LL Cool J is finally set to drop his long awaited Def Jam swan song titled Exit 13 on September 9th. While his previous endeavors were heavy on content catered towards the opposite sex, Exit 13 will find LL swapping the baby oil for the grit and grime reminiscent of the young lion who couldn’t live without his radio – for the most part.
For LL, this album was two years in the making.
“On my last couple of albums I was off. I wasn’t analyzing what I was doing exactly,” he confessed to Billboard. “I was making movies and music, but I couldn’t play two sports at the same time. I turned down eight movies this time around. It was fulfilling for me especially since it’s my last album under contract. I just couldn’t jerk myself or my culture.”
Instead of “jerking” the culture, LL has decided to embrace its history. He has enlisted the services of some legends for his grand exit. Grandmaster Caz will pop in for “This Is Ring Tone Murder” while “You Better Watch Me” will be produced by Marley Marl. Also appearing on the album will be Wyclef, Fat Joe, Sheek Louch and Ryan Leslie.
It has become common knowledge that LL wasn’t satisfied with Jay-Z’s time as the head of Def Jam and alludes to his dissatisfaction on the album’s closer “Dear Hip-Hop.”
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“If he’s so hot / why is the culture frozen? It’s more than champagne … I’m the foundation.”
Check for Exit 13 on September 9th.