Bio
“I never could have predicted that I’d still be rocking the mic more
than two decades after my debut, but here I am,” LL Cool J says with a
smile.
Here he is indeed. Nearly 25 years since he first burst onto the scene, LL
Cool J continues his vibrant, trailblazing career with the release of EXIT
13, his appropriately titled 13th album for the only label he has called
home - Def Jam Recordings.
EXIT 13 is a study in contrast and showcases LL Cool J’s duality.
“Depending on my mood, I can be aggressive, explosive and in-your-face,
or alternately suave, smooth and sensual. It’s no secret that I like
making love songs as much as I like to lay down rhymes,” commented LL.
With a career chock full of both and a new album packed with collaborators
as diverse as 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Richie Sambora and The Dream, and
producers such as Suits, DJ Scratch, Ilfonics and Raw Uncut, EXIT 13 is the
album LL Cool J fans have been clamoring for – full of passion,
braggadocio and smooth rhymes. “When it came time for me to go into the
studio, I tried to make this project as relevant as my first, and having
that sense of my career coming full circle. Believe me, it was a blessing
to be able to go back into the studio and create this album.”
Joining forces with 50 Cent on a track called “Heartbeat,” the two
Queens natives rap over a stripped down track, while sounding like they are
having a good time. “It’s a song about role playing,” says LL of
“Heartbeat.” On the tracks “Rocking With The Goat,” LL taps into
his native New Yorker persona, and teams with labelmates The Dream on EXIT
13’s first single “Baby.” The track, which recently debuted on the
Billboard charts, marks LL’s 42nd career chart debut.
What began for LL Cool J in the nascent, burgeoning rap and hip hop scene
of the 80’s, has now seeped throughout the musical and cultural
phenomenon that is today’s hip hop. All the while, LL Cool J has remained
a musical and cultural force, a living icon and a significant, relevant
artist still churning out the hits. First introduced to the world in 1984
as a Def Jam Records flagship artist, LL is the first rap artist to amass
ten consecutive platinum-plus selling albums, while 2004’s “THE
DEFinition” and 2006’s “Todd Smith” both went Gold. He is
currently tied for third place for most Billboard chart debuts by a rapper.
As an entertainer, he has succeeded in crossing into multiple mediums.
Already a talented actor, author, recording artist, two-time Grammy Award
winner and NAACP Image Award winner, LL continues to display his wide range
of talents in his projects.
