Exit 13 - LL Cool J

As the title suggests, "Exit 13" is LL Cool J's thirteenth album, and also the last one which he has held in a deal with Def Jam Records since 1984 with his debut release, "Radio". Obviously, we have seen many changes in the artist since his debut, and he is one of very few who can claim to have sustained some sort of mainstream presence in the game for as long as he has lasted.

1. "It's Time For War"
...LL Cool J comes out to the sound of some intimidating bells and a roaring choir of singers behind him. You have him rapping in the hardcore form which we saw a lot in the early nineties stages of his music. He talks about his legacy and all that he's done for the genre as a whole.

**Three Stars**

2. "Old School New School"

The R&B singer Ryan Leslie does the production for this tune as we are ... more

As the title suggests, "Exit 13" is LL Cool J's thirteenth album, and also the last one which he has held in a deal with Def Jam Records since 1984 with his debut release, "Radio". Obviously, we have seen many changes in the artist since his debut, and he is one of very few who can claim to have sustained some sort of mainstream presence in the game for as long as he has lasted.

1. "It's Time For War"

This one gets "Exit 13" going as LL Cool J comes out to the sound of some intimidating bells and a roaring choir of singers behind him. You have him rapping in the hardcore form which we saw a lot in the early nineties stages of his music. He talks about his legacy and all that he's done for the genre as a whole.

**Three Stars**

2. "Old School New School"

The R&B singer Ryan Leslie does the production for this tune as we are eased into this new material from LL Cool J. I thought that with such a title, we would hear him go through a tune which has him comparing the past and today, however, as R-Les is in control, and he's not on for samples, you simply having him rapping in reference to past tracks which he has done and how he will continue to do so.

**Two Stars**

3. "Feel My Heart Beat"

LL recruits one of the biggest names in East Coast RAp to perform alongside him for this track as he get 50 Cent to rap along with him. I got what I expected from it, and that isn't too much as together it seemed quite weird as two of the largest (physically) built rappers colabrate in a track which talks about bedroom roleplay. It was all just too weird for me.

**Two Stars**

4. "Get Over Here"

Thsi one has LL change up his style as he raps along to some obvious Dirty South production (far from his usual) style, and as he has so many guest rappers with the likes of Nicolette, Jiz, Lyrikal, and Ticky Diamondz he seems to make it work for him. Despite the fact they are all unknowns to me, I found that they made the tune work for them, and came up with great results.

**Four Stars**

5. "Baby"

This is the big single from the album, and the first one to come off it. It has LL Cool J performing in a way which he has become an expert in since "I Need Love", where he performs his raps as if it was an R&B song. The fact that it's a collaboration with The-Dream allows it to work a lot more naturally too, and turns out to be an amazing track by him.

**Four Stars**

6. "You Better Watch Me"

This track has LL go Old School on us as he get the legendary Marley Marl on the production for him. I preferred the rapper back in the very early days, and the beat for this really makes it seem as though he knows what he can do with the modern sound to bring it back to its roots. Marley Marl's beat comes naturally, and LL simply goes back to his old ways of doing things on the mic(rophone).

**Four Stars**

7. "Cry"

This tune has LL go into his R&B mode as he gets initmate with this tune. I foudn that the work he did with Lil' Mo was well-suited to his style, but genraeally I wasn't feelign what was done at all as he is better for me when he's rapping as he did when he first came out.

**Two Stars**

8. "Baby (Rock Remix)"

Bon Jovi's lead guitarist, Richie Sambora, aids LL as he switches things up by remixing the lead single from the album. He does it in an inventive way as he perfroms the same rap, but alongside different production, some which suits the little 'cokstar' fad which Hip Hop had last year. It's not as strong as the original, but good to have there as you get to feel his lyrics more.

**Three Stars**

9. "Rockin' with the G.O.A.T."

The self-entiled G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) in Hip Hop performs a track which hypes himself up even more. Someone should assy that pronouncing it as "Goat" doesn't amke him seem as good as staing the whole phrase, because "You are know rockin' with the Goat" doesn't really make you sound that big in the game, especially to outsiders.

This one has him rap on some hard DJ Scratch beats as he takes it back to the days where he woudl try to intimidate you with hardcore lyrics, but to be honest, it didn't really effect me too much to want to listen to it on another occasion.

**Three Stars**

10. "This Is Ring Tone M..."

Here is a track which has LL attack those who rpresent the 'ringtone rap', artist such as Soulja Boy, DJ Unk and V.I.C. who come out with Hip Hop without lyrical skill, leaving it pepetitive and annoying to thsoe who tried so hard to get the genre up. It is a good decision to add a Grandmaster Caz sample in order to represent the journey which Hip Hop has gone on since its beginnings. Altohough I don't support this Ringtone Rap Murder' or the 'Hip Hop Is Dead' movement, I respect that LL had to try and stand p for the Old School .

**Three Stars**

11. "Like A Radio"

As with earlier on in the album, Ryan Lelie returns once again to do some production for this tiune, and on this one the R&B singer also has a vocal role in it too. LL is known for making raps work when directing them to girls, but here he seems to have lost it as R-Les' spacey, futuristic beats put you off when you expect it to be more sensual.

**Two Stars**

12. "I Fall In Love"

Élan of the Latin Hip Hop group, The D.E.Y. collaborates with LL cool J for this tune, and although I was previously unaware of hius music, I felt that his input to the track was nice to here as it added extra dimentions to LL which we haven't previously explored, and for someone whose been around for over twenty years, there can't be that many things which we haven't heard from him by now. To be honest, I found this one to be rather annoying as it had Pop beats and the singin did little to escape this genre.

**One Star**

13. "Ur Only A Customer"

Dame Grease does the beat for this one, and initially by readijng the title, I expected to hear soemthing like "Crossroads" from his "14 Shots To The Dome" as I know Dame for his work with DMX, in which he presented some haunting Horrocore music, however this was far from it as it had him rapping to some rather clean beats.

**Three Stars**

14. "Mr. President"

Here is a collab from LL and ex-Fugee, Wyclef jean, and in this one, as you could probbaly guess is politically charged and has them directing the tune towards the current president in this time where change is inevitable. Wylclef's singing seems to be extremly powerful as he seem passionate to express his views on how messed up their country is.

**Three Stars**

15. "American Girl"

You have LL rapping on some hard Hip Hop precussion whihc has him seemingly taking an original route around adressing the subject of girls in the States. The beat is rather traditional American music, giving it a Pop vibe, one which I can imgine getting annoying rather quick (especially with the little marching segments).

**One Star**

16. "Speedin' On Da Highway"

Thsi tune has LL aparently taking more influence from the sounds of the Dirty South as he opts for some watered-down Crunk beats and raps in a rather repetitive way, which suprises me as he has often critcised this style of rap. However when you have him doign this kind of rap as he goes for some hard raps, he makes it all work for him. I did think that it was slightly forced thugh, as it isn't really something he would usually do.

**Three Stars**

17. "Come And Party With Me"

I'm fuly aware of the journey which LL Cool J has gone on over the years and how many times he's changed up his style, but there is one which I've always had trouble believing from him as he has a go at some hardcore Gangsta Rap along with the gritty East Coast rappers Sheek Louch and Fat Joe. Desptie the fact that their input shoud give LL some credibility, I didn't buy it.

**Two Stars**

18. "We Rollin'"

This is a tune for cruising, ad it definately something you need after all of the variation in the rest of the album with lots of high-energy tune and such. Finally you are giving a chance to just relax to his music as he talks about spending quality time with his girl. I foudn it to be refreshing, however I wouldn't say it's that strong of a tune in its own right.

**Two Stars**

19. "Dear Hip Hop"

This, the final track on the album has LL do a tunewhich has him adress Hip Hop, talk of what it has gone through over the years, and the future which it may go on to have. I thought that although he is one of few who is capable of doing such a track, he didn't do it too well as he basically mad it all about himself, claiming that he was the one to bring it back after being mistreated in so many ways, but it really wasn't the case at all.

**Two Stars**

To be honest, I wouldn't be fussed if LL decided that sicne his Def jam run is up, that he simply calls it quits, and after doign an album such as this one where he has brought it all back around to the days were he would use profanities and come with some hardcore lyrics, tht he's dne all he needs to do. With "Dear Hip Hop", it seems as though he has completed his career. I haven't gone through all LL's music yet, but I doubt that this is anywhere near the best music he has made. At times he does appear to have potential in his lyricism, but at this stage into his career, its too late to simply have the 'potential' to come with something big, so I wasn't really that impressed by it that much. I would only recommend this to fans of LL, especially the middle years of his career. 

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