"When you say that I'm the best, remember I said it first!"
The swagger James Todd Smith has on "Authentic" is the same he's had
since the 1980's, when neither LL Cool J nor hip-hop could live without
his "Radio." If the original Yankee
Stadium was "The House That Ruth Built," then Def Jam Recordings is
and always will be "The House That LL Built" given he made the first full
length album the label released. In the years and albums that followed
his combination of pugilistic swagger and female friendly ballads made
him accessible to a large demographic, one that only grew larger through
movie and TV appearances. His transition from hip-hop to household
superstar was mirrored and emulated in the decades that followed. Thanks
to Fresh Prince and LL, you can now see Nicki Minaj hosting American
Idol. The road to rap stars becoming TV stars all starts with them.
"Don't forget where you come from! Don't forget about me."
It would be hard to overstate LL's importance to the generations that
followed him, nor how many people emulated (or being less kind
directly ripped off) his style over the years. It would be much easier
to simply say the dues LL paid opened a whole lot of doors that it
would have taken much longer to kick down. As such we could have
all bid his rap career a fond and respectful farewell on
"Exit 13," and let James
do what peers like Dana Owens (Queen Latifah) and Dante Terrell
Smith (Mos Def) did - become as well if not better known for their
acting. By all accounts LL's role as Sam Hanna on the popular CBS
drama "NCIS: Los Angeles" and the show itself are a big success.
There's every chance future generations will know him not as the
rap star who crossed over to acting, but as the actor who got his
start in the entertainment world as an emcee.
"Knock knock, who's there? The one, remember me?
I'm looking kind of different these days - don't you agree?"
As I've already connected the two of them together by their
historical importance as crossover rap stars, it only serves to further
the aim of this review to mention something ELSE that
both Will Smith and James Todd Smith have in common - besides
a last name that is. Both of them have had to scratch that itch to
come back just one more time, to do one more album, to take up
that old battle cry of "can't leave rap alone - the game needs me"
and proclaim themselves as relevant hip-hop artists even when
it's acting that now butters their bread. Perhaps once an emcee,
always an emcee. Maybe it's both a gift and a curse. Is it fair to
say Sam Hanna is a better choice? I suppose that depends
on how you feel about him doing duets with Brad Paisley.
"Authentic" has the most diverse list of guest stars of any album
LL has ever done - Eddie Van Halen to Charlie Wilson, Seal to
Snoop Dogg, Bootsy Collins to Travis Barker. There are two
equally valid interpretations to this situation. (1.) As an authentic
hip-hop legend, LL has the right to collaborate with whoever he
wants and once again push the boundaries he so successfully
broke through decades ago. (2.) As someone who hasn't recorded
a rap album in five years that is no longer rolling with the label
and empire he helped build from scratch, LL is artistically adrift
and throwing things at the wall at random to see what sticks.
The truth is "Authentic" is a little bit of both. LL has bounced
back from seemingly insurmountable odds as a rapper before, as
any of us who lived through "14 Shots to the Dome" can attest.
Even a five year layoff and a successful acting career can't hold
LL down. At times he even successfully transports himself back
in time 10-20 years, thanks to producers like DJ Premier on the
song "Jump On It" (unfortunately for some buyers this track is
a Target only exclusive). The heavy chords and fat scratches
clearly bring out the best of Mr. Smith's hip-hop machismo.
"Yes sir! I got the real recipe
A little bit of Olde E and bom-ba-zee
I guess by now you can tell you miss me
The baddest mother{censored} in rap history
One to the temple put you out your misery
That's not an album, that's a frisbee
Tangle with LL boy that’s risky
Them boys is backwash, you want whiskey!"
These highs are met with unfortuante lows like "Between the
Sheetz" featuring Mickey Shiloh. The fact the song is technically
sound in production and execution thanks to SoundZ and Tricky
Stewart has no bearing on the fact the song is an awkward
attempt to create the kind of sexual magnetism he had on 1980's
songs like "I Need Love," and his breathy whispering delivery
of sentiments like "I love you too baby - I really do" feel forced.
Some of LL's collaborations are inspired - "Not Leaving You
Tonight" featuring Fitz & The Tantrums plus Eddie Van Halen
could and should be released as a single; "Give Me Love"
featuring Seal is a better ode to passion than his duet with
Shiloh - perhaps with such a talented crooner on board he tried
harder to not be cornball. Both songs are ably produced by
Jaylien. "Closer" featuring Monica feels like he should be
cameoing on her song though, not the other way around, and
LL has something unfortunate in common with Babyface on
"Waiting For You" - going too many years between albums.
For anybody who is a fan of James Todd Smith as a rapper
from day one, first of all congratulations, you're probably as
old as I am now - many of our peers in or outside the music
business didn't make it this far. Second of all you won't
hate "Authentic," because no matter what else he is, LL Cool
J definitely is that and owns that like few other people in this
industry can or ever will. There's enough flashes of LL in his
prime to carry you through, and songs like "We Came to Party"
with Fatman Scoop and Snoop Dogg are unapologetic
throwbacks to the days when he and Rick Rubin ruled the
world. Perhaps an entire album like that would have been
even better - at least it would have has a consistent theme.
Despite his years away acting, LL hasn't really lost
his touch rapping. What he has lost is a sense of
focus and direction. On "Exit 13" he seemed to be going out
on a high note, saying "Thank you and good night" to his
adoring fans, and moving on with his successful acting career.
Now that he's back, the only thing you can say is that it's
nice to hear him rapping again - yet if he wants to be sharp
and on point one album every five years just won't cut it.
Music Vibes: 6 of 10
Lyric Vibes: 6 of 10TOTAL Vibes: 6 of 10