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This is my ninth review of LL Cool J’s catalog that I originally published on Epinions.com two years ago during Hip Hop Appreciation Week.

Roughly 7 years since his last hot album, you wonder what LL had up his sleeve. Even though G. O. A. T. wasn’t a bad release, just inconsistent, I would say that it was probably just short of a fiasco. When you name yourself The Greatest Of All Time the album better be fire. And though there were sparks, like a bad cub scout, he couldn’t turn the spark into wild flames. Would LL get some credibility back with a good album, or would he just throw his hands in the air, and wave them like he just didn’t care? If you’ve heard this album, it’s definitely the latter.

LL fans and hip hop fans alike were hoping that on 10, he would give us glimpses of that 17 year old kid who was intense on the mic and charismatic as all hell. This is not to say that LL is never going to be a dominant force in the game ever again, because given the right producers and frame of mind, there’s no doubt in my mind he can put out respectable records, but I’m ready to say that he simply doesn’t have that fire in his belly anymore. There are records on this album like, Fa Ha and Niggy Nuts which was actually a throwback term, where it seems like he tries to spit hot fiyah (like Dylan), and it just sounds dated and tired. I’ve always been one to give LL props for getting refocused and putting the Kangol back on, but here, it’s just plain weak. And after that, it’s almost as if he just figured he couldn’t do it anymore and decided to make a record straight for the radio. He enlisted the help of The Neptunes for the first single Luv U Better which I’ll admit is a nice ballad and a great single. But you could tell that when that record became successful, he probably figured his vision of the way the album was designed was correct. Paradise is a total R&B record with Amerie. Amerie could’ve added some more singing verses and maybe cut down LL’s lines down and it would’ve been a hit song. But for a hip hop record, it was just soft. If you ever wondered what Sukiyaki would’ve sounded like as a rap song, you have Lolipop which is just lame.

Born To Love You is just too flossy to be good. Done by Nelly, something like this hits as far as the teeny bopper fans, but I doubt those same fans see LL anything other than their old uncle. On any one else’s record You Should would be a nice deviation, but on this album, you wonder who decided what songs would make this album. I can imagine the conversation that was happening when they were selecting the songs.

Let’s see, what do the LL fans want now?
Let’s give them as many love songs as we can.
If this record sells, the next album will be the first slow jams rap album of all time.

If you were a fan of the album Phenomenon, P. Diddy joining LL on the mic for After School probably interested you. The song comes off as a big joke though, as they take lines from Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight for the hook. And if you thought that was hip hop blasphemy, they do it again by stealing Rob Base’s It Takes Two and taking it as their own.

By the time you get to Big Mamma with Dru Hill wailing on the hook, whatever redeeming quality this song could’ve given this album is already lost because of how uninteresting the rest of the album was. But again, while it’s not a love song in his regular terms, it’s still a love song, albeit a heartfelt one. If you’ve followed LL’s career, you know how much of an inspiration she was to him and he gives her the proper shout out.

This is definitely the worst album of LL’s career, and no matter how much he says he’s just as fresh as he ever was, you wonder if he still has anything left. But whether or not you are still a fan, you can’t take anything away from LL’s career as a hip hop icon. Reaching his tenth solo album (he counts his greatest hits album) is a monumental experience.

(At the bottom of this write-up is the post game show that my dear mother and I did. I’ll apologize in advance for the awful mic popping as my original mic didn’t want to work. There are a couple of uneasy edits there as well, but I’ll blame my lack of sleep for those.)

It’s time for the finale. What will I do on Tuesday nights from now on? Maybe get to sleep at a regular time.

No Ryno at the start, but we do get Carrie Underwood. Unfortunately, we get Taylor as well in a white tuxedo. Then Katharine comes out with her Paula Abdul’s showing. And now the rest of the top 12 comes out to sing with the three of them. What a hit record does to someone. Carrie looks really good. It looks like an American Idol alumni show.

Ryno comes out looking very dapper. Heather Locklear and Ben Stiller are sitting together in the audience. Ben has better seats tonight. For some reason, they’re doing video packages on the judges. They must have a lot of time and not a lot of show. Randall is in a phat suit. Paula isn’t showing her boobage tonight unfortunately. Simon is wearing an open shirt with a jacket showing mighty chest hair.

The Maxim twins, I mean, the O’Donahue twins are hosting the Birmingham viewing and everyone has died their hair gray in honor of old Taylor. In Hollywood, Tamyra Gray is hosting the viewing looking like she hasn’t eaten in several days.

Paris is on stage with Al Jarreau. If Taylor is 29 years old, so is Al. Al and Paris go toe to toe with the skee diddles. That was pretty good.

Chris Daughtry is singing with Live. He pretty much fits right in. It was pretty anticlimactic for him singing up there nearly jerkin’ the curtain. I was waiting for him to flip off America for voting him off, but he held it in.

We get another video package, this time with Wolfgang Puck and Kellie Pickler. She’s looking very Kelly Bundy these days. This skit is horrendously meaningless by the way.

What does Meatloaf have to do with American Idol? Katharine McPhee is singing It’s All Coming Back To Me Now with him. Talk about Beauty And The Beast. Though ‘Loaf does get major props for his voice. Katharine is making up for Paula’s covering up. And she out Meatloafed Meatloaf on that last note.

Since when did this show become a variety show? They are doing The Golden Idol Awards, which should be called The Hung Awards. This show has become a complete waste of time.

Because it was so good the first time, we get a second rendition of Kellie Pickler and Wolfgang Puck ordering at his restaurant. The last time she was forced to eat snails, and this time, he’s scaring her with lobsters.

The five defeated men from this season are back. First it was Ace, then it was Kevin, then Bucky, then Chris, and finally, the great Elliot Yamin. They’re singing Taking Care Of Business. Taylor comes out and busts out the harmonica. It’s interesting. With a harmonica, Taylor looks like a soulful dude. Take it away, and he looks like a geek.

Ryno just gave away Mustangs to Taylor and Katharine. Kevin Covais and Lisa Tucker started weeping. More wacky video packages. This time it’s about the families of the Idols. Katharine’s father looks like the love child of Captain Kangaroo and Mean Gene Okerlund. For some reason, they gave an award away for best parent? And Elliot’s mother won. I think Katharine’s sensitive father got hosed on that one. Elliot’s singing U2’s One. And guess who comes out? None other than MJB, the queen of hip hop soul. First MJB was on Dancing With the Stars and now this. She’s making the rounds. My dear mother is getting angry because Mary is taking up all the stage time. She wants her Elliot. She drowned that poor boy out.

We get more Carrie Underwood. She’s singing a song THAT IS NOT Jesus Take The Wheel. I still can’t get over the makeover. She looks gorgeous tonight. And the singing wasn’t bad either.

Another wacky award. This one has to do with public speaking in honor of Randy Jackson. And they give to Rhonetta. If you don’t remember Rhonetta, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t important.

Taylor is a lucky man. He gets to sing In The Ghetto with Toni Braxton. I might give up limbs to be on stage with Toni Braxton. They have a little Billie Joel and Christy Brinkley chemistry going on. One of these things is not like the other, but who cares? He got to sing with Toni.

Katharine is back singing some Shania Twain. Who’s next to come out? Michael Jackson? I might give up more limbs to be on stage with Michael Jackson. Ok, that sounded awkward. But I’m not lying. She’s on stage with the 5 other women doing a bunch of wacky songs including Elvis Presley’s Trouble. Melissa McGhee got skinny. Mandisa didn’t. Katharine looks much more calm and comfortable on stage tonight.

They’re doing another Golden Idol for best impersonation. And the guy who looked like Clay Aiken won. And for some reason, they made him sing on stage. Clay Aiken shows up behind him looking like an albino John Lennon. Next thing you know, Ruben Studdard is gonna come out with a gheri curl.

It’s the Burt Bacharach tribute portion of the show. Burt is on the piano. Taylor and Katharine are singing What The World Needs Now. Melissa McGhee is blinged out of her mind with the diamonds. Looks like Acey is getting lucky tonight. Bucky’s New Hair~! joins the fray after Kellie Pickler. Mandisa does a kick ass version of I Say A Little Prayer. Elliot does his thing and we get the comical act of Kevin Covais. Kevin, Chris, and Acey bring Dudley Moore and Christopher Cross back to life. Wait, Christopher Cross is still alive. Paris is singing something by The Carpenters. And Dione Warwick comes out to grace our presense. But tonight, she doesn’t have any psychic friends. But that’s what friends are for.

The next award is for best male bonding, aka the Idol homophobic award. They showed in slow motion Acey and Chris in a manly affectionate hug. The Brokenote Cowboys won the award and for some reason, they are singing live on my television.

I guess I could sit through those guys if they give me Prince. And they did. Prince is on American Idol. Michael Jackson can’t be too far. This must happen.

Taylor and Katharine are singing The Time Of My Life from Dirty Dancing. If I was Randall Jackson, I’d say that tonight, they both did their thing. If Taylor sings She’s Like The Wind I’ll change my vote.

And the winner is …...

Taylor Hicks

I think I saw Katharine mouth the words, “Congratulations Uncle Taylor.”

David Hasselhoff sighting. Enough said.

But wait, there is more. My dear mother and I did a post game show and you can listen to it below, or click here to download.

ODEO

When we were down to the final four, I had hoped the final two would’ve been Elliot Yamin and Chris Daughtry. They were the two best singers left, but of course, America had an affinity for Taylor and McPheever. I can understand the appeal of both. Taylor is a likeable guy who uses gimmicks to get by. He’s the biggest farce in the history of this show. But it also shows he’s smart and he listens well. I’m sure the producers tell him to keep doing what’s working. As for Katharine, it seems that the female fans don’t like her, but the males love her. I’m kind of in the middle on her. I think she definitely has the talent, but it’s not refined. As for Taylor, I would request that he and Chris and Elliot get in a cypher and sing acapella. Taylor can even pick the song. And he will get sung underneath the table. But that’s neither here nor there. America loves this man, and more power to him. He’s figured out how to utilize the best of what he has.

The Hot List
1. Katharine McPhee – Even though she’s probably the better singer, she’s definitely the underdog.
2. Taylor Hicks – The greatest con in the history of American Idol.

The Defeated
1. Melissa McGhee
2. Kevin Covais
3. Lisa Tucker
4. Mandisa
5. Bucky Covington
6. Ace Young
7. Kellie Pickler
8. Paris Bennett
9. Chris Daughtry
10. Elliot Yamin

We’re going to do things a bit differently tonight as I am almost done Idoling Around The World. Tonight, I’m back at the home of my parents. Joining us tonight are my dear mother, cousin Nini and her mom, (my aunt) Auntie Diana. Nak and his wife Kim along with their young son Brandon were supposed to be in attendance, but couldn’t be here. They are here with us in spirit. Also, my sister and Shoesless Mike opted out after Chris was defeated. They are on strike from American Idol.

But, through the power of the Internet, I have a few guest commenters who are back tonight. From Syracuse, New York, Patty Therre is back. From the fun loving city of Murphy, Texas, Amy and Andrew Padgett rejoin us. From Foster City, California, the legendary The Bito~! who said that he wouldn’t join the fun tonight because he was too sexy for this damn review had second thoughts and is ready to supply commentary for a record third time this season. And as a special guest, possibly the greatest guest judge in Idol history, the man, the myth, the legend; Lionel Ritchie.

The Outrageous Lionel Ritchie

As for those who were not able to make it, here’s what I received.

From the woman who gave me children: “I probably won’t be able to watch the show in time for your write-up”.
From MJ Heyliger: “Dude, I got home at 8:57 PM and immediately turned on the Pistons game. But please make mention of the fact that Taylor Hicks will be carrying my children.”
From Krissieliz: “Probably won’t have time … sorry. I will look forward to reading your recap though.” (There was a smiley face here but I deleted it because it keeps screwing up the format.)
From Low Jones: “Hey dude, sorry, I had to watch Beverly Hills 90210.”

Rather than write it the way I’ve been writing it, I’m going to give my thoughts, let you know what the judges said and then give the feedback from everyone else. This is going to be a long night. Before we start, remember that tomorrow night I will have a postgame show with my dear mother recapping the season and the finale.

On to the show~! Ryno is looking mighty handsome today. Did I just say that? I must be tired. And we’re just beginning. Ben Stiller is in the crowd. He didn’t have a great seat. Taylor is wearing a purple velvet coat. Yikes. Simon is wearing a jacket tonight on top of his grey t-shirt. Randall says tonight it’s now or never. Paula says they need to pick the right songs to sing, and that she wants to show some boobage tonight. Simon says they should pray that the other forgets the words.

They are billing the show as the Soul Patrol vs. McPheever. Katharine is first with Black Horse And The Cherry Tree which was the fun little song that got her back on track a few weeks ago. The charm in the song is the guys with the box drums and how much fun she looks like she’s having. And the black pants do her justice. She looks like a well dressed human being tonight. She got a bit pitchy for a second, but overall, it was just as good as the first rendition she did. Randall says she finally looks like she’s having a little fun and said she sang it better this time. Paula says that America loves her, but she knows there’s more and better of her left to come. Simon says it’s a good with a small “g”.

My dear mother: She should’ve chosen a different song. She should’ve chosen Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
Cousin Nini: It was safe and trendy and she’s trying to pull votes.
Auntie Diana: This is the final and she should’ve been more careful about the choice of songs.
Patty Therre: It was OK but nothing we have never seen before. I wasn’t blown away but neither was I turned off.
Amy Padgett: I liked this song the first time Kat sang it. I liked it again. I think it suits her voice well and she was having fun. And this time had no Madonna writhing – yay.
Andrew Padgett: It’s OK - it doesn’t rock my world.
The Bito~!: This song is great for her, fun and upbeat. I’m glad she decided not to sit on the floor this time. It was good, not awesome.
Lionel Ritchie: That was quite outrageous!

Taylor is singing something from week 1. He’s going with Stevie Wonder’s Livin’ For The City. His coat makes him look like a geek. Does America like geeks? We’ll see. He’s actually doing a decent job with the song, but the silly jacket takes away from the performance. If he was trying to treat the final show as a joke, he did a great job. Taye Diggs, Paula Abdul, and Paula’s boobs were excited. Randall says that he made it his own and it was a hot one. Paula starts doing the Taylor dance. Simon says it was a great way to start the show and smart choice of song and the worst jacket he’s ever seen in his life. He thinks Taylor won round one.

My dear mother: He probably chose it to get the fans going, but if you’re trying to win this competition, you have to sing the best and this wasn’t the best.
Cousin Nini: If it was based on wardrobe, he would lose. He did get the crowd pumped though.
Auntie Diana: Did he buy his jacket at the segunda (flea market)? It’s as if we were at a wedding and he was the wedding singer.
Patty Therre: It was a very good choice for Taylor and I liked it better than Katherine’s first song by a mile. I did not like the jacket though.
Amy Padgett: Taylor knows what works for his voice. I’m not certain he knows what works for his wardrobe though. Purple velvet? Yeesh! Still, I’m entertained. He didn’t go too completely spastic with the dancing. Solid performance overall.
Andrew Padgett: He’s energetic. He’s raw and he’s fun.
The Bito~!: Horrible jacket. Love that song. Stevie Wonder, baby! Is this guy really going to win this thing? I guess so.
Lionel Ritchie: That jacket was just, so, hmm, I can’t think of a word. It was just so outrageous!

Geek

Katharine is singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow next. This was the song that pretty much got her here. The audience here in the living room of my mother and father are upset because they want to hear new music, not old songs. I might have to pause the Tivo to calm them down a bit. This song is a piece of cake for her. Her voice is perfect for it. And again, her wardrobe is on point. Two for two in the wardrobe department for young Katharine. That might be a record for her. Randall says it’s a bit anti-climatic, but she worked it out and she was hot. Paula says she has God given talent and she’s possessed with it. Huh? Simon says she was slaughtered round one and come round two, she comes with her best performance of the competition.

My dear mother: She did a good job, but I don’t like the way they’re doing it.
Cousin Nini: One hundered percent times better than the first song.
Auntie Diana: It was better than the first, but when you hear the term American Idol, you don’t think of this song, you think of Judy Garland’s era and it’s not something that would be a number one hit today. But she was very good.
Patty Therre: She has a singing coach mother and a TV producer father. Why is she even here? Still, the song was very well done and very touching.
Amy Padgett: This is just exactly like last week. Right down to pulling the ear monitor out after the acapella. But I don’t think it was quite as interesting as last week. It was good, but not the greatness of last week.
Andrew Padgett: She looks terrific. She sounds terrific. But I’m not thrilled with it. And she loses a point for the guide track (unless the guide track was actually broken as she implied).
The Bito~!: That song really shows off her voice. She really does have the better voice, but I’m not sure that’s enough to win.
Lionel Ritchie: Three words for you. Out Ra Geous.

Taylor is next with his second song and they show Taylor’s parents. You can see where he gets his grey hair from. He’s singing Leave On. It sounds like Taylor is losing his voice a bit. It’s not specifically a good performance when this was the type of song for him to clean up on. Nini says he should’ve worn the purple jacket this time. Randall says it was a nice song, but to keep it real, it was a little pitchy. Paula says pitchy may be the essence of who Taylor is. That’s kind of scary. Simon says Katharine has taken the second round.

My dear mother: He did a good job.
Cousin Nini: It was a’ight.
Auntie Diana: It was so so. Asi asi. Not a great song choice.
Patty Therre: My husband is singing along and tapping his foot. I assume that is a good thing? It was a good song but I don’t know if it was as good as the first time. Still, solid.
Amy Padgett: I’ll grant this to the Taylor detractors. He’s a little bit of a one trick pony because his voice is so distinctive. But he uses the uniqueness of his voice to its best effect. For those of us who like that sort of thing, it’s good.
Andrew Padgett: Lousy arrangement.
The Bito~!: I like it when he’s not dancing like a freak on stage. Good song. But I think Katherine wins this round.
Lionel Ritchie: If I could think of an adjective to replace my favorite word outrageous, it’d have to be stupendageous!

Katharine is singing her first single called My Destiny. She’s singing the first verse while trying not to breathe heavy, but isn’t succeeding. As it picks up, she does too, but hits an odd note. I’m not as fond of this dress, but it’s not the worst she’s worn this year. It’s the schmaltzy kind of single you’d expect to hear as the first single. It’s the same song Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia and Carrie Underwood did, just with different lyrics. For what it’s worth, she’s doing a fine job with the material. She struggles a bit near the end though. Tori Spelling, who looks like a completely different woman from her 90210 days is in the audience. Randall says she looks amazing, sounded good, but didn’t like the song. Paula says she’s brilliant. Simon says she went from brilliant to quite good within one song. He says she has great potential, but it wasn’t like her second song.

My dear mother: I didn’t really like the song. I hope Taylor can do a lot better.
Cousin Nini: She was pitchy. I wasn’t impressed.
Auntie Diana: It didn’t wow me.
Patty Therre: She sounds like she is singing the song one key lower than it should be sung. Another crappy song from the writers of Idol. It was OK, a bit dull, but that wasn’t her fault. Oh! A whole bunch of choir people! They didn’t help the song any though. She did a good job but I was not blown away by it.
Amy Padgett: The song makes me think ‘Disney’. The cute girl title character from some animated feature should have been singing it instead of a real girl. Beyond the song though, I’m not overly crazy about the performance. The low bits are too low for her voice. The high bits are too high for her voice. And she screeched in a very unappealing way on the key change. This is not Katharine’s shining moment.
Andrew Padgett: Typical pop princess and she screeched it out. That needs work.
The Bito~!: It wasn’t nearly as great as “A Moment Like This”, too bad for her. She did the best she could.
Lionel Ritchie: Wow. I am speechless. Outrageously speechless.

Is He Looking At Her Rear?

Taylor is next with his single, Do I Make You Proud?. My dear mother is rooting hard here for Taylor. I just heard, “Come on Taylor!” It’s the same cheesy song that Katharine got to sing, but he’s putting Taylor into the song, whereas I don’t think Katharine was able to put her personality into hers. She seemed overwhelmed singing it whereas Taylor seems like he knows he’s going to win. Who writes these songs? Taylor just won this competition. Elliot is in the audience wearing a boy scout uniform. Randall says based on the song, it was slightly better than Katharine’s, but he made it his own. Paula says he knows who he is as an artist. Simon says he has just won American Idol. They just showed Constantine in the audience, and I might have nightmares tonight.

My dear mother: The song is pretty bad. I wouldn’t buy that single. But I still think he should win.
Cousin Nini: He’s gonna win this competition.
Auntie Diana: He’s a better entertainer, not necessarily a better singer. I want him to win, but I cannot give him positive comments because he was average tonight.
Patty Therre: They changed the way they do things this year! Hmm…how do you compare apples and oranges? Another crappy ditty from Idol. Blue robes are coming out. Oh yeah, Taylor gets my vote. He even make THIS song sound good. Well, passable anyway.
Amy Padgett: This is a much better song that Katharine just sang. It started quiet with a more controlled vocal than we usually hear from Taylor. Then it built into something really great – powerful vocals, absolutely rock solid performance. Perfect. This was, in my opinion, a winning performance.
Andrew Padgett: This is the song. I believe this song. I was sold 10 seconds into this. I could hear this on the radio. I would buy this. Give the man a 10 – he wins. This single was the best AI single in any season so far, and the best performance of any original song from Idol.
The Bito~!: The song is too slow and not soulful, but at least it was better than Katherine’s song. Shut up with that Soul Patrol stuff, so annoying. I guess he wins.
Lionel Ritchie: Woohoo! That’s his first single? It wasn’t as outrageous as Dancin’ On The Ceiling or Hello, but it was still outrageous.

The great Daniel Powter is singing Bad Day live to the end credits, and you get the feeling that he’s singing to Katharine.

If I voted, based simply on the singing tonight, I would’ve voted for Katharine to win. Her second song was far above anything Taylor did tonight, but she lost the competition on the last song. Taylor was more poised for the big finish than she was and he was able to simply be comfortable with the song where she seemed very uneasy and scared. We’ll see tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who sent in the feedback. Tomorrow, you get at least a half an hour of my dear mother on the post game show.

Who wins?

My dear mother: Taylor
Cousin Nini: Taylor
Auntie Diana: Taylor
Patty Therre: Taylor
Amy Padgett: Taylor
Andrew Padgett: Taylor
The Bito~!: Taylor
Lionel Ritchie: Who cares? They were both outrageous.

Previous weeks

The Top 12
And Then There Were 11
And Then There Were 10
And Then There Were 9
And Then There Were 8
And Then There Were 7
And Then There Were 6
And Then There Were 5
And Then There Were 4
And Then There Were 3

This is my eigth review of LL Cool J’s catalog that I originally published on Epinions.com two years ago during Hip Hop Appreciation week.

The other night I was up at Farmers, politican wit some bloods
They told me “yo L, in the streets you aint gettin no love”
And Ever since the X’s and the Jiggas came out
My n ain’t tryin’ to the hear that smooth s** you talk about

Is this an admission in which he pretty much acknowledges that his game had slipped? It’s his first lines from Back Where I Belong featuring Ja Rule before he became completely annoying.

What’s up wit that cat Canibus, some played you out
Why you didn’t answer back correctly, f* was that about?
As I sip on some henny, and try to explain some things
About the life of a legend, and all the drama it brings
Been gone a long time, had a lot of s* on my mind
I decided I don’t want to reach my goal if it means losing my shine

One thing rap stars usually try to keep is their pride. Actually, anyone does. To actually be truthful enough to admit that it took Canibus’ nudging to get his head straight about rap music is something someone like LL didn’t have to do. He had the money, the cars, Hollywood and had done everything already in rap. But it wasn’t enough. He had to come out for the streets in which he was no longer a part of, but grew up on.

Streets is Hip-hop and I’m Hip-Hop, so the streets is mine
Ballin’ as long as you been livin’, that’s a long time
Hard to stay hungry when your pockets are so fat
You hit a hot one in every city on the map
And n keep sleepin’ and you keep coming back
You know better than the gat, but n still wanna clap

Back Where I Belong is the type of song you don’t see in Hip Hop. Who says they slipped up and needed a calling out to get their head straight? Nas didn’t acknowledge how bad Nastradaumus and I Am were and also didn’t acknowledge that it took Jay-Z calling him out to help him create the classic Stillmatic. But LL was being honest. His game had slipped. And lyrically, Canibus was handing it to him. But there was one thing wrong. While it still meant a lot to LL, the fans didn’t care anymore. Three years after the 4, 3, 2, 1 episode, LL came about two years too late. The feud can still be a feud if the guys are still shouting at each other on mixtapes and on the radio. But if you go away, people forget. And he changed part of his story, and that hurt his credibility. When Canibus was under Wyclef Jean’s wing, LL called Clef a Bob Marley imposter. Remember Clef’s response? The horrendous What’s Clef Got To Do With It? Most people don’t remember either. But on this song LL says that he and Clef set up Canibus, which is preposterous as Clef put most of his marbles into Canibus’ first album and didn’t have anything to gain from the feud if Canibus’ album didn’t sell. But, beyond that faux pas, this song was straight fire. In my opinion, it was better than his first reply, The Ripper Strikes Back which was hot on it’s own, but this is produced much better and hotter, especially using the Rocky instrumental as the backbone of the song.

Based on that song, you get the feeling that maybe LL wasn’t playing around when he titled his album. But the rest of the album wasn’t the same. There were some nice bangers, but he also went the bastardized freaky song route too. LL is the master at rapping about how many women he can make love to, but it’s tired. Maybe the first time, like on Kanday from his second album where he used witty punchlines, it worked. But with songs like Imagine That which was the first single and describes how he could make love on a copy machine, and Hello which features one of the lamest hooks in history, it shows that the genre is so lame and tired. When he raps about real love and the respect he has for his wife like on This Is Us with Carl Thomas croonin’ his rear end off and You And Me featuring Kelly Price, he comes across so much more genuine and thoughtful. It’s a smarter way to make a track.

While I’d be hard pressed to say that this is a great album because of the aforementioned commercial songs, as well as Take It Off which is a direct rip of Q-Tip’s Vivrant Thing, there is redemption. Ill Bomb which I believe was released on a Funkmaster Flex mixtape originally, gets LL back into the same mood as Ripper, and Back Where I Belong. It actually came out before G. O. A. T. to get the people ready for the album. Fuhgidabowdit features Method Man, Redman and DMX, which are three of the four guests from 4, 3, 2, 1 and my guess is that LL simply did that to show who was on his side. It’s not as good as the track on Phenomenon but it serves it’s purpose. On U Can’t F* With Me he teams up with West Coast MC’s Snoop Dog, Jayo Felony, and Xzibit and addresses the small issue he had with Jamie Foxx a few years back during the filming of Any Given Sunday. He says Foxx isn’t as funny as Chris Rock.

You rarely see LL get political, but on Homicide he raps about the amount of press the Columbine killings received when he says Columbine happens everyday in the ghetto. He prepared us with that statement by stating in the hook by saying:

I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way
But Columbine happens in the ghetto everyday
When the s* goes down ya’ll ain’t got nothing to say

It’s an interesting song because of the way he describes things happening in the ghetto with graphic story telling. I’m sure he caught flack for taking advantage of a hard time in America, but he was basically showing how the media covers what they can sensationalize.

The album in itself is only decent. But there are enough tracks on here that make you believe that LL still has enough left to be a force in the rap game when he wants to.

Would 10 have a similar fate?