Exit 13 [PA]

Performer: LL Cool J
Artist: 50 Cent; Ticky Diamondz; Jiz; It's Ya Girl Nicolette; Lyrikal; The-Dream; Richie Sambora; Grandmaster Caz; Ryan Leslie; Elan; Wyclef Jean; Funkmaster Flex; Fat Joe; Sheek Louch
Engineer: Anthony Palazzole; Glen Marchese; Dave Clauss; Brian "B-Luv" Thomas; Ky Miller; Jeff Chestek; Ryan Leslie; Brian Stanley
Producer: C. "Tricky" Stewart; Illfonics; DJ Scratch; Dream Team; Marley Marl; Ryan Leslie; C. "Tricky" Stewart; The-Dream; Cue Beats; Suits; Ray Burghardt; Raw Uncut; Marlon Williams, Jr.; Illfonics; Dame Grease; Absolut; Marley Marl; Scratch; Streetrunner; The Dream Team; Ryan Leslie; Frado
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Starr Blackshere (vocals, background vocals); Teresa Williams, Brian Mavi, Arnold Tucker, Sharise Jackson, Paula Hollaway, Nahemma Harper, Lyric Tucker, Lawrence Newton, Jennifer Burton, El Ahmad Barack, Lil' Mo, Barbara Walker, Charlene Holloway (vocals); Dave Clauss (guitar); Thomas Flanagan (sitar); Tamae Lee, Luigi Mazzochi, Ghislaine Fleischmann, Louigi Mazzoechi, Igor Szwec, Emma Kummrow, Olga Konopelsky, Gregory Teperman, Charles Parker (violin); Alexandra Leem, Peter Nocella, Davis A. Barnett (viola); Jennie Lorenzo (cello); Greg Riley (tenor saxophone, horns); Mike A. Jarosz, Jon Virtue (trumpet, horns); Matt Gallagher (trumpet); Phil Arbogast (tenor trombone, bass trombone, horns); Paul Arbogast (tenor trombone, bass trombone); Dan Paul, Dana Paul (piano); Infamous, Infamous (keyboards); Paul Gehman (bass instrument); Brian Farr (drums); Leonard Sideman (tabla); David Nelson , David Nelson (Dahveed Ben Israel) (timpani); DJ Scratch, Scratch (scratches); Mariko Koda (background vocals); Brent Behrenshausen, Zach Larimer, Mark Figueroa, Gabriel Staznik, Frankie Hill. Audio Mixers: Jaycen Joshua; Dave Pensado; Glen Marchese; Marley Marl; Brian Stanley . Recording information: Big House Studio, Farmington Hills, CT; Chung King Studios, New York, NY; Daman Pro Audio Recording Studio, New York, NY; Platinum Sound Recording Studio, New York, NY; Quad Recording, New York, NY; Ray's Place, Yonkers, NY; Scratch's Lab, Brooklyn, NY; The Studio Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Triangle Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: Joseph Cultice. Unknown Contributor Roles: Brent Behrenshausen; Zach Larimer; Gabriel Staznik; Frankie Hill. Arranger: Larry Gold. The 13 in LL Cool J's latest LP represents the number of albums that he's recorded for Def Jam, the label he helped build from the ground up dating back to 1984. Much like Ice Cube and other aging hip-hop stars who have crossed over to mainstream celebrity, LL has little to prove but still plenty of talent to burn. As he says on "Get Over Here," "It ain't where ya from, it's how hot you are," and the man they call Todd Smith liberally borrows production styles from hip-hop's ever-expanding geography, while throwing in the occasional history lesson. Opener "Old School New School" is rousing and boastful, feeling awfully similar to a Kanye West cut off GRADUATION. He then heads down south for "Over Here"'s stutter-step bounce (and the phenomenal, drumline-centric "American Girl"), and goes literally global via the seductive Indian inflections of "I Fall In Love." But the highlight is "Ringtone M.," a minimalist track backed by a verse from genre pioneer Grandmaster Caz. EXIT 13 demonstrates that LL's influence has become genre- and era-blind, and as an MC, his flow is still as crisp, confident, and commanding as ever.

Since releasing his recording debut while still a teenager, LL Cool J has enjoyed one of the most successful and sustained careers in rap history. His aggressive, self-aggrandizing style was one of the form's touchstones in its early incarnation. After earning Grammy Awards and platinum sales and achieving massive crossover success (with 1990's MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT), the man formerly known as James Todd Smith has moved well beyond musical superstardom to become an actor in movies and TV, as well as a product pitchman and philanthropist.

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