LLs new Album

[Luigie]

it aint wack..well maybe not too brilliant but definetly not wack!

Edited April 6, 2006 by Luigie

[JumpinJack AJ]

I don't download album music...so i've only heard 2 or 3 trax off the album. But i doubt LL is coming out with something that weak. Everybody on this board is knocking 10, but i thought that album waz dope. Artists go thru' different phases just like we do. I'm actually very much in a lovey dovey mood...ha ha. I got someone in my life that i really like and i'm really hoping things fall in2 place 4 me. So if he's releasing an R-N-B heavy album that real smooth, it'll be exactly what i need. U gotta realize that LL has done this things for years. So he's gotta put some kinda vibe or theme on every album that makes it different from the last. So the anti-R-N-B listeners won't feel it as much...but there just as many, or more people who will.

Bring it on LL...i'm waiting for something new.

[TopDawg14]

I haven't heard the album but the first single, Control Myself, is not that good to me. It sounds like most cookie-cutter music out there right now. The single itself is very formulaic; get beat done by uber-producer(Jermaine Dupri), simplistic lyrics, and of course, the R&B/pop singer on the hook(J. Lo).

I hope the rest of the album does not go down the same track as Control Myself.

[Lerkot]

Dont think im gonna check this out.. I dont like boring monotone rap and thats all ive heard from LL.

[The Definition]

i agree with mostly everyone in this thread when they say that LL is not going to rap like he used to anymore, and from the tracks ive heard i should think that this album is gonna be dope!

definetely going to buy this when it comes out next tuesday, just like ive bought his others, and i can't wait to hear some new music from LL!!!!!

btw wessyde....ive got the new bizzy album My Story....and i think its a soild effort, some nice lyrics, and some very nice production....especially the track "One Time"......he also remakes Eazy's "We Want Eazy" track as well in the form of "Bizzy's Story"

my rating 7/10

Edited April 6, 2006 by The Definition

[Frenetic]

I really don't think it's fair to compare legends old stuff with their new stuff. Cause there is much difference in motivation, hunger and so on.

I really just listen to it and then rate it if it's good or not.

Haven't listened to it yet. "we're gonna make it" was dope though.

[Turntable]

I don't download album music...so i've only heard 2 or 3 trax off the album. But i doubt LL is coming out with something that weak. Everybody on this board is knocking 10, but i thought that album waz dope. Artists go thru' different phases just like we do. I'm actually very much in a lovey dovey mood...ha ha. I got someone in my life that i really like and i'm really hoping things fall in2 place 4 me. So if he's releasing an R-N-B heavy album that real smooth, it'll be exactly what i need. U gotta realize that LL has done this things for years. So he's gotta put some kinda vibe or theme on every album that makes it different from the last. So the anti-R-N-B listeners won't feel it as much...but there just as many, or more people who will.

Same here. I love smooth love songs sometimes, and no one does that better than Ladies Love. And than there will be 112 etc on the hooks? Sounds great to me. A love songs can be something great. And its not liike there only love songs, caus the 2 that I heard next to Control Myself arent love songs at all.

Oh, and 10. It was pretty cool, I guess. Its just that I never realy liked the production of The Neptunes. I dont know why, but it mostly just gets on my nerve. I loved pretty much all the raps of the album tho. And some Tracks also did it for me when it came on the beats like Paradise, and the amazing 10 Million Stars and Big Mamma.

[ash trey]

Its Spring in Cyprus and da weather is perfect and I am really into feel good tracks right now so Ima love this album!

[DevilsJim89]

whoaaa!!! thanks for the link man!

im already lovin this album! it has that slick waterered-down 90s sound of R&B thats got a great tempo. Reminds me of "Mr. Smith" a little bit. I like the majority of the tracks however "14 Shots to the Dome" will always be my favorite LL album. Best songs is "Favorite Flavor"(ft. Mary J), "Best Dress" and "I've Changed". I love how LL tears it apart on "What You Want" but worst tracks are "Control Myself" (sounds to much like a Ciara track) and "Freeze" (too damn slow - no flow to it). "#1 Fan" is a Loretta song spinoff ...hah.

however this album is better than "10"..much better. this album is gonna be a great album to lay back and cruise to in the spring and summer.

[bigted]

Here's the Vibe.com review I was mentioning yesterday:

http://www.vibe.com/music/revolutions/2006..._smith_def_jam/

LL Cool J - Todd Smith (Def Jam)

By: Michael A. Gonzales

April 3, 2006

In 1985, during the golden days of flat-tops and sipping champagne at the Rooftop, a cocky rapper named LL Cool J first made his mark on the hip hop scene.

And 21 years after his exhilarating debut album, Radio, made young James Todd Smith a household brand, this chief rockin’ rapper is still trying to prove that he’s better than you. Like that middle-aged uncle at the family reunion who insists on shooting hoops, and then—much to your surprise—proceeds to spank that ass, LL still has a few tricks up his sleeve on his 12th disc, Todd Smith.

Forget that he’s nearing 40—the brother from Hollis still has enough youthful arrogance to step behind the microphone and morph into a savage street talker. Indeed, the proof can be found in the cross-generational collabos. On “It’s LL and Santana,” Uncle L joins Dipset standout Juelz Santana for a swaggering, hard-core, one-two alliance that bridges the gap between hip hop’s yesteryear and the new era. Even more appealing is the aggressive braggadocio of the Freeway-assisted joint “What You Want.”

Having discovered long ago that if he wanted to stay popular, he had to keep the soul sisters jiggling, LL Cool J has never strayed far from the musical formula that made the ladies love him and the girls adore him. On the hyperelectro-funk club anthem “Control Myself” (with undercover B-girl Jennifer Lopez giving us her best Madonna/femme fatale impersonation on the hook), LL is still doin’ it and, doin’ it, and doin’ it well. Meanwhile, the saccharine, Track Masters–produced wedding song “Down the Aisle” sticks to the safer side of the ladies-first template.

In addition, there are moments on Todd Smith that express a rare pathos, simultaneously strange and raw. Creating a perfect blend of rugged rap and retro soul, LL and Lyfe Jennings construct “Freeze,” a stellar track detailing the life of a mack. Reminiscent of the Time’s R&B classic “Gigolos Get Lonely Too,” Uncle L strips off the vanity and boasting (“...please don’t change the locks on the door”) to reveal his “I Need Love”–style vulnerability over liquid grooves and sparse production.

Still, this reworked sensitivity hardly prepares us for the mental crack-up that occurs on the maddening “I’ve Changed,” a Fatal Attraction–like tale that explores a volatile relationship gone awry. As new jack singer Ryan Toby harmonizes like Curtis Mayfield in the background, “I’ve Changed” proves as disturbing as it is fascinating. Becoming more and more paranoid as he breaks his ex-girl’s new man’s headlights (“Call the po-po, I ain’t afraid....”), the lyrics are complemented by haunting Track Masters production that contrasts with their usual commercial sheen.

What’s most puzzling is Todd Smith’s excessive reliance on collaborations. “We’re Gonna Make It,” a hip hop–gospel hybrid with Mary Mary, is the kind of track best left to choirboys like Kirk Franklin. There’s no denying, however, the sonic beauty of “Preserve the Sexy,” which could be the scorching theme song to a blaxploitation flick, with hot girl Teairra Marí riding shotgun.

All in all, though many rap fans may believe LL hasn’t been relevant since he stung like a bee on his 1990 masterpiece, "Mama Said Knock You Out," this offering proves the G.O.A.T. is still swinging.

[Da Brakes]

Like that middle-aged uncle at the family reunion who insists on shooting hoops, and then—much to your surprise—proceeds to spank that ass, LL still has a few tricks up his sleeve on his 12th disc, Todd Smith.

I love that bit! :rofl:

I bet LL will be the oldest rapper to put out a platinum record!

[WesSyde]

btw wessyde....ive got the new bizzy album My Story....and i think its a soild effort, some nice lyrics, and some very nice production....especially the track "One Time"......he also remakes Eazy's "We Want Eazy" track as well in the form of "Bizzy's Story"

my rating 7/10

yo Def, i gotta say that Bizzy's album sucked! the track One Time was the best on it, that was good. i know you're a big BTNH fan cuz ive seen them in your sig. the other 2 Bizzy albums that i have which are Heavenz Movie and Alpha and Omega were WAY better than this. also that Layzie + Young Noble album was average. all this new stuff on Real Talk Ent records with the Outlawz kinda sucks. it kinda dissapoints me too cuz i like BTNH and the Outlawz a lot but i think they could do way better than they are right now.

[Turntable]

About Control Mself: The succes aint caus of J.Lo I think. Caus "Hold You Down" with Fat Joe flopped, even tho there is moch moter Jenni on that one.

[The Definition]

btw wessyde....ive got the new bizzy album My Story....and i think its a soild effort, some nice lyrics, and some very nice production....especially the track "One Time"......he also remakes Eazy's "We Want Eazy" track as well in the form of "Bizzy's Story"

my rating 7/10

yo Def, i gotta say that Bizzy's album sucked! the track One Time was the best on it, that was good. i know you're a big BTNH fan cuz ive seen them in your sig. the other 2 Bizzy albums that i have which are Heavenz Movie and Alpha and Omega were WAY better than this. also that Layzie + Young Noble album was average. all this new stuff on Real Talk Ent records with the Outlawz kinda sucks. it kinda dissapoints me too cuz i like BTNH and the Outlawz a lot but i think they could do way better than they are right now.

i can understand your dissapointment with this album, and i also know many other people that think this album sucks. I myself would love bizzy to rap like the brilliant Heaven'z movie era or The Gift <--- that is one album you have to listen to if you haven't yet, but i know bizzy won't go back to that style and am not hanging on to glimpses of his past efforts and recordings so i just rate his newer albums like standalone albums, as if HM and TG are non existant. Bizzy has come a long way since them albums and not for the better, but TS grew on me after some listens even though it sounds like he's freestyling through all his verses, as did TR....but thank god that was more recent as you can tell he put more effort into it (although the beats were wack) so yeah i stick by that rating.....but like every other BTNH fan i wish he would go back to his best

but onto more positive things...Bone thugs new album will drop this year and they will hopefully do well with swizz beatz backing them...and krayzie bone's working his ass off tryin to promote BTNH like hell which is good....KB beat B-real in the first match of the HHGL as well!!

Also it looks like Vibe are givin LL some love with his new album....and i honestly can't wait for Todd Smith to drop..11th April right? im not going to download it though im just going to buy it in the shop, man i cant wait!!!!!!Im so excited!!!!!!!

[bigted]

I found this new article on the LL album on MTV.com just now:

With Blige, J. Lo, Foxx On Board, LL Cool J's New LP Is A Guest Fest

04.07.2006 6:00 AM EDT

Album features an unprecedented (for LL) number of collaborators.

LL Cool J

Photo: MTV News

If it's up to LL Cool J, when he dies, he'll have nothing left.

"I wanna max out everything that's inside of me. I want to die empty," he said, referring to accomplishing all his goals. "The richest place on Earth — the place with the most books, dreams, treasures, albums, paintings, novels, architectural innovation and technology — is the graveyard. So many people don't max out. I always ask myself, 'Are you making the best use of your talents?' If not, you need to do something about that."

LL — who has been a mainstay in the rap world for more than 20 years — is doing just that. On April 11, he'll release his 12th album, Todd Smith (the title comes from two-thirds of his real name, James Todd Smith). "It's a blessing, man," he said of his lengthy career. "When I sit back and think about it ... If I was to tell you I mapped it out and knew how it was gonna go, I'd be lying. I'm not smart enough to orchestrate this. I'm just blessed."

This time around, Cool J collaborated with more guests than ever before, including Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Ginuwine, Teairra Marí, Lyfe Jennings, Mary Mary and City High's Ryan Toby. Even his onetime nemesis Jamie Foxx contributed to the track "Best Dress," which is dedicated to finding true love.

"I had so many people involved, it was crazy," he said, laughing. "But the way the guest appearances came about, we would hear a song and be like, 'This would be great for such and such to be on. Mary [J.] would sound good on this. Lyfe would sound good on this.' It just kind of evolved. It's definitely something you have to listen to, though — take your time and digest it, but it's right.

"[Todd Smith] was almost like [Dr. Dre's] The Chronic in the sense that Dre and everybody was involved with the writing and the music. People were throwing around ideas left and right. I've never done that for a whole record. You have to allow yourself to grow. A great general [u.S. Army General Eric Shinseki, actually] once said, 'If you don't like change, you'll like irrelevance even less.' "

LL's current single, "Control Myself," features Jennifer Lopez, but at one point, he considered the Black Eyed Peas' leading lady, Fergie, instead.

"We were talking about Fergie, but it just didn't work out," he said. "I think that me and J. Lo work so well together. The chemistry is beautiful" (see "Jennifer Lopez Drives LL Cool J To Lose His Cool").

Producer Jermaine Dupri recommended that LL use his flow from "Going Back to Cali" for "Control Myself." "So many people take flow from other people's records that it's nice to take flow from your own songs," LL said. "It's nice to say, 'That was an old record; let me take that flow.' It just so happened that flow was from my record.

"[Dupri] is a genius," he added. "Very intelligent, brilliant. When I heard that Afrika Bambaataa 'Looking for the Perfect Beat' [sample on the track], I felt like that was the move."

Daddy Cool is eyeing "Freeze" (featuring Jennings) as a potential second single. "I've had times in my life where I've had a girl I really loved and had real feelings for, but I wasn't mature enough to have just one girl," he explained. "She wanted to be my main girl, and I wanted to be her boyfriend. But it's almost like I wish I could freeze her, go out there and sow my wild oats, go crazy, do all the things I wanted to do, and then unthaw her [when I was ready]. I think a lot of people could relate to that — whether it's a fear of commitment, intimacy. 'Freeze! I love you, I care for you, but freeze. Hold that thought.' It's something I went through, and I captured that movement."

On another possible second single, "Favorite Flavor" (featuring Blige), LL raps a piece of a verse from a remix he did with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul almost 10 years ago.

"That song is basically about everything flavorful," he said. "Her clothes, car, perfume. My style, my movement. What we eat, what I'm gonna spread on her body. Everything that's flavorful is in that song."

As for LL's other goals, he said there will definitely be more movies and albums, but one of his greatest passions these days is his new clothing line, Todd Smith, which he had a hands-on role in developing.

"There's a bigger world out there than being high-paid talent. I've done that, and now I want to do something else," he explained. "It's a real company with a working business model. God willing, we'll build a company that will represent my community properly, and people all over the world will want to be a part of this brand because it represents classiness, flavor, longevity, success, good values and family."

— Shaheem Reid