Music Review: LL Cool J: Exit 13

6.5/10



LL Cool J isnt lying when he exclaims (as he has done many times before) that he helped build a fledgling label named Def Jam into the powerhouse it is today. He's remained at the company for over two decades and "Exit 13" reflects an end of an era as his Def Jam tenure ends. Though it isnt his best work, "13" is the most focused LL has been in years.

Opening the album with the "300"-esque sounds of "Prepare For War", LL puts young rappers on blast expressing his frustration ("when i walk in the room young boys look at me strange/as if i am a relic from some long forgotten game") at being seemingly forgotten in the current state of music. LL struggles to prove his worth on songs like "Rockin Wit The G.O.A.T.", or "Ringtone Murder", ("drop jewels like yoda, my young students love me") proving that he is still a competent spitter, weathered by years of polish. "You Betta Watch Me" is a damn near throw back to LL's old teenage "Bigger and Deffer" years, once again pleading a case of relevance ("you cant compare me to them line for line, im beyond that i represent eras and time").

LL is of course a great MC after all these years, though "Exit 13" features some pretty limp production overall. Ryan Leslie, Dame Grease and Marley Marl all contribute, though on "Get Over Here" you wonder why the producer (or the guest artists) even tried.

"13" also manages to be bogged down with filler that borders and crosses the corny boundary. "Baby" (Featuring The-Dream) would have you fooled into believing that this album was another "Todd Smith" disaster (lyrically the song is confusing), and "I Fall In Love" is even more disgusting. Who thought that including the "Baby" remix (with Richie Sambora!) two songs after the original was a great idea?

"Mr. President" features Wyclef Jean and also strikes as foul on LL's part as it's too little too late, and along with the other offending tracks on the album (just wait until you hear the "American Girl" song) it creates an album that is schizophrenic in its delivery. LL wants to go hard again, this being his last album and all, but he seems to fall into the same caveats that got his past few albums panned critically.

"Exit 13" is a bittersweet ending to LL's era at Def Jam, as LL proves that he is more than capable at holding his own lyrically in this day and age, but he makes certain decisions that prove that he is out of touch as well. Will LL be able to come back rejuvenated with a new deal, or will it end here? Only time will tell