr. Dre, Andre 3000, and Big Daddy Kane :bat: :damnlorettas: It seems like the whole rap industry's gonna be on this album, I was sorta figuring that too since the whole r&b industry was on his last album it feels, lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Smith_Pt.2:_Back_to_Cool Todd Smith Pt. 2: Back to Cool is the sequel to the 2006 album Todd Smith by LL Cool J and will be the final album on LL Cool J's record deal with Def Jam Records, a deal that has lasted for more than twenty years. This album will also be the first LL Cool J album since G.O.A.T. to contain the parental advistory sticker. It will be executive produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent. [1] The song "Bump This" with 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks & Young Hot Rod is expected to appear on this album."Bump This" has already been leaked. Confirmed Tracks "Bump This" (featuring 50 Cent, Young Hot Rod & Lloyd Banks) "A Place Called New York" (featuring Kool G Rap) (Produced by DJ Premier) "Still Doin' It" (Produced by Just Blaze) "She Was Raised In Brooklyn" (Produced by Buckwild) "Queens" (featuring will.i.am) "The Fame" (featuring Big Daddy Kane, Eminem, Raekwon, Andre 3000 & Dr. Dre) "G's" (Featuring G-unit & Lil Scrappy) (Produced by 50 cent)